On Eden Hazard's disdain for Chelsea tactics under Mourinho

Who said what?

Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard told beIN SPORT after his team’s 1-3 loss to Atletico Madrid, “Chelsea are not made to play football, we are good on the counter-attack, a bit like Real against Bayern Munich. Often, I'm asked to do it all by myself and it's not easy."”

Why does it matter?

The author of that Telegraph piece seems to think it’s significant he said this to beIN, as they’re owned by QSI: the same group which owns Paris Saint-Germain who’ve been purportedly linked with the Belgian for some time (buh buh buhh!).

But it’s obviously perhaps a sign of some tension with Jose Mourinho’s tactical choices this season.

Why should Hazard be aggrieved?

He did become something of a counter-attacking workhorse for Chelsea this season, with 31 Premier League appearances and 14 goals. That’s three goals higher than his tally last season with the same number of appearances, but he had Juan Mata up there along with him, and Chelsea were something of a positive attacking side in a straightforward 4-2-3-1 under Di Matteo and then Rafa Benitez.

So he’s doing a lot of attacking work in a team which clearly places more of an emphasis on defensive football. There may be a tactical preference there (or he may not like being asked to track back to help defend).

Is Hazard’s Chelsea future in doubt?

Not according to the club, though the Telegraph says “Mourinho and Chelsea are expected to seek clarification from Hazard.” Apparently a sale is off the table (he’s clearly important to the team barring some as-yet undetermined summer transfer).

Is he right about the “not football” thing?

Romance! The “s**t on a stick” ideological divide between pragmatism and attack-minded football is ancient, going back to Helenio Herrera and catenaccio at Inter in the 1960s. Football is whatever is allowed within the rules of the game.  But personal preferences are also permitted, even by highly skilled and paid professionals like Hazard.

Are there other aggrieved parties at Chelsea?

Maybe. But Jose Mourinho is also capable of fostering deep loyalties as well. A Premier League title win will obviously quell some of the ill-will.