Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly burst out in anger and said that Eden Hazard could quit Chelsea and the Premier League if referees failed to protect him against aggressive challenges of opposition players. Hazard has been the most charismatic player in the Premier League this season and is one of the main reasons that Chelsea are on top of the Premier League points table at the moment. Some of the performances he has produced have been of high quality and has become a target of many big clubs including Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. Hazard was also the Blues’ sole star performer in their shocking 5-3 defeat against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on New Year’s day. The Belgian put in yet another mesmerizing display. The 23 year old winger did rise to the occasion and produced another magical performance, but the lack of support could not prevent Chelsea’s downfall.
Jose Mourinho has warned that Hazard may soon get fed up of all the rash challenges on him and insists referees must do more to protect the game’s flair players.
Mourinho was quoted as saying, “People in love with football in this country, people must be in love with Eden Hazard. The way, match after match, he’s being punished by opponents and he’s not being protected by referees, maybe one day we won’t have Eden Hazard. It’s one, two, three, four, five, 10 aggressive fouls against him. They kick and kick and kick, and the kid resists. He’s a very honest guy in the way he plays, but that’s another problem.”
This was reported by the media after Chelsea’s loss to Tottenham eliminated the point gap between them and rivals Manchester City. Mourinho had expected this and had mentioned that it could happen in the near future if his team became too complacent.