HAPPY EDEN HAZ TO BE A LEADER Belgian ready to fill gap left by Terry
EDEN HAZARD is playing football with a smile on his face again.
But with the enjoyment these days comes the knowledge that he needs to be a leader at Chelsea.
Hazard has hit 17 goals this season but it is the overall revival in his play under Antonio Conte that has elevated the Belgian back into an elite group of players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Chelsea forward is 26 and has been at Stamford Bridge for five years.
He is no longer the exciting kid who might turn a match with one elusive dribble, one electric run – he is the one who is expected to.
As Chelsea prepare for the FA Cup Final against Arsenal at Wembley today, Terry’s imminent departure has raised the question of where the next generation of leaders at Stamford Bridge will come from.
Dip
Hazard says he is ready to take up that mantle.
The ex-Lille star suffered a dip in form last season, as Jose Moruinho departed and Chelsea finished 10th. Propelled by the hard work regime of Conte, this season has been different.
Hazard said: “This is football. Sometimes you are at the top and sometimes not. People are always talking, but I don’t care.
“I try to be the best I can. I don’t know if I am top five, top 10, top 20 in the world. It’s not my target. I just want to enjoy my football.
“Players like Ronaldo and Messi are leaders, people that want to be better every day. That’s why they have been at the top for the last 10 years. They need to prove it, we all need to prove it, every day.
“But I don’t think too much about that. I just concentrate on myself, on football, on the pitch, on the training ground. Then I ® see what comes. When I signed for Chelsea, in my head, it was to win titles. Maybe not like this – I have already won two Premier Leagues, one League Cup, one Europa League.
“It’s not bad but it can be better. The FA Cup and Champions League, why not?”
As for leaders, Hazard added: “We have a couple of players who can be leaders. I am in my fifth year at Chelsea.
“We have some guys who have a lot of experience, so we are ready.
“I try to be a leader on the pitch. John is a legend for us, for the club, for the fans. Next season he’s not here, but some of the guys are ready.”
Hazard believes a Wembley win would lay down a marker for what the Blues hope to achieve in the future.
He said: “We have this new manager, we have a couple of young players, so everything is ready to build something.
“The last 10 years have been great, but now Frank Lampard is finished, Didier Drogba is finished, Ashley Cole, and now John.
“It’s a new generation and we want to prove the club is one of the best in the world.
“The FA Cup is a good opportunity to put pressure on Arsenal and the other opponents.”