Sarri sees the value of his Eden project
MAURIZIO SARRI spent three weeks in the summer fretting that Eden Hazard might turn his back on Chelsea.
And that was before he’d had the chance to see the Belgian up close and personal in training.
So goodness only knows how concerned the new Blues boss would have been had he known then what he knows now about the player’s true capabilities.
Hazard had scored in each of his last two games coming into this fixture and his treble here made it five in three and turned this game on its head.
He struck twice before the break after Sol Bamba had put Cardiff in front.
And he calmly completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after the break following a clumsy challenge on Willian by the Cardiff goalscorer.
Willian was only on the field for 30-odd minutes all told, after coming on as a replacement for Pedro.
But his impact was great and he rounded off Chelsea’s scoring with a peach of a goal, reporting back following the World Cup.
And asked whether Hazard is the best player in the top flight, the Italian didn’t hold back on the praise.
He added: “I thought Hazard was one of the best players in Europe, but now I have changed my mind – maybe he is the best now.”
Sarri thinks there is more to come from Hazard though, which must be something of a worry for Chelsea’s rivals.
“I have spoken to him in the last two days,” said the Chelsea manager.
“I told him he can score 40 goals but also to spend less energy far from the goal and play in the last 25 metres.”
For Cardiff, the wait goes on for their first win of the Premier League season and Neil Warnock wants his side to learn quickly at this level. He said: “I’m really disappointed underneath with the goals we conceded.”
Bamba bundled home Sean Morrison’s header back across goal but then two good Chelsea moves led to Olivier Giroud laying balls off to Hazard and him scoring from them both.
“He is a target man and maybe the best in the world,” said Hazard of Giroud. “It is a pleasure to play with him.”
Bamba’s foul on Willian led to Hazard’s third and the Brazilian wrapped up the game late on.
Warnock said: “I knew it was going to be a penalty 15 yards before he tackled him.
“I thought: ‘Willian is too quick and Sol’s going to tackle, he’s not going to hold, not at this time of the day when he is getting tired’.
“So it was a fully expected penalty, which was his only mistake. He has had a good game.”