EPL 2016-17: Eden Hazard and teammates let down Antonio Conte against Arsenal says former Chelsea striker

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24:  Eden Hazard of Chelsea volleys during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2016 in London, England.  (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Eden Hazard could not inspire his teammates as Chelsea were beaten 3-0 by Arsenal

After the drubbing at the hands of Arsenal, Chelsea have come under a scathing attack from former Blues striker Tony Cascarino. The former Chelsea player has picked on Eden Hazard specifically as he accused the Belgian of failing to abide by Antonio Conte's instructions. Chelsea were beaten single-handedly 3-0 by their bitter rivals Arsenal thanks to goals from Alexis Sanchez, Alex Iwobi, and Mesut Ozil.

Conte was furious about his team's performance as he fumed about his side being good only on paper. Chelsea were the second best team hands down as they failed to register a shot on target till the 82nd minute. Branislav Ivanovic had later revealed that the Chelsea players did not believe in what the manager asked them to do as the Blues paid a hefty price for it.

Cascarino didn't mince any words in Eden Hazard's criticism as he said, “There are a few Chelsea players who are playing for themselves. They are more interested in how they play but it is not helping the team. ‘You can certainly accuse two or three. Hazard would fall into that bracket.”

He continued, " We all know how good he is and how good he can be but I would say he is one of the players who did not follow instructions at the weekend. There were probably two or three others and you only need two or three others. Then your team is finished. You are going to get beaten. " Hazard was very poor on the night as he was substituted in the 71st minute.

The former Chelsea striker also slammed Chelsea's leaking defense as he said, “Defensively, they are awful. I think you can question all the back four. Azpilicueta has not played anywhere near as well. Ivanovic has been poor for 18 months. Cahill has really struggled to be the number one. David Luiz drops far too deep and keeps people onside. The goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois as well just looks disinterested.”

Chelsea sit eighth on the table after two back to back losses as Arsenal are joint third on 13 points along with Liverpool and Everton. The absence of John Terry has been disastrous for Chelsea as Conte needs to readjust as defensive line as the Blues' back four are making errors on a regular basis.

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Edited by Staff Editor