'Hazard needed TLC that Mourinho didn't give him' - Nicol

Dec 10, 2016 16:24:55

The former Liverpool midfielder believes the Belgian forward is back to his best because Antonio Conte has handled him better than his predecessor did

Eden Hazard’s return to form this season can be put down to the "tender love and care" shown to him by Antonio Conte, claims Steve Nicol.
The Chelsea forward endured a difficult 2015-16 campaign, alongside a number of his team-mates.

Morale dipped alarmingly at Stamford Bridge on the back of a difficult start, with the reigning champions stumbling their way through the first half of the season.
Jose Mourinho was relieved of his duties after failing to inspire a response, but not before publicly questioning the attitude of his star-studded squad.

 

  Hazard was among those to be pulled up by the Portuguese, as he looked a shadow of the player who had been named PFA Player of the Year a few months earlier.
A change in the dugout has revitalised the 25-year-old, though, with Conte’s troops riding high at the top of the table on the back of an eight-goal input from their Belgium international.

Pressed on ESPN as to the reasons behind Hazard’s renaissance, Nicol said: “It’s called TLC – a bit of tender love and care.
“From the very start Conte tells the Chelsea fans: "This is the guy I’m pinning my hat on." Eden Hazard takes a big breath of air and says: ‘I love this guy.’
 


 “It’s mind games. Mourinho criticised Eden Hazard for not doing his defensive duties. Eden Hazard is the type of player that you take that responsibility off.
“You want Eden Hazard to be doing what Conte’s got him doing now – go forward, create chances and score goals. And that’s it.”

Hazard has netted six times during Chelsea’s recent run of eight straight wins – a sequence of results that has lifted them to the Premier League summit.

They will be looking to cement that standing on Sunday when they welcome West Brom to Stamford Bridge.