Antonio Conte has explained why he has been substituting Eden Hazard in the second-half of Chelsea’s matches this season.
The Blues were held to a goalless draw at home to Leicester on Saturday and many fans at Stamford Bridge were left bemused as Conte’s replaced Hazard in the 58th minute as the side were searching for a winner.
Conte claimed the Belgian was ‘very tired’ when pressed about the substitution after the match. He also hinted that Chelsea’s Carabao Cup tie with Arsenal had hampered their preparation.
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Asked about Hazard’s lack of minutes on Tuesday, the Italian replied: “We are talking about a player that recently had a bad injury in his ankle and had surgery. Usually when you have this situation you must pay great attention. During the season you can go up and down and he missed pre-season with us.
“With him we are trying to find the best way and it’s normal that one player can keep always the top of his form, but like the others my task is to try to improve him to put him in best physical condition and to make the best decision for the team during the game, not just for him but for every single player.”
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