MX23RW : Wednesday, May 1 09:46:23| >> :120:4526:4526:

Antonio Conte: 'Eden Hazard must continue to put team first'

Conte: 'Hazard must put team first'
© SilverHub
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insists that the team is the most important thing rather than the individual talents of Eden Hazard.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has insisted that the team is the most important thing, rather than the individual talents of a player like Eden Hazard.

Hazard was surprisingly named on the bench alongside fellow star forward Diego Costa during Saturday's FA Cup semi-final clash with Tottenham Hotspur, but later came on to help his side to a 4-2 triumph over their London rivals.

The Belgian's cameo prompted Cesc Fabregas to suggest that he is second only to Lionel Messi in terms of footballing ability and could improve further if he was more "selfish", but Conte believes that the winger must continue to put the team first.

"The first target for every great champion is to play for the team and to put your talent in the team. I don't think that a player like Messi is a selfish player," he told reporters.

"The best players in the world don't exist without the team. For me, it's sad when I listen to this, that one player must be more selfish to reach the top level. This is not my idea of football. I never will understand this. Never.

"In my team I don't want selfish players. I prefer to lose a game, than to have a selfish player. I don't want this, I can't accept this. I don't want my club to one day buy me a selfish player, never."

Hazard has scored 15 goals across all competitions this season and is expected to return to the side for Tuesday's match against Southampton.

ID:296700: cacheID:296700:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2674:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Antonio Conte is happy during the Premier League game between Stoke City and Chelsea on March 18, 2017
Read Next:
Conte: 'Our plan worked very well'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!