Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Eden Hazard backs Chelsea to win every game in February and praises Gonzalo Higuain's influence

Chelsea took four points from an available 12 in January and face a tough set of fixtures this month

Jack Watson
Sunday 03 February 2019 13:03 GMT
Comments
Premier League transfer round-up: Suarez set to move to Arsenal

Eden Hazard believes Chelsea should be winning all of their games in February, including the Carabao Cup final against holders Manchester City, as Maurizio Sarri faces a testing month at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian winger scored twice in Chelsea’s 5-0 win against Huddersfield Town, a welcome result following their humiliating 4-0 defeat against Bournemouth in midweek.

Following the shock loss, Sarri held a long meeting with his players in the dressing room, this came weeks after he criticised their mentality following a defeat against Arsenal.

Gonzalo Higuain scored twice on his home Premier League debut after arriving on loan from Juventus and David Luiz added a fifth late in the match to seal a welcome win as they prepare for a difficult run of matches.

After a turbulent January where Chelsea took four points from an available 12 and slipped into a scrap for fourth place with Arsenal and Manchester United, questions were being asked of Sarri’s side, and now they face a testing month that could define his first season at Stamford Bridge.

They travel to Manchester City in their next Premier League match before jetting to Sweden to play Malmo in the Europa League. Either side of those round of 32 legs is an FA Cup fifth round match against Manchester United, then the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City and a league match against rivals Tottenham.

Hazard is backing Chelsea to replicate their impressive league win against City at Stamford Bridge in the Wembley final and believes they can win every game in what could be a trying month.

Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuain played well together in Chelsea's 5-0 win against Huddersfield (Getty)

"It's going to be a different game [against City] than two or three months ago," Hazard told Chelsea TV. "I think they will have the ball. City have these kind of players to play together. We will defend well and then we will score one goal or two."

"We need to be focused," added Hazard when considering Chelsea’s fixtures. "This month is going to be hard, but we are Chelsea. We can beat everyone if we want."

Sarri was quick to point to how Higuain allowed Hazard to play better and the Belgian is impressed with Chelsea’s latest attacking addition.

"He's a great striker. He's a bit less of a target man than (Olivier) Giroud, but he can hold the ball, he can play one touches. He's intelligent," he said.

"In the box he's unbelievable. He will score more goals."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in