MX23RW : Tuesday, March 11 18:16:05| >> :120:8149:8149:

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:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
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
1Liverpool29217169274270
2Arsenal281510352242855
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest28156745331251
4Chelsea28147753361749
5Manchester CityMan City28145953381547
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2814594738947
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton28121064640646
8Aston Villa2912984145-445
9Bournemouth28128847341344
10Fulham2811984138342
11Crystal Palace2810993633339
12Brentford28115124844438
13Tottenham HotspurSpurs281041455411434
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd2897123440-634
15Everton2871293135-433
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2896133248-1633
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2865173857-1923
18Ipswich TownIpswich2838172658-3217
19Leicester CityLeicester2845192562-3717
20Southampton2823232068-489


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!