'He didn't like it': Danny Drinkwater explains what frustrated Antonio Conte about Chelsea legend Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard played under some truly great managers during his time at Stamford Bridge, including Antonio Conte.
Retired attacker Eden Hazard, 34, cemented his status as a Chelsea legend during seven years at the club between 2012 and 2019.
The Belgian winger certainly left a special legacy during his career for club and country. During a recent interview, Kevin De Bruyne praised Hazard by claiming he was in the world’s top five most talented footballers during his era.
Even though he started at Lille and finished at Real Madrid, he’s most remembered for his dazzling form in Chelsea colours. He played under some high-profile coaches, too.
| Coach | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Jose Mourinho | 125 | 36 | 24 |
| Antonio Conte | 94 | 34 | 20 |
| Maurizio Sarri | 52 | 21 | 17 |
| Rafael Benitez | 41 | 9 | 14 |
| Roberto Di Matteo | 21 | 4 | 7 |
| Guus Hiddink | 19 | 6 | 5 |
As you can see from the statistics above, Hazard was a consistent performer for Chelsea when they were managed by Antonio Conte from 2016 to 2018. The team won the Premier League during the first season under the Italian coach, followed by the FA Cup in his second year.
Hazard claimed his best time was under Conte during his successful Chelsea career.
However, it’s interesting to hear that Conte was sometimes left frustrated by the Belgian superstar for one reason.
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Danny Drinkwater claims Antonio Conte was frustrated by Eden Hazard in Chelsea training
Former Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater, who was on the club’s books from 2017 to 2022, trained and played alongside some of the biggest Blues stars.
During an interview this week on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, Drinkwater shared that Hazard wasn’t the best trainer, and it frustrated Conte.
When asked if Hazard is the best player he’s played against, Drinkwater said: “Yeah, and played with, 100 per cent.
“He would be in training, laces would be undone, he wasn’t really a trainer, and he’d be cold; he wouldn’t have run anywhere; he’d get the ball in a small-sided game, dribble past three or four players, and it would go in the back of the net. He’s not even trying; that’s the mad thing about it.
“He wouldn’t take training seriously. He didn’t need to because he’d know how good he was in a game… I definitely know [Antonio] Conte didn’t like it. He didn’t like it, but you’ve got no option to play him because he’s going to 100 per cent win you the game without a doubt.”
It’s not the first time that someone has shared what Hazard was really like on the training ground.
John Terry claimed Hazard was “non-existent” in training but a “superstar” when it came around to a competitive match.
| Team | Appearances | Goals | Assits |
| Chelsea | 352 | 110 | 85 |
| Lille | 194 | 50 | 53 |
| Real Madrid | 76 | 7 | 12 |
| Belgium | 126 | 33 | 36 |
What Eden Hazard once said about training
Back in 2017, Hazard publicly admitted that he didn’t go flat out in training sessions.
He said via The Evening Standard: “Do I protect my legs in training? Yes, yes, yes! To be fair, in training I don’t give everything…
“We don’t have many breaks in the season, so I try in training to have more of a rest, and then in the games I give everything.”
You have to be a special talent to get away with taking your foot off the gas in training, and Hazard was in that rare bracket.
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