Sarri has previously been critical of his players’ mentality this season, singling out Hazard at one point despite the Belgian having had a hand in 48% of Chelsea’s Premier League goals.
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri says they’ll miss out on the top four on current form.
Sarri was speaking after their dismal 2-0 defeat to Everton.
Asked about Chelsea’s top-four hopes, Sarri said: “It’s not impossible, why impossible?
“We need to recover only three points so it’s not impossible in eight matches.
“It’s impossible if we are not able to improve, if we are not able to avoid a second half like today.
“We need only to play like in the first half for the next eight matches.”
He added: “We played probably the best 45 minutes of the season then suddenly, at the beginning of the second half, we stopped playing. I don’t know why.”
However, there is a huge stumbling block to that solution: Chelsea’s two-year transfer ban, which the club are appealing against.
Fortunately, he will have the services of £58m winger Christian Pulisic and 40 other players on loan to choose from.
That is tempered by Hazard’s potential departure to Real Madrid and the continuation of Bayern Munich’s pursuit of teenage winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, who handed in a transfer request in January over a lack of playing time.
It all leads to the question of whether it may be simpler to try another manager, who might be able to galvanise a team in ways that Sarri cannot.
Chelsea have been through 10 permanent managers since Roman Abramovich took over the club.