Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri says Eden Hazard “has to do more” after the Belgian admitted he had “frustrated all my coaches” throughout his career.
Hazard, 28, made the comments in an interview with France Football earlier this week and Sarri was asked if there was truth to them.
“Sometimes. I prefer him when he speaks with his feet,” said Sarri.
“The potential is higher than the performances, I think. He has to respect, first of all, himself.”
Sarri’s honest assessment of Hazard came just days after he described his Chelsea players as “extremely difficult to motivate” in the aftermath of their 2-0 defeat by Arsenal in the Premier League at Emirates Stadium.
Hazard has scored 10 Premier League goals this season and assisted 10 more, but Chelsea have only won two of their past five matches and are now just three points clear of the Gunners in fifth and sixth-placed Manchester United.
The Blues scored 27 goals in their opening 11 league matches this season but have managed only 13 in the 13 games since.
Speaking before Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg with Tottenham, Sarri said: “Eden is at the moment a wonderful player, but he’s an individual player. He’s a very instinctive player.
“He’s very important for us, of course, because he’s a great player. He always can win the match in two minutes, sometimes in one minute, but at the moment he’s not a leader.
“For him it’s very difficult to play only in one position. He wants the ball on the feet.
“For him, I think, it’s very difficult to play as a striker, but it’s very difficult to play also as a winger.
“We have to organise the other 10 players in the defensive phase because he needs to play everywhere on the pitch.”