Eden Hazard has rejected the notion of a shift in the balance of power in London resulting from the opening of Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium, pointing to Chelsea’s seasoned status as trophy winners, as Maurizio Sarri’s side maintain their push for Champions League qualification.
With the focus in the capital drawn towards Spurs’ homecoming against Crystal Palace, Chelsea registered a comfortable victory over Brighton, which left them outside the top four on goal difference but only a point behind third-placed Tottenham with six games to play. Sarri’s side are also in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and could reach Uefa’s elite competition by claiming that trophy in next month’s final in Baku.
Hazard, a scorer on Wednesday, is content for his club to remain under the radar. “People are not talking about Chelsea for the top four and I like that,” said the Belgian, who has won five major trophies over his seven years in England. “We are quiet, in fifth or sixth, and then we can just be ready for the next game. We want to go game after game. We have hard matches coming up against Liverpool and Manchester United, but Chelsea is a top club. We like this challenge so we will go to these teams and try to win because, at the end, we want top four.
“I think Tottenham, for two or three years, have been one of the best teams in England. That is for sure. I don’t like that, to be fair – we are Chelsea, and it is a big derby against them – but we have to accept it. For the Premier League it is good: a new stadium, they have top players. But, in the end, you know at Chelsea we have won a lot of trophies, and they have not. So I hope this continues.”
Chelsea’s victory over Albion was notable for Callum Hudson-Odoi’s first Premier League start, with the 18-year-old winger maintaining the eye-catching form he showed when excelling on his senior England debut last month by setting up Olivier Giroud’s opening goal. “The guy was waiting to start a game in the Premier League, but he is ready,” said Hazard, who was a regular at Lille in Ligue 1 when he was Hudson-Odoi’s age. “You can see the way he is taking the ball, he is playing with a lot of confidence. He is still young and can improve of course, but yeah, he is already very good. He was happy to play today.
“He has great skills. If he wants to ask me something I will tell him, no problem, but he is a great player already. If he wants advice I can teach him but you know he has everything already. When you are young you just play. Sometimes you try and miss but the good thing is to give freshness in the team. Callum can play three games in a week, he has the legs for 90 minutes. At 28, like me, we are a bit tired, but he is still young. He can still improve, but he is in a good team to learn and we are happy to help him.
“You know I told him if he stays humble at first … for me it is the best thing, to stay humble. Just work in training, score goals, and then just be happy on the pitch. He can go very far. I used to listen to everything. My family also helped me to stay humble. In football things can happen very quickly: you can be at the top in two months and then, two months later, everyone can forget about you. But if you keep your feet on the floor and train … and he is intelligent and has a family that cares for him. His time is coming.”