- Eden Hazard spoke about what it was like to play with José Mourinho
- Hazard won the Premier League with Mourinho at Chelsea in 2014-15
- Watching you train while you’re injured in the gym is like watching your wife walking down the street with another guy – Listen to the Podcast Everything is beginning
Eden Hazard has admitted that his relationship with Jose Mourinho broke down during the manager’s disastrous last season at Chelsea.
Mourinho returned for his second spell at Stamford Bridge in 2013 and won his third Premier League title with the club two years later, with Hazard playing a starring role for the Blues.
But Chelsea’s title defense went dismally wrong and Mourinho was sacked in December 2015 with the team in 16th place.
Talking about former teammate John Obi Mikel Obi Uno PodcastHazard claimed his first two years under Mourinho could hardly have been better, but revealed that their relationship became strained towards the end, with Hazard not scoring a league goal until April of the 2015-16 season.
“The first two seasons were incredible,” Hazard said. ‘Remember that the first year, the team was new, so it was just the beginning. Then José’s second season we won the League and we won the League Cup.
Eden Hazard (center) and José Mourinho (right) won the league together at Chelsea in 2015.
But Hazard has admitted his relationship with Mourinho “disappeared” during the manager’s disastrous final season.
“Then the third season was like teething problems, we lost games and in the end the relationship went a little bit.
“But I have a lot of respect for him and what he did throughout his coaching career. Now I can tell my kids that José Mourinho was my coach for two and a half years. It’s just a good story, you know?
Over the past two decades, Mourinho has become known for making his teams difficult to beat by expecting every player to work hard with and without the ball.
However, Hazard seemed to have more opportunities to express himself at Chelsea under Mourinho, and the coach recognized that the Belgian winger was capable of changing the rules of the game.
When asked if he was given complete freedom to roam the pitch and make things happen in the final third, Hazard denied that was the case but admitted that Mourinho gave him preferential treatment in training.
‘Total freedom, I don’t know. But a little freedom, yes, yes, yes!’ Hazard added.
“In the end, he knew that I was on the field to win games for us, as simple as that. He asked me to do my job. And you know with José that if you don’t do your job he can tell you in front of everyone.
‘He gave me freedom but not like crazy. I remember him sometimes saying on the pitch during training “don’t kick Eden!” and I was like “what, why!?” But for me it’s nice!’
Hazard won two major titles under Mourinho but feels he actually played better under another Chelsea manager.
Hazard feels he was at his best for Chelsea under Antonio Conte, but admitted he hated the Italian’s training sessions.
Reflecting on his seven years in west London, Hazard believes he was at his best when he was coached by Antonio Conte between 2016 and 2018, even though he hated the Italian’s training methods.
“I think my best moment at Chelsea was with Antonio Conte,” he said.
Speaking about Conte’s training with Mikel, Hazard continued: “All week training. On Saturday I went out, I need to enjoy a little bit because I know that the next day I will train again. I have to do something, they are my only 90 minutes that I can enjoy.
‘You remember, stopping, tactics, “no, we have to do that.” “Saturday was the best day for me.”
Eden Hazard was speaking on the Obi One podcast.