Talismania serial3/16/2023 ![]() He had helped his club to the FA Cup, earning and converting the penalty to beat Mourinho's Manchester United, despite the discord festering over the last few months of Conte's tenure. The player was keen to leave in 2018, suggesting publicly in St Petersburg that the time might be right to move on, after Belgium's World Cup third-place play-off win over England. The parting of the ways might have happened in the summer of 2017 when Conte's Chelsea were crowned champions. You need to go out on a high so that people remember you for the right reasons." If I ever leave, it'll be after winning a title. ![]() "I made clear to him I had no intention of leaving after such a poor year," the forward would reflect eight months on. As it happened, all the Italian's fears were misplaced. He had endured 28 scoreless league appearances, stretching back to the goal against Crystal Palace that had clinched the title in May the previous year.Ī persistent hip injury had blunted the Belgian through the unravelling of José Mourinho's second stint in charge and, with the side hopelessly adrift of the top four, a player who had never hidden his desire to turn out for Real Madrid had been left contemplating a season without the prestige of Champions League football.Ĭonte knew he was inheriting a team on their knees and felt compelled to convince the talismanic forward that there would be an upturn on his arrival, his impassioned sales pitch centring on the free role Hazard would play in a 3-4-3. ![]() Hazard was entrenched in the first prolonged slump in form of a seven-year senior career.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |