Antonio Conte has revealed that Eden Hazard had practiced a lot before playing as a centre-forward against Bournemouth.
Diego Costa was absent as he was suspended for accumulating five yellow cards. Although Chelsea had Michy Batshuayi as the secondary striker but Conte decided to field Hazard in a more attacking position.
Arsene Wenger has been using Alexis Sanchez as a centre-forward this season and it seemed Conte could be inspired by him. His decision to shift Hazard further up front proved to be a masterstroke for the Blues as the Belgian setup a goal and also scored from the spot to give them a 3-0 win over the Cherries.
The win seals their 12th consecutive victory and clears them nine-point over Liverpool although the latter have a game in hand.
Conte said, “We played a good game, we could have scored more, but I am happy with the attitude of the players
“We played without two important players [Costa and N’Golo Kante, who were suspended] but I think we played very well.
“This is the first time we played without a real forward, we tried this in training and I think for us at the moment this situation is the best, but I don’t forget Michy [Batshuayi] because he is a young player with great talent.
“To win 12 games in a row is not easy in this league. It’s a fantastic run but it’s important to continue that now. In four days we have another tough game and we have to prepare very well. Because now, every team wants to beat you.”
