Hazard The Latest Chelsea FC Star To Back Mourinho; Insists He Was Not Upset At Being Dropped Against Porto

Belgian superstar Eden Hazard has become the latest Chelsea FC player to back manager José Mourinho, insisting he was not upset by the Portuguese’s decision to leave him on the bench against FC Porto in the Champions League

2014-2015 PFA Player of the Year Eden Hazard has had an objectively poor season thus far by his standards, with the Chelsea FC team as a whole struggling with a lack of confidence brought on by their poor early-season form.

While away on Belgium duty, the 24-year-old became the latest player to back Mourinho, while also confessing that he has not been able to come up with an explanation for his poor form, or indeed that of the team’s.

Hazard acknowledges poor form, shows Mourinho support

The Belgian is yet to open his account in the Premier League, with his strike against Arsenal FC being ruled as a Calum Chambers own goal. However, Hazard seems to have found his goalscoring boots for the national team, scoring in both of their qualifying games in the previous international break.

Ahead of their game against Andorra, Hazard spoke to Voetbal Krant (via WAGNH) about the situation at Chelsea FC: “I know, you guys. [My form] could be better. But I’m not worried. Personally, it is not very good, but also the team (Chelsea) is in a dip.”

“Honestly, I do not know [the cause]. For me it is the first time that the momentum is a little less. But is not that normal in a football career? Sometimes you happen to fall.”

The interview appears to have been a fairly informal one, with Hazard also insisting that he wasn’t upset by Mourinho’s decision to bench him against FC Porto: “I have no problems with [Mourinho putting me on the bench against Porto]. Then it is my task to encourage the boys on the field.”

International break might be a welcome distraction for Hazard

With the Belgians scheduled to face Andorra and Israel during the international break and set to confirm qualification for next summer’s tournament in France, Hazard could well get the confidence boost needed to get his season going.

Belgium should have no difficulties beating both Andorra and Israel, and even though the Chelsea FC attacker will face opposition of a higher quality in the Premier League, a strong showing in the Red Devils’ games will help him build up momentum as the Blues enter a crucial period in their season.

His support for Mourinho is also another positive sign, and if taken at face value, indicates that even though there may be differences of opinion, the Chelsea FC squad remains a strong unit. It is unlikely that Hazard will go the entire season without hitting a purple patch, and the Blues’ fortunes will almost certainly change when that happens.

Manchester Derby: Sergio Aguero And David Silva’s Injury Gives Louis Van Gaal An Early Advantage

With Manchester United set to play Premier League leaders Manchester City in two weeks, Louis van Gaal has been handed an early advantage after Sergio Aguero and his Spanish teammate David Silva both suffered an injury with their national teams respectively.

Sergio Aguero is likely to be out for a month after suffering a thigh injury following Argentina’s 2-0 loss against Ecuador. David Silva on the other hand suffered an ankle injury as Spain beat Luxembourg 4-0 in order to qualify for Euro 2016.

I think I’ll be a month without playing

As reported by the Guardian, Sergio Aguero confirmed that he is expected to be sidelined for 4 weeks after suffering a tear in his thigh muscle. The striker hinted that his injury could be blamed on the fact that he had been playing very frequently prior to Argentina’s fixture against Ecuador.

“I think I’ll be a month without playing. I’ll go the AFA [Argentinian Football Association] national team compound to carry on with treatment. To recover from the tear I’ll surely need a month, although it will depend how it evolves.

“I’d been playing very frequently and was in doubt [for Thursday’s match] until the last minute but as a player you always want to be there and never know what can happen.”

David Silva Withdrawn Due To An Ankle Injury

David Silva suffered a rough outing during Spain’s 4-0 win over Luxembourg as he was forced to leave the pitch 9 minutes into the game. The Spaniard was on the receiving end of a couple of rough tackles and as reported by the Guardian, the Manchester City playmaker is likely to be out for 2-3 weeks due to an ankle injury.

“I think I’ll be a month without playing.”

According to the Spanish national team website, Silva suffered a ‘bad sprain of the internal lateral ligament of the right ankle’ and has therefore been withdrawn from the national team.

With both David Silva and Sergio Aguero injured, it seems that Louis Van Gaal has an initial advantage over his city rivals as Manchester United look to stay alive in the Premier League title race.

Liverpool FC Owners Will Not Be Satisfied Until Jurgen Klopp Delivers Trophies

Jurgen Klopp has clearly set Anfield abuzz after his arrival, with the likes of Steven Gerrard voicing their delight, but Liverpool FC chairman Tom Werner has now claimed that the owners cannot be satisfied unless the new manager lands silverware.

Brendan Rodgers faced the axe after three seasons at the club and his successor and former Borussia Dortmund coach has promised at least one Premier League title in his first four years. Liverpool FC, despite being the second most decorated club on the English soil, last won the title in 1990 and have seen the likes of Chelsea FC and Manchester City rise to prominence in the meantime.

The Kops almost won their first Premier League title in 2014, only for Dwight Gayle of Crystal Palace to dent their hopes in a dramatic fashion. Tom Werner made references to that season to stress upon the progress that the club had made under new ownership. He also stated that the new German manager would not be put under pressure.

“We have obviously had some great moments in these five years,” Tom Werner told the official Liverpool site. “We came very close to winning the league two years ago. Nobody is satisfied with our position and as owners we are not going to put undue pressure on Jürgen.”

In the past five years, the Red have had three managers, including Kenny Dalglish – who was unsuccessful in his attempts to recreate the laurels of his first tenure – and the Liverpool FC chairman believes that Jurgen Klopp will stay with the club for a very long time. However, he stated that the owners would not be satisfied unless they win trophies, despite recent renovations.

“We showed Jürgen the new main stand that is being constructed, but until we win more trophies we won’t be satisfied. Our track record is to encourage stability. There have been more managers here than we hoped but I hope that Jürgen will be here for a very long time.”

Jurgen Klopp takes his side to White Hart Lane for his opening fixture and it would be interesting to see how he fares with the players he has inherited from his Northern Ireland counterpart, Brendan Rodgers. Even though the long-term future of the club is all but sorted out, it is an exciting time to be a Red, indeed.