Maurizio Sarri won't use Eden Hazard as a false nine despite Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud struggles

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Vaishali Bhardwaj1 October 2018

Maurizio Sarri says he won't consider using Eden Hazard as a 'false No.9' because he trusts strikers Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata to play a key role within his system.

Hazard is Chelsea's top scorer this season with six Premier League goals to his name following his superb 25th-minute strike against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

The winger's late effort against the Reds in the League Cup third-round tie just three days earlier also sent Chelsea into the next round of the competition, and led to Blues legend John Terry hailing the Belgian as the best player in the world.

On Friday, Sarri played down such a notion although he did label Hazard as a football "genius".

And despite Hazard's goal on Saturday, which looked like handing Chelsea a win over title rivals Liverpool until substitute Daniel Sturridge equalised in the 89th minute, Sarri said he doesn't want to use Hazard up front as his predecessor Antonio Conte so often did.

When asked about Giroud, who is yet to score this season, and Morata, who has just one goal in the Premier League so far this term, Sarri said: "I’m not really worried about it [their lack of goals] as we have wingers."

When then asked if Chelsea were relying too heavily on Hazard for goals, Sarri replied: "I think at the end of the season we can have four or five players over 10 goals.

"Pedro, Willian and Morata will be able to score more than 10 goals in a season. Pedro has three goals.

"[Hazard] He’s able to score 40 goals. He needs another 33. He’s trying to do it. I’m really very happy with the defensive performance, especially in the second half."

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