Conte: Chelsea’s Hazard can cope with extra attention

Eden Hazard will be able to cope with any special attention afforded to him by opponents, according to his manager at Chelsea Antonio Conte.

The Belgian winger was the subject of several fouls in the Blues’ FA Cup quarter final victory over Manchester United, including the one that led to Ander Herrera’s sending-off in the first half.

With the teams immediately behind them not playing until Sunday, Premier League leaders Chelsea have the chance to widen the gap at the top to 13 points if they win at Stoke City on Saturday.

There’s no doubt the Potters will be looking to prevent Hazard from getting up to his free-flowing best, but this isn’t something that worries Conte.

“Hazard is a type of player that is very difficult to stop,” he said. “People try to stop him in a good and bad way, but I’m not worried about this.

(Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“Eden is very strong physically, and he has showed me he is able to play in this league, which is very strong physically. He is not tall, but he is strong.

“For the referee it’s right to always make the best decision, and for the players to have respect of the opponent and of football. I repeat: we play football.

“Then, I know, during the game you can get kicked. It’s normal, this, but the referee must pay great attention to try to respect the rules of football, because football is a great sport.”