LONDON • Given the travails of Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata - the misfiring duo have scored only one and five Premier League goals respectively this season - it is no wonder Maurizio Sarri is hoping Eden Hazard can continue to flourish in the "false nine" position.
The Belgium international fired Chelsea into the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday after replacing the ineffective Giroud and he also excelled in that role in their last league game at Brighton.
With the 27-year-old arguably having his best season in a Blues shirt - he has been involved in 18 league goals in 17 games, two more than the whole of last term - Hazard is again expected to lead the attack against Leicester today.
Despite his complaints when asked to operate there under former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, Sarri believes his star forward is so versatile that there "isn't a best position" for him.
At his pre-match press conference yesterday, he said: "Hazard is a wonderful player with a very high level of imagination. He needs to be let free on the pitch. So there isn't a 'right' position for him."
The Italian, however, shot down speculation that he was looking to bring in more attacking reinforcements to Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window.
The 59-year-old refused to comment on rumours that he wanted on-loan AC Milan striker Gonzalo Higuain, his former player at Napoli, and batted away a question that linked Bournemouth's Callum Wilson with a move next month.
Hinting Hazard would continue to plough a lone furrow up front, he said: "I don't know about Wilson. (Cherries boss) Eddie (Howe) is a friend and I want to see him happy.
"We started two matches (with) Hazard as a striker. I wanted to see the solution to work in other situations so I need two or three matches to see it.
"I explained the point of view to Giroud, then we will see. We played a good match against (Manchester) City and, against Brighton, we were dangerous for 60 minutes.
"Then it was a different match, more physical. We lowered the level of application. We need to avoid this (in the Foxes game) as we have to think to kill the match."
Chelsea have several former Leicester players in their ranks, including N'Golo Kante, but one player who will likely be denied a reunion with his former club is Danny Drinkwater.
The England midfielder has yet to play this season, and Sarri all but declared his availability, adding that "his problem is my football".
Despite being eight points off the top, the Chelsea boss played down suggestions his players were still in the hunt, insisting he had never seen them as "contenders" as Liverpool and City were "two teams a step ahead of us".
Sarri also expressed his sympathy at Mourinho's sacking as Manchester United boss in midweek.
While his predecessor Conte had a much-publicised frosty relationship, Sarri enjoyed a far more amiable bond with the Portuguese.
Declaring his "like for him as a coach and person", he expressed his desire to see Mourinho back "on a bench as soon as possible" before joking as long it was "not here (at Chelsea)".
REUTERS, THE GUARDIAN
CHELSEA V LEICESTER
Singtel TV Ch103 & StarHub Ch228, 10.50pm
Football: Newport 'keeper Joe Day skips FA Cup celebrations after stunning Boro as wife goes into labour
Newport goalkeeper Joe Day cuts short FA Cup celebrations to
PSG star Neymar accuse of rape PSG and Brazil star Neymar has been accused of raping a woman in a Paris hotel. However, Neymar has moved swiftly to deny all the allegations in a 7-minute video posted on his Instagram channel.
Neymar arrives at police station in wheelchair to be quizzed
Wayne Rooney scores clever free-kick winner as DC United edge out Columbus Crew to stay top of the MLS Eastern Conference. Wayne Rooney's free-kick earned DC United a 1-0 win at Columbus Crew
MLS RSS feed - Football news, features, statistics
Clinical Wood set to exploit Arsenal's Europe hangover. the Hornets remain in a precarious position for defensive statistics. Can't see a lot better than that.
Secret Room Exploit explained. (Guaranteed Exotic
Sport24.co.za | Man City still teenagers in adult world of Champions League - Guardiola • Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has again cast doubt on the Premier League champions' readiness to win the Champions League for the first time.
Football: Uefa panel to recommend Man City Champions League
"We came in on the back of the European Championships, they have had a change of coach, they have had a lot of difficulties to deal with through the campaign, but now we are there and we look to
Arsenal v Man City Review - Spirited Gunners still have a lot
Hannes H. Gissurarson Lessons for Europe from the 2008 Icelandic bank collapse 10 11 New Direction - The Foundation for European Reform
Anna Wood is the female empoweress behind the feminist lifestyle platform Brains over Blonde. As a career and life coach, feminist, Stanford MBA, and former Googler, Anna Wood empowers women to flex your female and lead fearless lives.
Brawn - definition of brawn by The Free Dictionary
Football: Newport 'keeper Joe Day skips FA Cup celebrations
Pochettino rues missed opportunity after Sunderland draw. Jason MELLOR. AFP. February 1, 2017. and it was a chance to cut the gap on Chelsea so when you drop two points like tonight then it's
Thibaut Courtois rues Real Madrid's missed chances in
England recovered from an early scare in Montenegro as Ross Barkley scored twice in a clinical 5-1 victory to continue their strong start to the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign on Monday.
England thrash Montenegro 5-1 after early scare | Free
'Electric' Sterling has boss purring, Football News & Top
