Prolific start proves Eden Hazard can win the Premier League Golden Boot at Chelsea this season, says Maurizio Sarri

Maurizio Sarri may continue to talk down Chelsea's chances of winning the Premier League title, but the Italian is far more bullish about the prospect of Eden Hazard parading the Golden Boot around Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

Eased back into action following his successful World Cup, Hazard’s hat-trick this weekend took his tally to five goals in five Premier League appearances and ensured his club moved ahead of Liverpool - the only other side to make a perfect start of five wins from the opening five games - at the head of the table on goal difference.

The Belgian is already displaying sparkling form and, having told Hazard he could score 40 goals this season the day before Saturday’s systematic dismantling of Cardiff, Sarri expressed his belief the forward could out-score Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero and the rest of his Premier League rivals to become the division’s most prolific attacker.

“I think he can,” said the head coach. “I talked with Eden on Friday and I told him that for me he can score 40 goals. He has to improve something but he can do it. Did he believe me? If you have seen the match, you have to say yes.”

Marcos Alonso, Hazard’s team-mate, shares Sarri’s view. "We saw last year Salah fight for it and they play more or less the same position, as a winger coming inside the pitch,” said the Chelsea left-back. “If he keeps playing this way, why not?

“He’s one of the best in Europe for sure. He has started very well after a very good World Cup. He’s playing awesome football and I hope he keeps this. We all have to help him to score goals and help him to continue like this.”

open image in gallery

The efforts of Hazard and the rest of the Chelsea forwards have convinced Sarri his side has few problems up front. More concerning for the Italian is the defence that again showed signs of vulnerability when Cardiff took an early lead through Sol Bamba after a well-worked set-piece routine. Hazard ensured the home side were ahead at half-time with two precise finishes before completing his hat-trick with a late penalty, and Willian added a fourth in the final minutes.

Neil Warnock, the Cardiff manager, spied a weakness. “If they go against the top teams, I think he’ll have to be working on one or two things at the back,” said Warnock. “I think the top teams would find a little bit of a weakness in certain areas.”

Sarri agreed. “I think he [Warnock] is right because we are very dangerous in the offensive phase but in the defensive phase we need to improve and we need improve very quick,” he said. “But I think we can do it. Eight players arrived for training at the beginning of August so I think it is normal that in this period we have some defensive problem. We can cope with the problem with the quality in the offensive phase but not in the defensive phase. I have to organise better the defensive phase and the players have to understand that.”

The next examination will come on Thursday when Chelsea travel to face PAOK Salonika in the Europa League, a consequence of their failure to finish inside the top four last season. Sarri will make changes for that game and Alonso hopes the experience will provide further motivation for the season ahead.

“It wasn’t good not to make the top four year and we are paying for that because we are not playing Champions League,” said the Spain international. “But we have to learn from that and put more character on the pitch to make the top four and fight for the Premier League.”