Chelsea hosts Norwich City this Sunday morning in a match where both clubs have everything to play for. Chelsea currently sits second in the Barclays Premier League table - two points behind Liverpool, one point ahead of Manchester City (although City has a game in hand), making this a must-win match for Chelsea if they are to have any chance of winning silverware this season.
Chelsea enters the weekend extremely disappointed following their surprising 3-1 home defeat to Atlético Madrid on Wednesday in the Champions League semifinal. Chelsea started well in that match, going ahead on beleaguered striker Fernando Torres’s 36th minute goal, but couldn’t hold the lead. The match ended in heartbreak and tears for Chelsea skipper John Terry.
(Photo: Twitter)
After the match, star winger Eden Hazard made comments that were seemingly critical of manager Jose Mourinho’s tactics, saying, “Chelsea are not made to play football,” also noting that, “often I'm asked to do it all by myself and it's not easy. It was a complicated game. It will be a lesson for us regarding next year.” Although there is some dispute about whether the true meaning of Hazard’s comments was lost in translation, the timing of his comments was certainly unusual, given he appeared to be at fault for the critical first goal Atlético scored near the end of the first half.
Mourinho later fired back at his star youngster, saying, “It's normal because he's not the kind of player ready to sacrifice himself 100% for the team and for his mates.”
Mourinho then pointed out that when stars Willian and Andre Schürrle played in the left wing role in Hazard’s absence over the last few weeks, they handled their defensive responsibilities by protecting the left back, which Hazard failed to do against Atlético. The sniping between the Special One and the recently-crowned PFA Young Player of the Year has fueled rumors that Hazard will leave the club this summer, possibly to Paris Saint-Germain, the club he supported as a youth. Chelsea has repeatedly insisted that it has no intention of parting with such a critical part of their future.
The match takes on equal, if not greater, importance for Norwich City, as the Canaries find themselves in the heart of the relegation zone, three points from survival. In an attempt to avoid dropping down to the Championship, Norwich sacked manager Chris Hughton on April 6, installing Neil Adams as interim manager. Since the change at the top, the Canaries have lost all three matches, including a 1-0 loss to fellow relegation battler Fulham. They now find themselves in a desperate struggle to stay up. With Arsenal looming next in a match the Gunners may need to win in order to clinch Arsène Wenger’s beloved 4th place trophy, the Canaries will be desperate to channel their inner Sunderland and get a result against the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea v. Norwich airs Sunday, May 4, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. EST on NBC Sports Network.
