Eden Hazard Admits Training Was ‘Much Less Fun’ at Chelsea Than Under Zinedine Zidane

?Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard has admitted that training sessions under Zinedine Zidane are much more fun than they were under both Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea.

The two Italians are both seen as two of the most intense managers around. There have been countless reports of the intensity of their training sessions, and they were Hazard’s final experiences with Chelsea before sealing a move to Real during the summer.

Speaking to ?L’Equipe, ?Hazard insisted that he prefers Zidane’s style of training at ?Real as it is much less organised and structured than it was under the two Italians at Stamford Bridge.

“The training is always with the ball,” he revealed. “When you have experimented with Italians, as I have done with Conte or Sarri, you have much less fun. Everything is more framed.”

Sarri was Hazard’s final coach at ?Chelsea, and the two combined to lift the Europa League in what turned out to be the pair’s final match with the Blues.

The Belgian was asked to compare the management styles of both Sarri and Zidane, but Hazard shied away from such a discussion and instead brought up his longstanding admiration for his current boss.

“It’s hard to compare,” he said. “I was attracted to Zidane at Madrid and felt very identified. He fascinates me and has even some power over me.

“During Euro 2016 he told me: ‘It would be good if you came’. And when Zidane calls you it’s hard to say no. He loves his players and you feel that the dressing room is happy to have him as a coach.

“It was a dream to get here. Ever since I started playing in my garden as a kid, they were the club I supported. Zidane was my idol. When I watched him on television he was magic. The stadium, when I saw it on television, was magical. And the white jersey, impeccable. For me it was exceptional.”

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