The latest on Hazard’s injury after Barkley inspires Chelsea win

Our latest Scout Notes article looks back at the events at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon, as Chelsea bounced back to winning ways in the Premier League with a comprehensive victory over Burnley.

Those Fantasy managers who were hoping to see Eden Hazard get in on the act and exploit one of the division’s worst defences were left disappointed as the Belgian midfielder failed to recover from a back injury in time for the Gameweek 10 encounter in Lancashire.

Instead, it was Willian and Ross Barkley who excelled in the 4-0 demolition of Sean Dyche’s troops, with Marcos Alonso also getting in on the act with his first attacking return since Gameweek 4.

We’ve all the goals, assists, Fantasy talking points, manager quotes and injury news as Chelsea extended their unbeaten run to ten league matches.

Burnley 0-4 Chelsea

• Goals: Alvaro Morata (£8.7m), Ross Barkley (£5.7m), Willian (£7.4m), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£5.2m)
• Assists: Ross Barkley x2, N’Golo Kante (£4.9m), Marcos Alonso (£7.0m)

Eden Hazard (£11.3m) missed a Chelsea league game for the first time in 2018 as Chelsea made light of their talisman’s absence by putting four goals past Burnley.

Maurizio Sarri discussed the Belgian winger’s absence after full-time, saying that he hoped to have Hazard back very soon:

I want him every match if possible because we have a lot of good players. Hazard offers something different.

I am very happy as the team was able to score seven goals in two matches without Hazard. That’s a good sign.

I want Eden as soon as possible. I’m not sure for Wednesday [in the Carabao Cup] but hopefully for [next] Sunday.

Pedro (£6.4m) and Willian (£7.4m) lined up on the flanks in Hazard’s absence but Sarri’s options on the wings were further diminished when Pedro gingerly made his way from the field after half an hour, his issue later revealed to be sickness-related.

Sarri was asked about Pedro’s issue after the match, responding:

I don’t know exactly. I spoke with the doctor for a few seconds and he said it was a very strong stomach ache.

The last winger standing, Willian, was one of Chelsea’s standout players at Turf Moor on Sunday.

The Brazilian midfielder’s contribution will perhaps be overshadowed by Ross Barkley‘s (£5.7m) in the press but Willian was a constant menace down the left flank and gave Matthew Lowton (£4.7m) a torrid time all afternoon, occasionally switching flanks with substitute Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£5.2m) after the former Crystal Palace loanee’s introduction on 30 minutes.

No player on show in this fixture registered more penalty box touches, take-ons or shots on goal than Willian, who once again took all of Chelsea’s corner-kicks.

Willian emerged from the match with just a seven-point return but he could easily have posted a double-digit haul, having smacked the post with a curling effort in the first half before his excellent 20-yard strike after the interval.

Willian also could have had at least one assist, providing a cross that Alvaro Morata (£8.7m) headed over from a good position before teeing up his replacement Olivier Giroud (£7.8m) late in the match.

It is almost a shame, perhaps, that Hazard and Pedro’s ailments aren’t more serious, as rotation remains the biggest concern with the Brazilian international going forward. Aside from that caveat, Willian is certainly an asset to consider: only Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson (£7.4m), who has played almost 200 minutes more than the Chelsea man, has created more chances among FPL midfielders in 2018/19.

Barkley emerged with the single-biggest FPL score of Gameweek 10 so far despite not touching the ball once in the Burnley box, with his own strike – Chelsea’s second of the match – also coming from distance.

While Barkley was perhaps fortunate to collect an assist for Chelsea’s third goal that was all of Willian’s making, his pass for Morata’s opener was admirable, leaving the Spanish striker with the simple task of beating the exposed Joe Hart (£4.6m).

No player at Turf Moor recorded as many key passes as Barkley, either.

While rotation with Mateo Kovacic (£5.9m) remains a worry, Sarri’s words after full-time suggested that Barkley had made the necessary defensive improvements to his game in order to feature more prominently in his manager’s plans.

The Chelsea head coach said:

Barkley is doing very well. In this period, he is playing really very well.

He has improved very much in the defensive phase. He has improved his physical condition. Last season was very difficult with a very serious injury.

He is a very good player from the technical point of view. Now I think Ross is complete.

That Barkley didn’t register a single penalty box touch against Burnley perhaps puts us off a little, but with Chelsea enjoying three home fixtures in their next four Premier League matches there were will be plenty of takers in the budget midfielder’s services after his second double-digit haul in three weeks – Barkley is already the most-bought player in his position ahead of Gameweek 11.

Chelsea’s strikers were their usual profligate selves, though there was at least a much-improved performance from Morata.

The much-maligned Spanish international ought to have added to his 21st-minute strike, twice being denied by Hart when put through on goal by Jorginho (£5.0m) and Marcos Alonso (£7.0m) before half-time.

Sarri paid tribute to his striker after the match:

Alvaro today played well. He went to the ball when it was necessary. He went deep when it was necessary. He played a very good game.

Probably he could have scored more, he had three or four opportunities, but he scored a good goal. The last three or four matches can be a good restart for him.

Morata certainly seems to have the upper hand over Giroud in the league at the moment, having started the last two fixtures since the international break.

The French forward was a little wasteful on his introduction, though was unlucky to see one headed effort pushed onto the bar by the busy Hart.

Alonso’s owners would perhaps have been resigned to a sixth straight appearance without an attacking return after Morata wasted the left-back’s through ball in the first half and, in truth, the premium defender was again peripheral in Chelsea’s attacks, often out of shot when the Blues were on the break.

Alonso saved his first penalty box touch and shot of the game until stoppage time, however, with his blocked back-heel attempt falling kindly for Loftus-Cheek to sweep home.

Antonio Rudiger (£5.9m) had another fine game at centre-half and has quietly crept up to fifth in the leading points scorers’ table for FPL defenders, though aside from a short burst of Burnley pressure early in the match he and the rest of the Chelsea backline were rarely troubled by the limited Clarets: Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5.5m), indeed, only had to muddy his gloves once with the tamest of Chris Wood (£6.2m) headers.

The returning Robbie Brady (£5.4m), in for the ill Aaron Lennon (£5.0m) in Dyche’s only change to his starting XI, had perhaps Burnley’s best chance, fizzing a low shot wide after Kepa had flapped at a Lowton cross.

Brady was playing his first league match in almost 11 months and lasted the course, with his manager revealing that an ankle injury to Jack Cork (£4.8m) forced him to leave the Irish winger on for the full 90 minutes.

Dyche said:

It was great to see Robbie out there and getting 90 minutes, which wasn’t part of the plan.

We were hoping he might get 70, but with Jack (Cork) going off injured with a rolled ankle he had to stay out there and he will benefit from that and get stronger.

Also, Steven (Defour) got his first full 90, so we are pleased with that because the more fit people we have, the better the competition for places.

Brady’s reintroduction to the first team may be to the detriment of Johann Berg Gudmundsson‘s (£6.0m) FPL appeal – the Irish international took a handful of indirect free-kicks and corners, though Gudmundsson still retained chief responsibility for the latter.

Having shipped nine goals in two matches against admittedly top-class opposition, the Clarets can at least now enjoy four more winnable fixtures (whu, lei, NEW, cry) although their rickety defence still gives cause for concern.

No club has allowed more shots in the box or big chances than Dyche’s side this season and their backline was sliced open with ease by their visitors on Sunday, with Lowton in particular a weakness at right-back.

Burnley XI (4-4-1-1): Hart; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Cork (Westwood 73′), Defour, Brady; Hendrick (Barnes 65′); Vokes (Wood 59′).

Chelsea XI (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Rudiger, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho (Fabregas 78′), Barkley; Pedro (Loftus-Cheek 30′), Morata (Giroud 74′), Willian.

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