WE ARE BEHIND HIM... HAZARD BACKS CHELSEA MANAGER, CONTE AS SACK RUMOURS INTENSIFIED ON THURSDAY.

Chelsea star Eden Hazard has given his backing to Antonio Conte after speculation he could be sacked.

The Italian only arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer, but there were a flurry of bets on Thursday that he was set to lose his job.

Conte went from being an outsider in the market to an odds-on favourite with some bookmakers, while others refused to take any more money.

However, the 47-year-old still has the trust of Chelsea chiefs and Hazard believes Conte is the man to help them reclaim the title.

The Belgium star said: "He is good. We started well with three wins, then we suffered two defeats after the international break and then we won again. He has tried to bring confidence to the players.

"We are fit because we ran a lot in pre-season! You need to do this to stay at the top. We want to improve with this manager."
Conte was signed a three-year deal in west London after leading Italy to the Euro 2016 quarter-final where he suffered a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out loss to World Champions, Germany.

The Blues have endured a mixed start to the season, with 13 points on the board from seven games, leav

ing them five points off the pace.

Chelsea face champions Leicester at the Bridge on Saturday as Conte comes up against compatriot and former Blues boss Claudio Ranieri.

However, his position at Chelsea is unchanged despite suggestions that he'll face the sack.