Blues likely to fight any extension to Hazard ban

FA Cup Fourth Round: Brentford v Chelsea

Hazard was already set to serve an automatic three-match suspension for his red card in the Blues’ semi-final exit at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Football Association deemed that a “clearly insufficient” punishment for the offence, charging the 22-year-old yesterday and giving him until 6pm on Tuesday to respond.

Chelsea had not decided last night whether to contest or accept the charge but Press Association Sport understands they would appeal were any additional suspension imposed.

And that would almost certainly be the outcome of disciplinary proceedings unless Hazard chooses to fight the charge itself.

Hazard no longer faced criminal action yesterday, however, after South Wales Police announced they had dropped their investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile interim manager Rafael Benitez has revealed he had told Roman Abramovich Chelsea’s squad was not strong enough to cope with the demands of this season.

Benitez blamed the Blues’ unprecedented series of major trophy failures on a lack of depth and variety in a playing pool that has also been riven by injury and suspension.

Having begun the season competing on seven fronts, the soon-to-be-deposed European champions have now surrendered five pieces of silverware, four of them in semi-finals, finals or one-off matches.

They now have only two trophies to play for — their Barclays Premier League title hopes are all but over — with tomorrow’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Brentford looking a must-not-lose game.

Confirming he had spoken to Chelsea’s billionaire owner about transfer targets after Sunday’s win over Arsenal, Benitez said: “We had a good conversation the other day but I have to concentrate on football and the game and tactics and all these things. That is my job.”

Benitez spent much of yesterday’s pre-match press conference dropping hints he did not have enough resources at his disposal and when it was suggested that was what he was effectively saying, he replied: “Yeah, I know. When I talked with them [the board], I gave them my opinion and the club, they listened to me.

“They gave me their opinion, so we share opinions and we have these conversations and that’s it.”

Benitez denied Chelsea were guilty of poor pre-season planning ahead of a campaign during which they are playing an unprecedented number of matches.

But he was clearly hinting at a lack of numbers being behind the failures for which he is personally accountable: in the two trophies that were the most winnable this season — the World Club Cup and League Cup — as well as the demise of a league title challenge.

Benitez said: “The money that was spent before and was spent recently is different, and the other teams are also stronger, they are spending money.

“It’s not just about winning trophies. It’s a key part of the game but the way and the tools that you have to win these trophies, that is the key.”

He added: “The team is scoring more goals, conceding less goals.

“You can see that we have more balance but still we have some problems that we have to manage in these games.

“We have the styles or the characteristics of our players, for playing in a way that you have to manage.

“Some games you cannot and you have to change, and we don’t have the other options.

“It’s a style of football that we have to create with the players that we have, so we have to carry on.

“We cannot play long balls and try to win second balls like other teams. We have players that they have quality and we have to try to play this style of football.”