Eden Hazard has admitted it is strange to only play once a week - but said he believes doing so gives Chelsea the advantage in this season's Premier League title race.
The forward has been in scintillating form for the Londoners so far this term, and has helped fire Chelsea to the summit of England's top flight after a third of the season has gone.
Antonio Conte's men are not in European action at all in 2016/17 after a terrible campaign last time out saw them finish in 10th position - a placing that was the result of upheaval both on and off the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
This is how they stack up after 12 matches... pic.twitter.com/iAs68lwTSj
However, in an interview with the club's official website, Hazard claims that Chelsea can be the benefactors of not playing two matches a week for much of the season, despite his obvious desire to play as often as possible.
He said: "It's the first time I am not playing in the Champions League or the Europa League. I prefer to play all the time because I like football, and I want to play, play, play, and be on the pitch, but for the body and for the freshness sometimes it's good to rest and be completely ready for the next game.
"Now we can train the whole week getting ready for the weekend game and we have time to adapt. We know everything when we start the game because the manager has shown us some clips, and so we know what to do, and then we try and do it."
The Belgian flier has plundered seven goals and two assists in 15 appearances already this term after he was handed a new lease of life under Conte in the Italian's preferred 3-4-3 system, and Hazard says his return to form is all down to not over-thinking what to do when he has the ball in the final third.
He continued: "I try to go straight at the goal and be decisive for the team. I don't think a lot about it, if I shoot or pass. It's natural.
"I try to make the best decision at the best moment and if that is to shoot then I will shoot, otherwise I keep dribbling or make a pass."
Chelsea's return to the top of the Premier League is down to a stretch of six consecutive wins since Conte switched to the Blues' current formation, with no goals conceded during that time.
The Blues were made to work hard for the most recent victory - a 1-0 triumph over Middlesbrough - and Hazard added that, with the club now seen as a scalp due to their superb form, he and his team-mates would have to be even more creative in a bid to continue their winning streak.
He said: "Maybe for the opposition they now know where we are good, they can be a little bit more prepared, they know what they have to do, and if we want to beat them we have to be ready for that. It's the new challenge for us."
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