Chelsea’s Dutch interim manager Guus Hiddink hosts a press conference at the club’s training ground in Cobham, south west London yesterday.

The Guardian/London


Guus Hiddink has admitted he “should not be” at Chelsea and has warned any disgruntled players in the champions’ underperforming squad who are unwilling to pull their weight in reviving the team’s campaign are welcome to knock on his door, though they will be granted a curt response.
The former Russia, Turkey and Netherlands manager was appointed ahead of Saturday’s much needed victory over Sunderland in the wake of José Mourinho’s dismissal, and will oversee the next six months while the club pursues candidates – Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone principal among them – to take up the reins in the summer.
Hiddink, who enjoyed a similar role for three months back in 2009, took training on Tuesday and Wednesday and has been encouraged by the players’ enthusiasm. Yet he conceded that his appointment was only born of the team’s dismal form to date this term, with Saturday’s win having hauled them three points clear of the relegation zone and 11 from the top four.
“Theoretically, I shouldn’t be here, halfway into the season,” he said. “[My being here] means things are not going as well as foreseen at the beginning of the season. A few years ago I was here in a similar situation and I tried to help out when I was asked to do so. I shouldn’t be here. But I am. That’s the reality of today’s situation, and I’m glad to be here.
“If you look back a bit to the last season, where there was this huge success winning the title, then you go into the next season with targets, aims, and they’re the same: getting the championship again, though in the Premier League that’s not easy. That’s the main target. But sometimes, after a championship [win], you might relax a bit as a team and then you get a wake up call in September. But the situation was they were down, up to last week, one point off the relegation zone, which was frightening for everyone in the club. And it’s not easy to say I’m here and tomorrow the problem is solved.”
Asked if he thought his players had the stomach for the fight ahead, Hiddink said: “There must be a great desire to play, yes? If you don’t have that desire, please knock on my door and we’ll talk. We’ll talk briefly. But I’ve been working now a couple of days with the team, two sessions. I can not, because I’m analysing and watching a lot, say the key players have a lack of ambition or desire at this moment. I cannot complain. I should not complain. If I come here now and complain about the attitude from the previous training sessions, it wouldn’t be good. And I have no single complaint regarding that.
“I don’t want to go back and reflect on the past too much. For me, more relevant is now. I didn’t want to have long conversations about the past, or much information. The information you get will always be coloured in some way. I want to make my own judgement about the performances on the pitch, on the training ground, in the locker room. I don’t want much information. They have to show now what they are capable of.”
Hiddink, who had watched Saturday’s 3-1 success from Roman Abramovich’s private box in Stamford Bridge’s west stand, confirmed he hopes to bring Didier Drogba on to his staff in some capacity though the Ivorian is still contracted as a player with Major League Soccer and Montreal Impact. The 69-year-old met some of his new players post-match but addressed his entire squad at Cobham on Tuesday.
“Of course, we talked a bit about the past and why I’m here, the reasons why we are down,” he added. “But, on the other hand, I told them things happen in football and I want everyone to look in the mirror, not just for two seconds, but longer, and see what they can contribute from now on to raise us up.
“That was what I was emphasising. Not to look back to much. We cannot ignore what has happened in the recent past, but I asked them and told them to look in the mirror and be hypercritical and give the best for the team. They have to look forward.”