Hiddink takes over from Scolari from Chelsea
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Russia boss will need big shake-up to put Chelsea back on track.
After the shock sacking of Big Phil Scolari on Monday this week, Chelsea quickly ushered in a new temporary replacement in the form of current Russia head coach Guus Hiddink.
Hiddink, a personal friend of Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich watched his new squad training at Stamford Bridge yesterday.
Hiddink said that he felt compelled to help his friend Abramovich and has agreed on a short-term contract to see out the end of the English football season.
Whilst Hiddink has taken charge of the Blues, he is still holds his position as the Russian team manager and has denied claims that he might be persuaded to join Chelsea on a permanent basis. For now, Hiddink’s official capacity will be to keep the seat warm for whoever comes in next season, if he can last that long…
The nature of the game is changing as football fans and club chairmen get increasingly impatient should their team not be firing on all cylinders. Already this season, eight managers have been sacked in the last six months.
Scolari was only given 25 games in charge at Chelsea before he was dismissed, that’s hardly enough time to set out a legacy. If Hiddink is to avoid a similar fate then he will need to make radical changes quickly in order to get the Chelsea team back to their winning ways.
Key to a strong comeback will be reinvigorating the stars of the squad with the belief that they can take on all-comers and beat them. Hiddink needs to look to talismanic leaders in his squad like Frank Lampard, John Terry and Michael Ballack to redeem something from the season.
Next season, a more profound shake-up will be required. Chelsea have rested on their laurels too long, any future success is going to need more than the quick fix Hiddink can provide in his 4 months in charge.
