Chelsea caretaker manager Steve Holland directs his side during their Premier League match on Saturday against Sunderland.
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Chelsea began the post-Jose Mourinho era with a 3-1 win over Sunderland at Stamford Bridge to ease away from the Premier League’s bottom three on Saturday while Leicester City moved five points clear at the top.
The Sunday Times say Abramovich will make one final attempt to persuade Guardiola to take charge but acknowledge rejection is a near certainty.
“You get close to the people you work with, and it’s sad when that changes, but we had an important game two days after and I had a responsibility to the fans and the club”.
“The situation today for me is one that comes with my role as a club man”, Holland said after the win.
He also helped Chelsea reach the Champions League semi-finals, losing narrowly to Barcelona, and has the chance to surpass that when the competition resumes in February with Chelsea through to the last 16 against Paris St Germain.
The Blues have appointed Guus Hiddink as manager until the end of the season for a second time following Mourinho’s sacking on Thursday.
Mourinho’s name was sung by the Chelsea fans throughout the game, while Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas drew criticism from supporters for their performances this season with jeers before and during the 90 minutes.
If Chelsea’s players wanted to win hearts and minds, they went about it the wrong way by playing well.
Roma president James Pallotta has rubbished claims suggesting he held a meeting with sacked Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho in London on Friday. “We have quality players and the players care and they had to show that on the pitch”.
With Mourinho sacked, the managerial spotlight intensified on Manchester United’s Louis van Gaal as his side suffered a third consecutive defeat, lowly Norwich City winning 2-1 for their first victory at Old Trafford since 1989.
However, he made a great impression in his brief stay in London in 2009, proved popular with the Chelsea players and lost only one of his 22 games in charge.
After leaving PSV and joining Fenerbahce in 1990, he returned to the club in 2002 and won three more league titles in a four-year spell.
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“Absolutely and rightly so, as well”, Terry said.
