Guus Hiddink returned to Chelsea for a second spell as manager today, hired until the end of the season with the tough task of turning round the struggling Premier League champions following Jose Mourinho’s firing.
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In one sense, it was a game that Chelsea’s players could not win as, though the much-improved performance strengthened their league position, it also hardened perceptions that they had not been giving their all for Mourinho.
“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”.
Drogba scored in Chelsea’s 2009 FA Cup final win when Hiddink previously filled the Chelsea managerial void for around four months after the exit of Luiz Felipe Scolari.
With first-team coach Steve Holland taking charge of the team against Sunderland, Hiddink sat in an executive box alongside owner Roman Abramovich and former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.
They also repeatedly chanted in support of the sacked Jose Mourinho, who has been replaced on an interim basis by Guus Hiddink, and unveiled a banner saying: “You let Jose down, you let us down”.
The chances of Arsenal winning the Premier League for the first time in over a decade are now looking good.
The Blues eased to a 3-1 victory over the Black Cats but, despite the result, the major talking point is the reaction that Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas received from the home crowd.
“All of us are in this position, it is not one or two individuals, we are in this position because one or two have performed and the rest haven’t unfortunately – but that is behind us now”.
Sunderland must play for 90 minutes, keep clean sheets and score any game’s first goal if they are to plot a route to safety, says Sam Allardyce.
Hiddink will now pick up the pieces of the post-Mourinho acrimony, but Holland has challenged Chelsea’s players to provide their own solutions.
‘The early goal gave the players a boost of confidence, but the team is still fragile to an extent. They are used to setbacks in recent weeks so we wobbled a bit in the second half.
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Terry said the players needed to take responsibility for Mourinho’s sacking after their terrible start to the season.
