"We have to win because, when you lose too much, it's the end of the world for me also." Louis van Gaal
Showing posts with label Guus Hiddink. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guus Hiddink. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Chelsea v Paris Saint German - Preview
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| Getty Images |
Guus Hiddink has defended Diego Costa after Paris St Germain branded the Chelsea striker a fraud ahead of Wednesday's Champions League showdown at Stamford Bridge.
PSG's social media team upped the ante on the eve of the last-16, second-leg tie with a video montage of masked super heroes titled 'Spot the fraud', which also included Costa, who has been playing with a protective mask due to a broken nose.
Manager Laurent Blanc warned his PSG players to stay cool when facing Costa, who has scored 10 goals in 14 games under Hiddink, but has just one Champions League goal in two seasons and 14 games with the Blues.
Costa, available after missing Saturday's 1-1 draw with Stoke as a precaution over a minor tendon problem, has a reputation for riling opponents.
He has never been sent off for Chelsea, although he has served two retrospective three-match domestic bans in his two seasons in London.
"I'm very proud of him the way he's playing and, going not over the edge, but he likes to fight in the real way of the game," said Hiddink, whose side are looking to get back into the tie after losing the first leg in Paris 2-1.
"That's what we like. I protect him and support him when he's doing what he has done in my period at Chelsea.
"He scored recently in not the worst league in the world. In the Premier League he frequently is scoring now, since December, January.
"Before he had this problem of not scoring, as did the team. Let's see and hope he can make it to the European level as well."
Hiddink also issued a robust defence of Eden Hazard ahead of the game.
The Belgium playmaker, Chelsea's leading performer in last season's Premier League and Capital One Cup double, has struggled for form this campaign.
On the eve of the first leg, Hazard suggested a move to PSG would be difficult to turn down, stoking speculation he is hoping to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer.
He was substituted in the 2-1 defeat at Parc des Princes last month but Hiddink attributed that to his return from a groin injury.
"At that time when he was playing away in Paris he was in that period just coming back from a rather severe injury," added Hiddink.
"We could not ask him to be game fit at that moment. He had two or three actions that looked like Hazard.
"We are some weeks further into the league and game fitness. He can and must show what he is capable of, which is more than the away game."
The Blues are up against PSG for a third straight season. Chelsea won the quarter-final tie in 2014 on away goals, but were defeated at the last-16 stage in 2015 by the same method.
Thursday, 11 February 2016
Manchester United Earnings on Course
Manchester United have announced a quarterly profit of £18.6m with a total revenue of £133.8m, up 26.6 per cent on the same period last year.
The results mean United remain on course to become the first British club to earn more than half a billion pounds in one year despite a disappointing campaign in the Premier League and early exit from the Champions League.
United's 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday left them six points adrift of the top four with 13 matches remaining, but their their second-quarterly financial results released on Thursday showed the club expects revenue for the year to hit up to £510m. No British club in history has recorded such a figure.
Commercial revenue for the second quarter was £66.1m - an increase of 42.5 per cent on the previous year, while broadcasting revenues were also up 31.3 per cent and sponsorship revenue for the second quarter was up £1.6m to £37.4m.
United vice-chairman Ed Woodward said: "Our strong commitment to investing in our squad, youth academy and the broader club are ultimately underpinned by our financial strength and the hard work and dedication of everyone at the Club.
"Our solid results off the pitch help contribute to what remains our number one priority - success on the pitch."
Tuesday, 9 February 2016
Real DeGea Deal on Football Leaks
David de Gea was set to earn £9.2m a year until 2021 at Real Madrid had he completed a move from Manchester United last summer, according to the Football Leaks website.
United and Madrid in August agreed a £29m transfer that would have seen the goalkeeper swap Old Trafford for the Bernabéu, but the proposed switch fell through after the requisite paperwork was not submitted before the Spanish deadline.
On Monday, Football Leaks published a document it claims is the contract De Gea was due to sign at Madrid. It shows the Spain international would have received a figure of €11,818,182 (£9.2m) for each season from 2015-16 to 2020-21.
There is also mention of a break clause of €500m (£388m), which De Gea would have been obliged to pay if he walked out on his contract.
Only a few days after the move failed to materialise, United announced De Gea – who joined them from Atlético Madrid on a five-year deal in 2011 – had signed a new four-year contract, with an option to extend for a further year.
That deal was reportedly worth £200,000 per week. The figures from the Football Leaks document equate to around £176,000 per week.
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
FA Cup Fourth Round Draw
Northampton's reward if they can get past MK Dons in a third-round replay will be a visit from Chelsea while FA Cup holders Arsenal must entertain Burnley in the fourth round.
Chelsea are not the only Barclays Premier League giant taking to the road as Manchester United were sent to Derby with Manchester City told to pitch up at either Sky Bet League Two club Wycombe or Aston Villa, who drew 1-1 on Saturday.
Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Exeter and the winner of that replay will entertain West Ham. Vanarama National League outfit Eastleigh, the lowest ranked team left in the competition, will host Championship side Leeds if they can see off Bolton at Ten Acres.
Harry Kane's late penalty kept Tottenham in the competition and if Spurs can do the business against Leicester in their replay, a journey to Colchester awaits.
Crystal Palace tackle Stoke in a rare all-Premier League tie while Oxford, who knocked Swansea out on Sunday, must wait to discover if they will host their League Two rivals Newport, or Blackburn.
If West Brom manage to get past Bristol City they will welcome Peterborough, Everton are tasked with visiting either Carlisle or Yeovil from the fourth tier and Watford travel north to Nottingham Forest.
Bournemouth complete the top-flight contingent and could enjoy a short trip to Fratton Park if Portsmouth can overcome Ipswich.
Other ties see Huddersfield or Reading hosting Walsall, Shrewsbury entertaining Sheffield Wednesday and Hull going west to either Bury or Bradford.
The fourth-round fixtures will be played between January 29 and February 1.
Fourth-round draw in full
West Brom/Bristol City v Peterborough
Eastleigh/Bolton v Leeds
Arsenal v Burnley
Derby v Manchester United
Huddersfield/Reading v Walsall
Exeter/Liverpool v West Ham
Wycombe/Aston Villa v Manchester City
Shrewsbury v Sheffield Wednesday
Nottingham Forest v Watford
Carlisle/Yeovil v Everton
Crystal Palace v Stoke
Oxford v Newport County/Blackburn
Ipswich/Portsmouth v Bournemouth
Colchester v Tottenham/Leicester
Bury/Bradford v Hull
Northampton/MK Dons v Chelsea
Monday, 28 December 2015
Just Hop on the Bus Guus
Sir Alex Ferguson had a death stare. Seemingly he exercised it with some frequency during his lengthy tenure Manchester United both internally with his players and also externally with the media. In fact, he boycotted the BBC for about seven years only relenting when the former BBC Director General offers a personal apology in 2011. The blackout was on the foot of a 2004 documentary about his son Jason which led to the United boss breaching the Premier League’s media regulations requiring him to speak to TV rights holders.
Former player at Old Trafford, Roy Keane, also developed a similar death stare and used it often – if not too often -when faced with those brave enough to ask hi a question. However, “His Corkness” has become too fond of the stare and when a manager at Ipswich or Sunderland in those difficult times the stare becomes pointless. The headiness write themselves after each and every defeat. These days the Republic of Ireland assistant manager has taken to the stare with less vigour choosing the humorous route now to entertain the Fourth Estate. Especially now EURO 2016 in France is a reality. A bit like Ryanair’s new friendlier marketing ploy, Roy Keane has also switched on the charm button more often than not.
A technique the current United could learn from after his attempt with the death stare in his interview after the Stoke defeat. Which seemed rather half hearted and unconvincing. But then again he is probably battered from the barrage of negative publicity over recent weeks where his charges have lost four vital games leaving the media forcing the agenda for the United board. Something Louis van Gaal has found tiring it seems as the stories signalling his demise at the club reach fever pitch. And seeking an unlikely apology from the gathered press at his most recent encountered with sporting journalists.
In facing Chelsea on Monday evening, van Gaal will also have to deal with another foe - Guus Hiddink in the chase for those job saving three points. Whether he has the luck to do same is beyond the scope of any logical analysis. What remains true is that Hiddink will offer no life line to his compatriot given he needs to reward his Russian paymaster quickly having taken over at the listless Chelsea on an interim basis following the departure of Jose Mourinho. The latter running out of death stares as his role at Chelsea became reduced to charlatan in the post-match press conferences clearly unable to detect the underlying reason for the collapse of his championship winning team. As he searched for culprits a level of paranoia seemed to affect his thinking and led to a few bizarre interviews that hardly helped the long term stability at the club. His final departure no surprise giving the football media a quite Christmas period as The Special One was absent from our TV screens.
In the build up to the crucial Old Trafford fixture the main stories focus on the possible replacements at Manchester United in the event that van Gaal loses yet again. The choices made all the more complex by Pep Guardiola’s availability in the summer once he completes his third and final season at Bayern Munich. Not discounting the unplanned freedom of Mourinho in the past ten days.
Meanwhile further up the M56 Rafa Benitez has spent Christmas with his family on the Wirral peninsula, his cliff top home offering spectacular views of his surroundings. And well he might survey the scenery as back in Madrid his club President is a dither on his plan to continue with incumbent manger in the wake of three costly defeats. That home defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico still weighing heavily on the seasons prospects. No doubt evaluating whether the season is salvageable when already trailing Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in La Liga and expelled from the Copa del Rey. Not forgetting the tough draw against Roma in the Champions league.
Despite the Christmas break the media are restless and the stories ruminate between Mourinho’s possible return and the earlier than expected promotion of Zidane from the second team. News of which Rafa can do little to refute from one thousand miles away.
The reality is that managerial success at the Super Clubs failure is now measured in microns as the need to win every match the only guarantee of any longevity. Something van Gaal also know having left Barcelona after a second stint when he brought the Catalan club too close to the relegation zone. A stark contrast to his first stint when he won two league titles, the Copa del Rey and mirrored the astounding success in his first managerial role at Ajax. The club he grew up a s a layer and as manager won everything in front of them for about three years. Only to return years later and fail to even come close to the same success.
In his years managing the Dutch national team a loss in Dublin to a ten-man republic of Ireland that ended the 2002 wold cup dreams for the Netherlands. Something he manage to remedy in the 2014 world cup in Brazil when losing to Argentina in the semi-finals – to secure third place.
It was his time at Bayern Munich though that offers the closest parallel to the current aggravation at United as the Dutchman survived a very paltry spell and imminent Champions League elimination to winning the German domestic double and reaching the Champions League final in Madrid. Which was surprisingly lost against odds to an Inter Milan side managed by Mourinho at the time. Enough to show promise for 2011 and encouraging the Bavarian club to retain his services for longer only to see it as fall around their ears that next season.
The consequence being the 2010 German Manager of the year was sacked with the Bayern Club president at the time Uli Hoeness saying: "Football should be enjoyable, but there has been nothing enjoyable about football at FC Bayern for a while now. And to say that he had the players behind him was a myth.”
In his parting shot from Barcelona the second time around when faced with a hostile media he said the now infamous phrase “Friends of the press. I am leaving. Congratulations.”
These past few days at Manchester United echoes very similar behavioural traits of a manager on his way out – almost voluntarily.
For Johan Cruyff the main problem though is van Gaal is playing the wrong style of football at Manchester United. Albeit the Dutch legend and also former Barcelona coach, has had a strained relationship with his compatriot and hardly offers any real objectivity on the matter. However, he does recognise that United; s current weakness is not dictating games as they should, also insisting there is an onus to entertain the fans.
"He doesn't dominate. I like dominating football. Manchester doesn't play like that," Cruff told Sky Sports News in October.
“It's strange that against strong teams they've got good results and with weak teams they've had difficulties. That's a strange situation. The most important part are the fans, that people going home are happy. It's their time off and you should give them something to enjoy."
Whatever is written in the stars for Monday night football it seems clear that van Gaal may not be part of the long term recovery at Manchester United win, lose or draw. He may have had enough of it all too.
Which is probably the only thing staring us alI in the face at this moment in time
© Osmedia
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Guus Ends Turkey Coach Role
Guus Hiddink has stepped down as Turkey coach after his side failed to qualify for the Euro 2012 finals.
The Turkish football federation says it has reached a mutual agreement to end the former Chelsea manager's contract, which was due to expire next summer.
Turkey lost 3-0 on aggregate to Croatia after a 0-0 draw in the second leg of the play-offs on Tuesday.
Hiddink, 65, took on his fifth national team role in August 2010 and oversaw Turkey's second-placed Group A finish.
Hiddink had previously led the Netherlands, South Korea, Australia and Russia, plus club sides including PSV Eindhoven, Real Madrid and Chelsea.
A statement on the official TFF website read: "We would like to thank Mr Guus Hiddink for his services during his working period, and wish him all the best in his future career."
In his post-match interview on Tuesday he said that he expected to end his association with Turkey, saying: "I worked for the future of Turkey but I think this is my last match with this team - there is a high probability of that."
Hiddink, who boasts one of football's most impressive managerial CVs, is certain to be in high demand and the likes of Paris Saint-Germain in France and Russian Premier League side Anzhi Makhachkala have been linked with his services.
HIDDINK'S CLUB HONOURS
PSV Eindhoven: Champions League (1988), six Eredivisie championships (1986-89, 2002/03 & 04-06), four Dutch Cups (1988-90 & 2005)
Real Madrid: Intercontinental Cup (1998)
Chelsea: FA Cup (2009)
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Hiddink Will Walk Away after Play-off
Guus Hiddink is reported to plan to stand down from his job with Turkey after the second leg UEFA EURO 2012 play-off game in Zagreb on Tuesday, following some stinging criticism over recent days.
Croatia romped to a comfortable 3-0 victory in the first leg on Friday, with goals from Ivica Olic, Mario Mandzukic and Vedran Corluka taking them to the brink of the finals.
Boos rang around the stadium at the final whistle and the result will pile more pressure on the Turkey coach, Guus Hiddink, who was already under fire after a patchy campaign in the qualifiers in which his charges finished second in Group A.
Olic put the visitors ahead in the second minute with a simple tap-in from close range after the goalkeeper, Volkan Demirel, failed to cut out a low cross from Corluka.
Despite a long period of possession by Turkey, Croatia then doubled their lead in the 32nd minute when Mandzukic headed in a cross from Darijo Srna at the far post.
Turkey's miserable night was completed in the second half, as Corluka made it 3-0 in the 51st minute, escaping his marker and heading in from close range from a free-kick whipped in by Srna.
Their were chants for Hiddink's resignation at the end and Volkan was also jeered in what was an especially sweet victory for Croatia, who suffered a heart-breaking quarter-final defeat by Turkey at the 2008 finals, when they were seconds away from clinching a place in the semi-finals before losing the game in Vienna on penalties. The Turks had equalised with the last kick of extra-time and then won the shoot-out.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Hiddink Retains Focus on Turkey Job
Although Guus Hiddink has admitted he misses the day-to-day nature of club management, he is refusing to be drawn on talk linking him with a return to Chelsea football club.
Veteran coach Hiddink, who had a successful five-month stint in charge of the Blues two years ago, has been acting as an advisor to owner and friend Roman Abramovich ever since, while also coaching the Turkish national side.
"I have in my career very few games. I want to do more with the players on a daily basis but that is impossible because I am national team manager,"
"But I am not going into the speculation as I have to prepare the team and to make sure that no one can blame me afterwards saying I was concentrating on other things.
"I am not going into speculation, I am fully concentrated. I demand full commitment from myself so I will not go into speculation.
"I am being forced by circumstances to go into a tunnel and exclude a little bit the outside world.
"I have heard a lot of rumours and speculation.
"I have told the players they must focus on Belgium and the same goes for me. I am fully focused on getting the team ready for next Friday."
Belgium play Turkey on June 3rd in a EURO 2012 qualifier at the Roi Baudouin stadium in Brussels.
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