Good afternoon everyone and welcome to today’s coverage of Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea vs Stoke City press conference.
The interim Blues manager is due to sit down with the media at approximately 1.15pm this afternoon ahead of the visit of the Potters.
Chelsea have already been beaten twice by Mark Hughes’ side this season after City knocked them out of the league cup and won in the reverse Premier League fixture.
However, Hiddink has got the Blues firing again and they go into the match on the back of a midweek win at Norwich City to take them into the top half of the table.
Stay tuned for updates.
Key Events
Summary from Hiddink
That’s all from Hiddink for now then as he moves onto the written section of today’s press conference.
We’ll have more from that section later on GetWestLondon after print embargoes are lifted tonight.
For now though, let’s recap what we’ve learnt from the interim Chelsea manager today ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Stoke.
- John Terry and Pedro are out of the Potters game
- Diego Costa will start at the Bridge
- Hiddink is unaware of Abramovich reportedly telling the players Antonio Conte will be the new boss
- The Dutchman has reiterated his stance that he will leave at the end of the season
- Chelsea confirmed a meeting between top Premier League clubs was held this week
- The Blues are hopeful JT will be fit for the PSG clash
- Stoke won’t be taken lightly on Saturday
Hiddink enjoys wonderful Willian
The Chelsea midfielder has been the one ray of consistent light from Chelsea’s turbulent season.
And Hiddink - who adopted the Brazilian from Jose Mourinho’s reign - insists that Willian’s ‘beautiful’ football is fantastic to watch.
He said: “He is playing consistently well, also physically he is in great shape. He recovers very well from intensity of a game, but every now and then we have to say we will rest him.
“But he likes to play, he likes to train. It’s nice to see him playing, it’s very nice to see, for the eye.
“It’s not enough to see him playing in a nice way, but to see him with efficiency, as he is doing.
“Yeah, he would make my Premier League team of the year.”
John Terry could feature against PSG
The Chelsea skipper COULD return for the PSG match.
He said: “It depends how he is in training on late Monday.
“He is also restless, any player with big ambitious is restless. I will not take any risks.”
Diego Costa WILL start against Stoke
The mid-week match-winner will start tomorrow’s game, despite fears over his fitness.
Hiddink said: “Maybe during the game, but he won’t have full game. We monitor them with the data. He is in perfect physical shape, but we must not give him an overload in games, but he is difficult to stop.
“He wants to play every game - but I must be careful with that. Tomorrow he will start.
“There is always a danger of going over, If i share those figures with him, he can be rational too. Sometimes i have to put him on the leash.
“Big clubs know you must have a regular season, then in March/April everyone is queuing up, the rewards are there. You have to be there on top as a team, and as a player.”
Could Hiddink stay on?
Chelsea’s unbeaten run since Hiddink came into the club has impressed plaudits.
John Terry has suggested that clubs would queue up to give Hiddink a job, but the Dutchman insists he will not stay at the Blues.
He said: “They responded rather well when I came in, I said to everyone what was your contribution in the year of the championship, and what was it now? Don’t give me an answer now, but give me an answer in the upcoming games.
“They responded with results, draws and later on in victories. The players responded - that’s important.
“No, I said I am here for a short period - the club has to go in a new - maybe transition is a big word - but a new era of Chelsea.”
Blues boss fears for competition if elite clubs breakaway
The Blues boss has swatted away suggestions that the Chelsea players were told about Antonio Conte’s imminent arrival.
But Hiddink is worried about the future of the Premier League if the top five clubs do manage to establish a break-away league, as suggested by Relevant Sports.
He warned: “It is more of a brainstorm of elite clubs talking about this. I’m not in the details, but I think we must all be careful to go into exclusivity when teams like Leicester are mixing in.
“They have the full right to be recognised, they are next contestants for next years Champions League.
“I hope so (that big teams are spooked). That’s real sport. What sport is all about - lower clubs knocking on the door.
“I don’t know what has been discussed - but football is for all.”
The Chelsea press officer has intervened.
He said: “The meeting did happen, but it was predominantly about the ICC, as is natural. A European super league or breakaway league was not discussed.”
Top four almost out of reach
Can the Blues yet make the top four? Competition is tough, according to Hiddink
He said: “Others are knocking on the door, like West Ham. There are more candidates for fourth position than the teams losing recently.
“Stoke are close as well. Even more reason we need a serious approach.”
Chelsea will field a full strength side against Stoke
The Dutchman has refuted suggestions that the Blues will rest some key players ahead of the Champions League second leg against PSG.
The Blues are currently 2-1 behind, but they will not rest players ahead of the knock-out clash.
He added: “We did in the previous game also make some changes with the youngsters, that is ok. Of course we have in mind the upcoming two games on Wednesday and Saturday but I think we take all PL games very seriously, we have the same approach on this as well.
“We will not allow ourselves to make this a pre-game for Wednesday.”
John Terry will not feature this weekend
Blues stalwart John Terry will not feature against Stoke this weekend.
The 35-year-old has been out with an injury, and Hiddink has confirmed he is not quite ready to return.
The Blues boss said: “No. He is not fit to start this weekend, we will see how it goes on on Wednesday. He’s not with the group yet - Pedro the same. Pedro didn’t practice with the group.”
Here he is!
Guus Hiddink has entered the press room and is ready to talk to the press.
The Blues overcame a difficult Norwich challenge on Wednesday night thanks to goals from Diego Costa and Kenedy.
So let’s see what their Dutch boss has to say ahead of the Blues’ clash with Mark Hughes’ Stoke tomorrow...
Tammy a target for Brentford?
Dean Smith is hopeful of bolstering his squad during the remaining weeks of the loan window.
Brentford are thin on the grounds at the moment due to injuries and player sales and recent form has seen them slip down the table.
Chelsea youngster Tammy Abraham has been linked with a move to the club on loan but Smith refused to comment on the striker.
He added: “There’s a number of players we’re looking to bring on loan. Naming names would be wrong of me.”
Cahill digs in for victory
Chelsea defender Gary Cahill enjoyed digging in for victory at Norwich City.
The Blues were 2-1 winners at Carrow Road to move into the top half of the Premier League table for the first time since August.
Kenedy struck within 40 seconds of kick off in Norfolk before Diego Costa added a second on the stroke of half time.
However, Nathan Redmond got the Canaries back in it midway through the second period and the hosts pushed hard for a winner.
Chelsea held on though and Cahill relished the challenge of battling for three points under the floodlights.
“It was horrible by the end. The last 15 to 20 minutes was tough. But in first half we were in control.
“In the second, it was a totally different game. We couldn’t get out. Credit to them. It feels good to dig in and grind out the result.”
“We said collectively that we need to keep this run going. We knew they were struggling but they showed spirit and made it tough for us.
“Thankfully, we got over the line and this was a big win for us.”
What did we learn from Norwich?
Kenedy and Diego Costa were on target as Chelsea recorded a third straight Premier League win at Norwich.
The Blues made it nine points out of nine for the first time since April as Guus Hiddink remained unbeaten in domestic action.
However, they were made to work hard for this victory as the Canaries staged a second-half fightback that very nearly saw them grab a point.
Kenedy opened the scoring with the quickest goal of the season as he fired home superbly with a solo effort.
Costa’s crucial second came right on the stroke of half time and left the home crowd furious as it appeared the striker was offside.
Nathan Redmond pulled one back for Norwich after the interval as they pressed for an equaliser.
But it was to be Chelsea’s night as they defended stubbornly to claim a battling triumphand send the travelling supporters home happy.
Exclusive look at Stamford Bridge expansion
Chelsea fans excited by the club’s plans for the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge have been treated to new renderings 3D of the design.
Fresh images, obtained exclusively by GetWestLondon, showcase panoramic views of the main facades, interior concourses and stairwells.
Produced by computer scientist Neil Vano, a season ticket holder at the Bridge and lifelong Blues fan, these new unofficial pictures reveal never-before-seen elements.
READ MORE: Take a virtual tour of Chelsea’s new redeveloped Stamford Bridge stadium
Chelsea last month asked supporters and amateur architects for their input on the plans for the new-look Stamford Bridge.
The Premier League giants want to replace the exisiting Stamford Bridge with a 60,000-seater stadium, subject to approval from Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
John Terry fights for future
Let’s bring you up to date with all the goings on at Stamford Bridge while we await the arrival of Hiddink, starting with the future of the Blues’ skipper.
Chelsea’s John Terry is determined to fight for a new contract at the club after receiving an award at the London Football Awards on Thursday.
The Blues centre-back’s future has been cast into doubt after a turbulent season at Stamford Bridge, with his contract is set to expire in July.
But the 35-year-old is refusing to give up on a new deal until he is explicitly told his stint at the club is over.
He said: “I am still very hopeful. I have been there 21 years and I will never give up until it finally happens. But who knows?
“I have still got a lot to give - whether that is here or somewhere else - that is for sure.”
Terry, who won the Outstanding Contribution to London Football award, has made 29 appearances in all competitions for the club in a season which started in disarray.
Welcome folks
Good afternoon everyone and welcome to today’s coverage of Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea vs Stoke City press conference.
The interim Blues manager is due to sit down with the media at approximately 1.15pm this afternoon ahead of the visit of the Potters.
Chelsea have already been beaten twice by Mark Hughes’ side this season after City knocked them out of the league cup and won in the reverse Premier League fixture.
However, Hiddink has got the Blues firing again and they go into the match on the back of a midweek win at Norwich City to take them into the top half of the table.
Stay tuned for live updates from the Dutchman as we build up to the Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.