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Players must respond to Hiddink, says grateful Ivanovic
Posted On Dec 23 2015
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Chelsea may have started the post-Jose Mourinho era with a comfortable victory against Sunderland – but the shadow of the former manager hung heavily over Stamford Bridge.
On whether he would be at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea’s game against Norwich City on Saturday, Hiddink said: “That (attending the game) is something the coaches do”.
“Thank you for all you have done for me”.
“But look at the likes of Leicester. You expect them to drop off, but they haven’t. So it was a very important win”.
Hiddink’s latest firefighting role comes with Chelsea only one point above the Premier League relegation zone following an alarming slump just seven months after sweeping to the title.
There have since been suggestions Fabregas was in fact one of Mourinho’s closest allies at the club.
Speaking to BBC Africa, he said: ‘I want to give back to the club which has given so much to me.
While Chelsea chase Mourinho’s long-term successor behind the scenes the Blues’ stars are keen to keep raising performance levels.
But Fabregas’s form this season has been a far cry from that of the previous campaign and the 28-year-old was forced to deny any part in alleged dressing room revolts earlier this season.
“Absolutely and rightly so as well”, Terry told Chelsea’s official website, when asked if restoring fan support would be crucial now.
“They have got some very, very good players who can pose a lot of questions”.
“They have always been with us, together”.
“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”. We know we have to react, we’ve started well with the win over Sunderland and have to move forward.
Hiddink, who led Chelsea to FA Cup success during an interim spell in 2009, is the man tasked with pulling the London club away from trouble and sustaining a challenge in the Champions League, where they have again been pitted against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.
