Hiddink Faces Rebuilding Job as Chelsea Boss

With Guus Hiddink closing in on returning as the new Chelsea boss, the veteran Dutch coach will be under no illusions about the scale of the task awaiting him on his return to Stamford Bridge. It was a reunion that always seemed destined to happen – Hiddink was hugely popular during his first spell as Chelsea coach and neither he nor the club really wanted to leave, but his contractual obligations with the Russian National Team meant he could not continue in the role.

This morning, however, his return to Chelsea was all but sealed after a statement from the Turkish FA confirmed they expect their manager to leave his post and return to West London.

His remit will be to both reclaim the Barclays Premier League title AND succeed where all previous managers have failed – winning the UEFA Champions League trophy. A new season of course brings new hope and expectations. The new 2011/12 Chelsea away kit has just been unveiled and Hiddink will be hoping to see his side lift the trophy in either of their new football shirts come May 2011.

However, the situation facing Hiddink now is a very different one than he faced in his previous spell in charge. No longer are stars like Didier Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard at the peak of their powers and able to dominate matches in the same way they once could. Hiddink will inherit an ageing side and it is clear that a major rebuilding job is going to be required. With vew few high value saleable assets (most of the squad are the wrong side of 30), Hiddink will be reliant on owner Roman Abramovich to once again fund a spending spree to bring the Blues owner the success that he craves.

One would expect the Russian to back his coach with funds, although he may be a little wary after the success or otherwise of his big money January buys. The £50m signing of Fernando Torres has been nothing short of disastrous and while the Spaniard may yet come good, it shows achieving success is not quite as simple as writing a big cheque. Similarly, while he has shown flashes of flair, the defending ability of £25m David Luiz have also been called into question on more than one occassion.

In Hiddink though, Chelsea have one of the most experienced men in football and a man who is certainly capable of making the signings Chelsea need to re-establish themselves as the best team in the Premiership. Players will need to move on and perhaps it is time for stars like Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and possibly even Frank Lampard to move on as Chelsea look to the future with their next generation of stars.

Only time will tell the scale of the changes Hiddink deems necessary to restore the Blues to their former glory, but one thing is certain and that changes do have to be made. With Manchester City’s pedigree enhanced following their FA Cup win and Champions League qualification and Liverpool resurgent under Kenny Dalglish, Chelsea will have to look over their shoulder just to secure their UEFA Champions League place such is the competitive nature at the top end of the Premier League.

Written by Eddie Smith, a sports writer who blogs about classic football shirts.

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