Source: Telegraph
Guus Hiddink unhappy about Chelsea fitness
Chelsea might now have delivered back-to-back wins under Hiddink, but another recurring theme has been a tendency to start matches strongly and then fade. "I'm satisfied with the result but overall I'm not satisfied," Hiddink said. "Our overall game could've been better." [LNB]Asked if fitness could be a problem, Hiddink said: "Yes. When you can't maintain control in the whole game it is a problem. You can't control everything for 90 minutes but you should be able to control 90 per cent of the game. [LNB]"That is difficult. One of the things I can say is that we are not 'top top' in terms of fitness. The physical level is good but in these high-level games you must be more than top. [LNB]"Plus I think another aspect is if you lose the easy balls or make unforced errors. If you lose these balls you have to work and fight even harder to get the ball back and that wastes energy. You have to balance the two. [LNB]"But, after the goal we dropped back too far, leaving too much distance between the defence, midfield and attack. We were too anxious after the goal." [LNB]Hiddink's assessment of the partnership between Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka was also clouded by concerns over the team's work-rate. "They are disciplined in what we are asking them to do," he said. "But at the end they and the rest of the team were tired and the functionality of the team was not there." [LNB]Hiddink stressed that he was not questioning the players' commitment, though he also had a clear message for anyone who showed a lack of enthusiasm. "I have discovered no player that I have to motivate," he said adding there would problems if anyone was unmotivated.[LNB]Hiddink was applauded warmly when introduced to the Chelsea fans, but Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri was afforded equally loud applause when he was welcomed back to Stamford Bridge for the first time since losing his job almost five years ago. [LNB]"It shows they haven't forgotten me," Ranieri said. "I spent four wonderful years here, had great times and was very happy with the welcome. I would like to thank them. [LNB]"[Gianluigi] Buffon said that it was one of the best performances we've given away from home but I would've preferred to play not so well and get a better result." [LNB]
