Source: SKY_Sports
Guus warns Chelsea pensioners
Guus Hiddink has warned his ageing stars that they are playing for their Chelsea futures between now and the campaign's close.
The Dutch tactician is to quit Stamford Bridge in the summer but such is his close relations with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich it is thought he will have a significant role in the club's future planning.
With the likes of Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard and Deco all the wrong side of 30, Hiddink admits Chelsea's management need to be looking more long term.
While he accepts age appears to be unimportant when players are playing well, Hiddink is firmly of the opinion that successful evolutions at any football club need to take into account that changes to personnel have to be made eventually.
"I can have an influence on what happens to these players and I can always make suggestions to the people at the club who ultimately decide," he said in the Daily Mail.
"When players are committed, you don't worry whether they are 31 or 32. In the longer-term strategy for the club, you must have plans for the future even when a player is doing well at 31.
"You must have plans on what can be done, whether to replace a player in a year or more.
"If people ask me I will give my opinion, whether that is the staff, the medical people, the physios, the guys who practise with the team or the conditioning coaches."
Hiddink insists he is well aware players tend to up their game at this stage of the season, with contract talks just around the corner.
He is, though, too long in the tooth to have his head turned by impressive end of season displays.
"There are many clubs where players start playing well in April and May because they know that maybe they want to stay.
"You can see that in the whole history of the game, when players start playing well at this time of the season.
"Generally speaking, even if a player's contract is expiring, he has a responsibility to deliver."
