Watford 1 Chelsea 3: Anelka's treble not enough for glum Hiddink

16 February 2009 03:54
Roman Abramovich seemed to have a certain empathy with one particular Valentine's Day proposal that appeared on the big screen at Vicarage Road. 'You make me complete,' Jackie told Linda before asking for her hand in marriage. [LNB]Chelsea[LNB]'s owner was not about to follow suit and pop a similar question to the man sitting next to him. But he did appear remarkably content to have Guus Hiddink to his right as well as his glamorous girlfriend to his left. It did seem that, for the Russian billionaire, everything was now complete and in place. [LNB]While Hiddink remained strangely impassive as the drama unfolded on the field, failing to even applaud when Nicolas Anelka completed his hat-trick, his employer was animated like never before. He kicked every ball, headed every corner, made every tackle. It was his team and it was finally under the guidance of his manager.[LNB][LNB][LNB] 1-1: Anelka (airborne) connects with an overhead kick for the pick of his three goals[LNB] [LNB] 1-2: Anelka (third left) connects with Ashley Cole's cross to beat Scott Loach on 75 minutes[LNB] [LNB] 1-3: Anelka (second left) is hailed by his Chelsea team-mates after completing his second hat-trick of the season[LNB] FA Cup quarter final draw: Big three kept apart in the last eight[LNB]You'll see Mour of me: Jose insists he will return to Chelsea one day[LNB]Manchester City to make £22m bid for 'disillusioned' Chelsea skipper Terry[LNB]CHELSEA FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]Abramovich is a romantic. He decided to invest a fraction of his fortune in Chelsea after attending a thrilling encounter between Manchester United[LNB]and Real Madrid, but his enjoyment does seem to depend as much on the relationship he enjoys with the manager as it does the quality of the football.[LNB]When his relationship with Jose Mourinho disintegrated, he stopped watching and when his initial attempts to lure Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti last summer failed and he was forced instead to hire Luiz Felipe Scolari, he again lost interest. He never reallywanted the Brazilian and my how it showed.[LNB]In Hiddink, however, he at last has a manager he admires and someone he has already seen inspire his beloved Russia to the semi-finals of a major tournament.He looked so utterly delighted and excited to have the Dutchman at his side on Saturday, he is now sure to attend more frequently.[LNB] A word in your shell-like: Hiddink (centre) confides in Abramovich (left) alongside Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck [LNB]By the time Anelka had celebrated his third goal and so ended any hope Watford had of a replay after taking the lead with Tamas Priskin's 69th minute opener, it was like those early days under Mourinho. [LNB]Abramovich was back in the dressing room, congratulating his players and congratulating his new manager. [LNB]'Everyone's been in,' revealed Ray Wilkins afterwards. 'Guus was just thrilled and the owner was in, too. It was very pleasant.'[LNB]Hiddink tried to suggest afterwards that Wilkins deserved all the credit and this FA Cup victory will leave him with an unblemished record as Chelsea's caretaker coach.[LNB] [LNB]Quiet observer: Hiddink walks to the dressing room after Chelsea's victory, where he gave all the credit to Ray Wilkins despite having had plenty of input since his arrival last week[LNB]But Hiddink did have an influence, according to the young chap making his Chelsea debut, not least in introducing a tactical approach significantly different from Scolari's.[LNB]'Guus Hiddink has been in and around the training ground since he arrived and he has had a word with everyone,' said Michael Mancienne. [LNB]'He said we've got good players and a very strong squad and he's just going to give us a bit of structure. Instead of our wing backs pushing too high up, like we have been doing the past few games, he wants one of them to cover back when the play is around the other side. He reinforced a few things and had a lot of tactical input before the game.'[LNB]A surprisingly observant young man, Mancienne also noted the bond that exists between his new manager and the owner. [LNB]'It's good to see the owner so close to the manager,' he said. 'It's good to see him coming to watch his team because it does give the boys confidence.'[LNB]Deploying players in the positions they consider suit them best also builds confidence, as Anelka demonstrated in the final 20 minutes when Wilkins finally aborted his attempt to make the Frenchman operate effectively on the right of a front three and moved him into a more central role. [LNB]Three goals in that time as partner to a sharper-looking Didier Drogba suggested Scolari might have been wrong and the two can indeed play as a partnership in a 4-4-2 formation. [LNB] Happy couple: Anelka (right) insists he and Drogba can play together[LNB]Anelka, clutching the matchball, certainly seemed to think so. 'At the beginning I started on the right,' said Anelka, whose tally for the season now stands at 20. [LNB]'But in the last 20 minutes it was good. It was good because a lot of people said we couldn't play together. But we never really tried to play together. Today, in 20 minutes, we scored three goals. To play with Didier up front changed the game and that's why we scored the goals and won the game.[LNB]'We showed everybody that we can play together and we can score. Today it was me scoring but it might be Didier next time. That's good and good for Chelsea. [LNB]'I've played as a striker all my life. To play on the right or the left is always difficult. To help Chelsea, I can do that. But it's even better if I can play up front with Didier because, if that's the case, maybe I can help Chelsea even more.'[LNB]UNSUNG HEROSCOTT LOACH (Watford)The newly-capped England Under-21 goalkeeper was in terrific form for much of this encounter, even if TV replays of Nicolas Anelka's second strike might make him wince. Another one off the Watford production line that produced Pat Jennings, David James and helped the development of Ben Foster.[LNB] Drogba also took a veiled swipe at Scolari for freezing him out of the first team, insisting he performed more impressively than he has done for a good while because of his appearance from the start. [LNB]'It's always good for a player to be on the pitch,' he said. 'I now hope I will get back to my best before the end of the season. I have been off the pitch for about five months but I hope now to show that I deserve to play. For me it is important.' [LNB]Hiddink would no doubt deny it was his decision to start with Drogba.[LNB]'The winning manager is just coming,' declared the Dutchman in declining to give a post-match interview.[LNB]For Abramovich, though, the winning manager has at last arrived.[LNB]WATFORD (4-4-2): Loach 7; Hoyte 6, DeMerit 7, Mariappa 6, Doyley 6; Smith 6, Williamson 6 (Cowie 67min, 6), Jenkins 6, McAnuff 8; Rasiak 6 (Priskin 67, 7), Hoskins 6 (O'Toole 76, 6). [LNB]Booked: O'Toole.[LNB]CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 6; Mancienne 6, Alex 6, Ivanovic 6, Cole 6; Ballack 6 (Belletti 83), Mikel 6 (Stoch 73, 6), Lampard 7; Anelka 9, Drogba 7, Kalou 6. [LNB]Booked: Cole.[LNB]Referee: Mike Dean.[LNB]Man of the match: Nicolas Anelka.[LNB] FA Cup quarter final draw: Big three kept apart in the last eight[LNB]You'll see Mour of me: Jose insists he will return to Chelsea one day[LNB]Manchester City to make £22m bid for 'disillusioned' Chelsea skipper Terry[LNB]CHELSEA FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB][LNB] [LNB]  

Source: Daily_Mail