After the streams of fans dwindled to less than a trickle, the people of the small Dutch town of Varsseveld—population 5,900—shut and then tore down their museum to homegrown hero Guus Hiddink. Shops and apartments are now being built where the “Guuseum” once stood.
In light of the wonders that Hiddink is now weaving as interim manager at Chelsea, Varsseveld’s town planners might want to reconsider. Chelsea followers could soon be feeling the need to troop to Hiddink’s birthplace in homage to their season’s savior, as Korean fans did after the understated Dutch technician lifted their team to the almost unimaginable heights of a World Cup semifinal in 2002.
His star turn at Chelsea is proving again that Hiddink’s impressive record of success, not only with South Korea but also with Russia, Australia, the Netherlands and Dutch squad PSV Eindhoven, is no fluke. He simply has a gift for squeezing the best from teams.
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Rewind less than three months. Billionaire Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea plaything was going nowhere fast, his expensive players fitting together as poorly as Wellington boots with a posh suit.
Not only did Chelsea’s Premier League hopes seem dead, there were creeping doubts that last season’s Champions League finalists might not even qualify for the competition next season by finishing out of England’s top four.
Despite having led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title, Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach in those dark days, was floundering in the high pressure of the world’s strongest league, looking increasingly tired and grouchy.
The last straw was a 0-0 home draw with Hull on Feb. 7, when Chelsea fans taunted Scolari with chants of, “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin recalls being asked whether Chelsea would win any trophies this season.
“Absolutely not,” he replied. “With one caveat: unless we get Guus Hiddink.”
It’s not unusual for teams to respond to a new boss. And Hiddink has also had some luck in his 10 wins, three draws and just one loss since he answered a plea for help from his friend Abramovich. Foremost was getting Michael Essien back from long-term injury to add marauding threat and muscle to Chelsea’s midfield.
But it’s the way Hiddink has deployed players like Essien, motivated underachievers like winger Florent Malouda and striker Didier Drogba, and restored confidence, purpose, and fitness to the squad that has made the big difference.
Drogba, unkindly labeled “the Incredible Sulk” for his petulance by the English press, is looking like a big-game performer again, with nine goals under Hiddink. Drogba will be key to Chelsea hopes of overpowering Barcelona in their Champions League semifinal. The first leg is next Tuesday.
Before it was utterly outclassed at the Camp Nou in the Champions League final 16, French side Lyon briefly showed in a spirited first half on its home ground that it is possible to unsettle Barcelona with harassing play.
Chelsea is far stronger, with a sharper attack, sturdier defense and a more solid midfield, than the sputtering French champions now at risk of losing their domestic crown. In containing Liverpool 4-4 in their heart-stopping Champions League quarterfinal last week, Chelsea also showed resolve lacking under Scolari. Hiddink’s tactical shrewdness has given Chelsea an edge.
Thanks to Hiddink, Champions League football now looks assured for Chelsea next season, even if the Premier League title is seemingly going Manchester United’s way. Chelsea will be favorites to beat Everton for the FA Cup and dangerous underdogs against Barcelona for a place in the Champions League final.
If Hiddink can overcome that Spanish hurdle and secure for Abramovich the European trophy he so desperately wants, that could buy time for his successor to rebuild and freshen up Chelsea’s aging squad. That’s a longer-term job that, at age 62, Hiddink might not have the energy or patience for, especially at a club as political as Chelsea, where employee fortunes depend so heavily on the whims of Abramovich.
And even if they don’t keep Hiddink, Chelsea fans will always have Varsseveld.
Some of the Hiddink memorabilia that used to be in the Guuseum has since been redistributed to a local bowling alley and to a sports club, which “should have some stuff on the walls,” says local government spokesman Manus Willemsen. And, he adds, there’s the chance of bumping into some Hiddink family members who still live there, including a brother, Hans, who used to drive Korean tourists around town in a horse and cart and now plays in a “rather mediocre Dixieland band,” for which he’s “almost famous.”
“We can have Chelsea fans, no problem,” Willemsen says. “The local pubs would like that very much.”
From:sport.yahoo.com
