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Guus Hiddink, the man who gave us a Wembley masterclass
Guus Hiddink walked off with an FA Cup winner's medal yesterday,
and I am sure it won't be the last time we see him in English football.
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Swansong: Hiddink / Photo:
Reuters
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He has been an incredible success in his few months at Chelsea,
but that hasn't surprised me.
I knew with his experience, tactical acumen, man-management and language
skills he would be a huge success here.
That tactical acumen was an important part of Chelsea's victory at Wembley
yesterday against a very brave Everton side.
Despite going behind to an early Louis Saha goal - and what an excellent
left-footed strike it was - Chelsea totally outmanned Everton in midfield,
which is why they dominated possession and why Everton had to do most
of the running around.
John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien simply had too much energy
and quality for Phil Neville and Tim Cahill.
Because of that, it was Chelsea who got stronger as the game went on in
the heat of a late May afternoon, and in Florent Malouda and Lampard they
had the game's two outstanding offensive players as well.
So Guus leaves, for now, a hero. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would
love the Dutchman to stay, but Guus is also a man of honour, which is
why he is going back to Russia to fulfil his contract there, which runs
until the 2010 World Cup. What happens then?
I think Guus will come back to England, probably at Stamford Bridge, either
as manager or in another important role at the club.
I have known Guus a long time and managed to see him for a chat after
last weekend's final Premier League game at Sunderland. I have never seen
him as enthusiastic or animated.
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Signing off in style: John Terry and Frank
Lampard lift the FA Cup / Photo: dailymail.co.uk
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He has clearly loved his experience here and although he
was clear he was going to show loyalty to Russia, he also indicated to
me he would love to return to English football at some point.
The FA Cup final yesterday was a fitting swansong for this extraordinary
manager.
Everton were so fired up to win their first trophy since 1995 and had
Chelsea rocking with the Saha strike.
But Malouda had one of those afternoons that will be remembered down the
years as a Wembley masterclass, particularly in the first half. He took
the poor Everton right-back Tony Hibbert to the cleaners and it was a
magnificent cross that allowed Didier Drogba to level the scores.
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Photo: Reuters
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In the second half, you always felt that Chelsea would come
out on top.
Everton tried to make the game more physical, but Chelsea's quality on
the ball made them superior in the conditions.
It was, naturally, Lampard who came up with Chelsea's stunning winner.
But I think it was a triumph for their brilliant stand-in manager as much
as any of the players. I think history has judged Luiz Felipe Scolari
harshly. Chelsea did not do too badly when the former Brazil and Portugal
coach was in charge, but it must be said that communication seemed to
improve once Guus got there.
I think it only goes to show how important a command of the English language
is to be a manager in Premier League club football.
In general, the most successful foreign managers, like Jose
Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, have been able to speak to the players properly;
the failures, including Juande Ramos at Tottenham, have not.
Guus definitely comes into the first category. He has got the English
football bug and Wembley yesterday would not have altered that. I am sure
there are more chapters to come.
Dailymail.co.uk,
30th May 2009
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