Hiddink geared up to take on opponents
London, Mar. 16 : After reving up the title race last night, Chelsea's coach Guus Hiddink reckons he can take on Manchester United following the latter's loss to Liverpool the top of his handlebars.
"When you are in the driver's seat and someone else is coming, you can get a little bit nervous. If it was just four points it would be very close, but they have that game in hand. But it's clear that after Saturday's unexpected result the tension has come back in the League," The Sun quoted Hiddink, as saying.
A Michael Essien goal lifted Chelsea to within four points as they mount a late charge to deny United the Premier League trophy.
Manchester United shock 4-1 home thrashing by Liverpool has breathed new life into the race for pole position.
Now, Hiddink wants his team to keep on going after getting a shock at his home turf.
"If we want to track them, we have to keep on winning. That'll give tension to the end of the season, which is good for everyone. Every now and then you get a defeat you don't expect. Sometimes you don't expect it at home because you have a beautiful record there. But they're a very experienced team. Let's see how they react in the upcoming days."
Chelsea's 86-game unbeaten home run was ended by Liverpool in October and from there the confidence crumbled at fortress Stamford Bridge. Within four months boss Luis Felipe Scolari was out and now Hiddink is trying to rebuild momentum with five wins in six games so far.
"I don't know if you can compare the two clubs as to how they react to this. It depends on their calmness but the door is a little bit open now. In the Premier League, many teams have the capacity to win at Old Trafford," Hiddink said.
"They're very experienced - Rafael Benitez is experienced. Sir Alex is very experienced. Let me, as a schoolboy, chase them. But it's not a battle between the managers. It's a battle between the players. We can improve. Today we were solid defensively and weren't under threat from City, but I'd liked us to have finished it off in the first half," he added. (ANI)
