My stars are playing for their futures, insists Chelsea boss Hiddink

G uus Hiddink last night warned Chelsea’s ageing team that they will be playing for their futures at the club in tomorrow’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona. Despite 31-year-old Didier Drogba’s return to form, there are no guarantees that the striker will remain at Stamford Bridge next season and he heads a list of players with question marks over their role at the club. Michael Ballack, 32, is to discuss taking an option on a one-year contract extension this summer, but his future as a £130,000-a-week midfielder remains in doubt following three inconsistent seasons at the club. Florent Malouda, 28, has also found some form in midfield just as the club consider their options for next season; 25-year-old defender Branislav Ivanovic, who has emerged in recent weeks, will also meet chief executive Peter Kenyon to discuss his future, and Ricardo Carvalho’s career at the club is also in jeopardy, the central defender celebrating his 31st birthday in 13 days’ time. Interim manager Hiddink revealed: ‘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.’ Hiddink is so highly regarded by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich that the Dutchman will have a fairly significant say in the futures of a number of players at the club even though he is set to leave. Hiddink has observed them at close quarters since his arrival in London and will make his personal recommendations at the end of the season. He added: ‘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. ‘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.’

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Chelsea Tawari Ancelotti Rp82,2 Miliar per Tahun

G uus Hiddink kembali menegaskan tak akan memperpanjang kontrak di Chelsea. Karena itu, The Blues kini mengejar Carlo Ancelotti. Pelatih AC Milan itu ditawari gaji 5,5 juta euro (sekitar Rp82,2 miliar) per tahun. Chelsea kembali membujuk Hiddink untuk tetap berada di Stamford Bridge. Namun, dia tetap pada komintmennya akan kembali menangani timnas Rusia. "Saya terikat kontrak dengan Rusia dan sangat penting menjaga komitmen ini. Standar moral dalam bisnis kami terkadang naik-turun. Tapi, saya ingin tetap menjaga komitmen ini," kata Hiddink. "Saya berhutang sesuatu kepada pemain Rusia. Jika saya memutus kontrak sebelum berakhir masanya, mereka bisa menyalahkan saya karena tak menghormati nilai yang saya tekankan sendiri," tambahnya. Jika dia sementara meninggalkan timnas Rusia, karena ada kesepakatan dan kelonggaran. "Saya bisa membantu Chelsea, karena Rusia hanya bermain dua kali di pertandingan persahabatan, Agustus nanti. Kemudian, kami akan segera menghadapi pertandingan kualifikasi yang berat pada September dan Oktober," ujarnya. Itu pula sebabnya, Chelsea kemudian beralih membidik Ancelotti. Sebuah sumber kuat di Italia menyebutkan, kontrak sudah ditawarkan kepada Ancelotti. Disebutkan pula, Chelsea menawarkan gaji 5,5 juta euro per tahun kepada Ancelotti. Selain itu, pemilik Chelsea, Roman Abramovich juga menawarkan kontrak jangka panjang. Sehingga, Ancelotti bisa dengan leluasa membangun tim.

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Chelsea Mencari Bintang Asia

C helsea punya kebijakan baru. Mereka akan memanfaatkan bintang Asia, atau punya keturunan Asia. Maka, The Blues akan mencoba merekrut para bakat Asia.Rencananya, pada Mei nanti Chelsea akan membuka percobaan buat para pemain keturunan Asia. Mereka akan diuji selama tiga hari. Yang lolos akan masuk akademi Chelsea. Yang diberi kesempatan ikut ters adala anak-anak berumur 12 sampai 14 tahunan. Di daerah Inggris Timur terdapat banyak komunitas Asia. Mereka rata-rata keturunan India, Sri Lanka, atay Bangladesh. Mereka nantinya diberi kesempatan mendaftar. Para pemain yang dinilai berbakat akan diberi kesempatan untuk ikut latihan selama tiga hari. Jika memberi prospek, mereka akan dimasukkan ke dalam akademi sepak bola Chelsea. Chelsea saat ini sudah memiliki dua bakat muda keturunan Asia. Dalam tes itu, Chelsea mengundang manajer, pelatih, dan pemandu bakat dari beberapa klub. Tugas mereka memilih pemain-pemain yang berbakat. Ke depan, Chelsea juga tak akan menutup diri terhadap bintang dari Asia. Ini bagian dari strategi pasar Chelsea yang ingin membidik Asia. (kompas.com)

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