Fourth place finish mathematically possible : Hiddink

The 2-1 loss at Leicester that led to Mourinho’s sacking somewhat put Chelsea’s Champions League qualification for next season in uncertainity, but Hiddink has already told the players to target automatic qualification for the competition as long as it’s mathematically achievable.

“Generally, I set targets,” Hiddink said. “The target is, because mathematically it’s possible, to get in fourth position. To do that, we have to be exclusively good. If the target is impossible, don’t set it, but I did put that to them.”

“Then the Champions League; and then the FA Cup. There are three targets still to go for,” he added. “On top of that, or as a foundation of that, the players must show now what they’re capable of. As a consequence then, you go to those targets.''

Success was far from Hiddink after leaving Chelsea in 2009

The 69-year-old Dutchman won the FA Cup and led Chelsea to a Champions League semifinal in his first spell as interim boss back in 2009. However, Hiddink has had little success since leaving Chelsea.

He failed to guide Turkey to Euro 2012 and left the job by mutual consent. On February 2012, he took up the managerial role at moneyed Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, his first permanent club post in nearly six years. However, he unexpectedly resigned just two games into the 2013-14 season and said he left because he completed his mission, which was to develop Anzhi in a way that it could progress without him.

In 2014, he took over as manager of the Netherlands, who had secured third place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil under Louis van Gaal and started off on his mission of qualifying for Euro 2016. However, he failed to deliver what was expected of him and was sacked by the Dutch FA, after he left the nation third in their ultimately unsuccessful effort to qualify for Euro 2016.

Despite his recent failures, Hiddink is still positive about Chelsea’s Champions League changes, unlike Jose Mourinho, who was for more despondent in his infamous last post-match press conference as manager of Chelsea. When asked whether the top four had gone, Mourinho replied, “Yes, clearly.”

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