Guus Hiddink’s second spell at Chelsea FC began with a 2-2 draw against in-form Watford at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. The Blues will be kicking themselves after they missed out on all three points, but Hiddink chose to look on the bright side after his first game in charge.
High-flying Watford gave Chelsea a difficult time, but the home side looked much like their former selves as the spoils were shared. Diego Costa, who was booed by the fans last weekend following Jose Mourinho’s sacking, turned up with a perfect response against Watford.
Pleased with Costa’s performance
Costa’s abysmal display at the start of the season invited heavy criticism, and Hiddink was asked about his change of attitude as he scored two goals. But the Dutchman insisted that he knew the 27-year old would come good.
“When everyone knows what he is capable of and knows he must not go into whatever the trap might be, then you focus on your first job. He’s good at it and he showed it with two terrific goals,” Hiddink said, as reported by espnfc.
“He focused on what hea s good at and hea s very dangerous, thata s important, not wasting extra energy where you shouldna t. He did that with two goals perfectly.”
Team reacted perfectly
Amidst Chelsea’s recent woes, it was always going to be a tough task for anyone to rejuvenate the players. Hiddink was delighted with the players’ response after going down 2-1, but admitted he was disappointed they could not snatch a victory.
.
“It was important the team reacted after going 2-1 down, especially against a defensive and very well organised Watford. The reaction was also important regarding the recent past at the club as well.”
“They are on a winning sequence for many weeks with clean sheets and I have a lot of respect for the way they play tactically, they have very good strikers. It was an intense game, we conceded some unlucky goals a the first one was a penalty and the second was deflected – but Ia m a little bit disappointed we didna t get three points.”
No Costa against Manchester United
After all his hardwork and commitment last night, Diego Costa lunged in recklessly into a challenge that earned him a fifth premier league booking. It means he will miss the trip to Manchester United on Monday and Hiddink admits the suspension has come at a bad time.
Falcao and Loic Remy are the two obvious replacements for the Spaniard.