Guus Hiddink warns time is running out

As Guus Hiddink sidled out of the Chelsea Museum to the sound of whistling and jeering from the visiting Catalan press - presumably for having the temerity to send out his side to compete, rather than roll over in the manner of Juande Ramos's Real Madrid - he could have been forgiven for pointing two fingers at his detractors.
Instead, the Chelsea interim manager aimed a subtle barb at his players, warning them that this season could represent their last chance of winning the Champions League.
Hiddink arrived at Stamford Bridge to win trophies rather than friends, a marked contrast to his predecessor, Luiz Felipe Scolari, who seemed to take the opposite approach.
The Dutchman had only four months to make an impact and has been determined to take advantage of every second, driving his side on to levels that could not have been envisaged when he was appointed in February.
Hiddink will have only one opportunity to win the Champions League for Chelsea, given the combustible state of Russian politics, with Roman Abramovich, the club's owner, unwilling to muddy the waters further with the Dutchman's paymasters in his role as Russia coach in World Cup year. It is a situation that Hiddink believes applies to some of his players, too. The 62-year-old's logic is based on the collective age of a squad that is growing old together, as well as the fact that the competition has treated them well in recent years, which the law of averages dictates cannot last. The squad will be overhauled by his replacement in the summer and Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka face uncertain futures.
“I don't think of getting older every year, but that is the reality for you, for me and for the squad,” Hiddink said. “It's obvious that this team is good. The players have a lot of desire and they've proved that in previous Champions League campaigns, but these players don't have five, six or seven years more to have the same chances they've had in recent years.
“It's very respectable that Chelsea have made it into five semi-finals in the last six years. That's a sign that the club have big ambitions. But this is one of the last occasions for these players to get where they want to be.”
For the moment, however, Chelsea appear the best equipped of all the semi-finalists to disrupt what some in Barcelona view as their God-given right to the European title.
Hiddink offers no apology for the tenacity Chelsea displayed at the Nou Camp last week - earning a goalless draw to take into the semi-final, second leg - and his players will be similarly resolute this evening, but he does expect them to demonstrate more composure in possession.
Certainly the presence of Anelka wide on the right should give the home side more penetration, with Michael Essien moved in from the right of midfield alongside Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack.
“I've analysed the game in Barcelona where we did not concede a goal, where they had one or two options to score, where we had one,” Hiddink said. “Tactically, we did very well, but during the game there were some periods where I would have liked more initiative. That was caused by the way Barcelona played, but we also have to show a little bit more when we are on the ball. We've spoken about that.”
Hiddink resisted the temptation to hit back at Barcelona's relentless complaining, which he attributed to their failure to score at home for the first time this season. However, he did choose to damn them with faint praise, describing their stunning 6-2 win over Real last weekend as simply respectable. “I think it's very human when you're used to scoring every week and then you don't,” he said. “You get frustrated and you get hot comments after the game, when the emotion is still there. But we have the full right to compete ourselves.
“I have seen, rather clinically, the supposed toughness of our team in the first game. I think it was actually rather normal in terms of the challenges that were made, and they were made by both sides.
“We should not try to create something which isn't a reality. If you see some of the challenges from Barcelona in their last game against Real, they were similar to last week and it was rather normal in what is a man's game.
“It was a respectable performance, what they did in the Bernabéu. That was a record for [Real] to concede six, but every game is different. There will be different circumstances in tomorrow's game. This is a team that is able to score. They have done it almost without exception in the games until last week. Having scored six, that gives them a tremendous boost, but every game is different. I think it will be different tomorrow as well.”
Source:The times