Guus Hiddink is still active in football despite speculation that he has retired from the sport. Photo: Getty Images/Photo Prestige
Guus Hiddink knows Chelsea. The crisis is better than anyone, but now with Frank Lampard back at the helm, the Dutchman is finally liking what he sees. So much so that Hiddink, who was Roman Abramovich's chief firefighter twice, is arguing for Lampard to be the club's new permanent manager.
«Honestly, I wish he wasn't seen as just an interim coach,” he told Telegraph Sport. «But also to get the confidence to continue the project next season.»
Hiddink's unexpected intervention is a serious statement of faith, though not one that seems to be shared by all. Lampard's second coming, which will begin with a visit to Wolverhampton on Saturday, has certainly raised eyebrows. Few seem to believe he will remain at the helm, even if Lampard himself said it could be at his opening on Thursday.
However, Hiddink insists that Lampard's exposure to West London club is more than just nostalgia. He says it's time to re-adopt Frankball.
«He knows the club like no other and it's important to keep things consistent,» Hiddink continues. “Like everyone else, Lampard will need time. Chelsea have invested a lot of money, but now they have to adapt to the idea.»
Critics point out that Lampard has done little to justify replacing Graham Potter, who was sacked on Sunday, especially given his previous spell at the club ended with dismissal in January 2021. But Hiddink has another answer to those doubters.
— When was it, before the arrival of Todd Pain? he adds, referring to Lampard's first spell. “Perhaps it was too early to take on such a big responsibility. He just started his coaching career and now he has more experience, he is bigger and better prepared. Let it work! I know him and I think he's the right person.»
'Frank can win the Champions League and lead the new Chelsea'
Hiddink and Lampard, of course, go far into the past. It was 2009 when the Dutchman, then Russian manager, first faced Lampard when he took over the reins at Stamford Bridge. It was his first operation to clean up Abramovich since Luis Felipe Scolari's doomed reign.
An FA Cup triumph and Champions League win saw the Dutchman push for him to stay — «almost perfect six months,” recalls Hiddink, “but he decided to return to Russia.
Maybe then cup glory is Lampard's way to work at Chelsea. A European quarter-final against Real Madrid is coming up and Hiddink sees no reason why Lampard can't win the biggest prize in club football. «He has a chance to do something beautiful at the end of the Champions League season,» adds Hiddink. «And I think he could be the man to lead the new Chelsea.
Some players and managers echo each other, and Lampard has clearly impressed Hiddink, now one of Europe's greatest 70s. “I have very good memories of Frankie,” Hiddink recalls in an interview with Telegraph Sport from his home in Amsterdam. “He was a fantastic guy in the dressing room. Like a footballer, an old linebacker. Strong, smart and dangerous on the pitch.
Guus Hiddink and Frank Lampard at the Chelsea training ground, 2009. Credit: Getty Images/Christopher Lee
“He has always been a positive contributor to the group. Don't yell, don't overact, but always compete and push your teammates to do their best. I really liked him. What I liked about Lampard is that sometimes I had to leave him on the bench or replace him, and he never gave me a bad face. He always made my decisions. He never complained and always helped. After a brilliant career, it was clear to me that he would become a manager.”
Perhaps, like Lampard in 2023, Hiddink in the 2010s still had unfinished business with Chelsea.
His second spell in 2015 was less successful. Although «it was another good period», he recalls, one night in his two jobs still defines modern Chelsea: that frenetic defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals in 2009.
A series of speeches from referee Tom Henning Ovrebo doomed them to defeat on away goals, and footage of Didier Drogba yelling at the camera seems as raw today as it was 14 years ago.
“Anyone who views the images will see that we were not given at least two fines,” recalls Hiddink. This is clearly a result that is still annoying. «I didn't have time to talk to him after the game, but I gave him the game DVD and said, 'Watch it again, especially the second half.'
Guus Hiddink holds back an angry Didier Drogba in the 2009 Champions League semi-finals. Photo: PA/Sky Sports. now 76, declining. He announced his resignation as manager two years ago. So what does it feel like to be kicked out to pasture?
«Miserable!» Hiddink laughs, although he is keen to correct the misconception that he will end at the top of football. “I don’t go to the training ground every day and people think that I am completely retired, which is not entirely true. I still play football, participate in several conferences in the Dutch league, advise managers and am the president of the Dutch coaches' association.
Once a footballer, always a footballer. He even manages to play two games a week. “Little rondo with friends: six players against two in the center trying to steal the ball. It's fun and keeps us active. We are still in good shape, although I recently had surgery and I am 76 years old.”
Then back to Lampard and the couple are still in touch. Hiddink had previously been invited by his former charge to visit him in London, so is a reunion at Stamford Bridge planned? “I am sure that I will do it soon. I love him very much, I hope he gets Chelsea out of this predicament and gets them back to where they deserve to be.»
When he returns, he will most likely be received warmly.
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