Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink challenged his wards to end the season with "responsibility
and pride" after Everton ended the Blues' last hope of silverware in
Saturday's FA Cup quarterfinal at Goodison Park.
Insult was added to injury for Hiddink when Diego Costa was sent off after the last in a series of altercations with Gareth Barry, and the Spain international may face further action if the Football Association decides he bit the Everton midfielder.
Asked what the mood in the Chelsea dressing room was after the loss,
Hiddink replied: "Of course they like to win and most of them are used
to winning, but everyone knows the season of Chelsea which was until
December very, very bad.
"It's difficult to achieve the Champions League [qualification] and
maintain two roads to success which were the Champions League and the FA
Cup.
"They are gone now and that's a pity, but when you play in a big club
like Chelsea -- and we will emphasise this to the players in the
upcoming time -- you must also play with responsibility and pride even
if the season is as it is now.
"First we'll let them have a big rest. I don't think you can
underestimate that we played in the Champions League and then two days
later an intensive game here. It's not a complaint but they had prepared
for one week and that was the advantage in the last 15 minutes of the
game.
"One day more rest favoured by the FA would have been good for us,
but it is like it is. TV is demanding, sometimes against the health of
players."
When pressed on whether he would classify his second spell at Chelsea
as a success or failure, Hiddink continued: "Success is playing a final
and winning a final, but you must be realistic also.
"This year it's not just from December, it's a whole year that has
created an atmosphere where it's difficult to go fresh for the prizes.
We tried to, the team responded but the fact is that success is winning
the FA Cup or Champions League.
"But I'm happy with what we managed to do because in December people
[inside the club] were sweating and you never know in the Premier League
where you can go.
Saturday, 12 March 2016
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