adminLONDON. – Chelsea’s first-team coach Steve Holland backed Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa to win back the club’s supporters after they were booed during the 3-1 English Premier League win over Sunderland.
Fans of the West London club jeered the pair as their names were read out before Saturday’s game on the PA system and then when they were substituted towards the end of the match.
They also repeatedly chanted in support of the sacked Jose Mourinho, who has been replaced on an interim basis by Guus Hiddink, and unveiled a banner saying: “You let Jose down, you let us down.”
“I told the players whatever their feelings were regarding the situation, they had a responsibility to the football club and the supporters,” said Holland, who took charge of the team with Hiddink watching from the stands.
“We have quality players and they care. I’m not a social media guy so I’m not sure of the exact reasons, but clearly the supporters have a right to voice their opinion. I’m happy to park this and move on.
“I’ve not spoken to those players. From my point of view I was happy with their contribution to this game and applauded them. If the players compete like they did today (Saturday), there will be no reason why the supporters won’t be happy with that.”
Goals from Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro Rodriguez and Oscar, with a penalty, saw Chelsea end a three-game winless league run against the backdrop of a peculiar atmosphere. Holland believes that Mourinho will be back in management before the end of the season after the Portuguese expressed eagerness to return to work in a statement released by his agents.
“I think he will be back before the end of the season,” said the former Crewe Alexandra manager. Big clubs will want him and I think he is someone who needs and wants football. He is not someone who will spend six, seven, eight months doing nothing in particular.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea have been in talks with Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone for the past month after targeting the Argentinian as Jose Mourinho’s successor.
Former Holland boss Hiddink has agreed to become Stamford Bridge interim manager for the second time while owner Roman Abramovich plans for the long-term future.
Abramovich knows that any move for much wanted man, Pep Guardiola, is doomed to failure with Manchester City well down the path to appointing the Bayern Munich boss in the summer.
The Russian oligarch has already suffered one failure in his attempt to bring Guardiola to West London when it became known the Spaniard was leaving Barcelona.
He doesn’t want to be faced with another high-profile snub and so has switched his attention to 45-year-old Simeone who has enjoyed four impressed years at Atletico winning La Liga, the Europa League and reaching the final of the Champions League.
An emotional character on the touchline, Chelsea believe that Simeone will immediately engage with the Stamford Bridge fans, many of whom are angry with Mourinho’s sacking.
Simeone, who doesn’t speak English, is understood to be excited at the prospect of managing in the Premier League having already made the decision to listen to offers at the end of the season, believing his time with Atletico is up. Chelsea started checking on Simeone’s availability around the time of the November international break as the season under Mourinho unravelled at a frightening rate.
Ideally, they were hoping that Mourinho would be able to steady the ship until the end of the season when the Chelsea board would act. But as the friction between Mourinho and some of his players grew leading to straight Premier League defeats against Bournemouth and Leicester, Abramovich brought forward the parting of the ways.
Manchester City will continue to try and set up their dream appointment of Guardiola with the Etihad’s two Spaniards and former Barcelona colleagues, chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football, Txiki Begiristain, making it their obsession.
Current boss Manuel Pellegrini is being kept in the loop insisting when asked about any managerial change: “I will be the first to know.”- AFP/ The Daily Express.
Online Reporter