Guus Hiddink wants Chelsea players to enjoy their football
Saturday 20 February 2016 11:25, UK
Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink says he has encouraged his squad to enjoy their football since he took charge earlier this season.
The results of his approach have been positive so far, the Blues having gone on an unbeaten run following the dismissal of Jose Mourinho which only came to an end when they lost 2-1 at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
That was only the first leg of the tie, however, and Hiddink also has the Blues on the FA Cup trail - they are at home to Manchester City in a fifth-round tie on Sunday.
Hiddink won the trophy during his last spell in charge in 2009 and has once again restored stability at Stamford Bridge, after Mourinho's second stint ended with the club perched just above the drop zone.
And Hiddink says his method involves simply trying to create a pleasant working environment for his players.
"Deep down you must play with joy," said the veteran Dutch boss. "If you play with joy, then the best comes out of a player.
"Joy is not always laughing. It is enjoying being a professional, enjoying training and doing your job, which is sometimes tough.
"But if you enjoy it and if you do it, not all day smiling, but you feel a little bit natural, then I think the performance is unconditioned."
Hiddink added that, when he took over in December, he did not waste time dissecting the team's struggles earlier in the campaign.
"They came out of a very difficult situation in the last half year, we cannot deny that," he added.
"I did not want to note too much about the past, I wanted to go in the way to get the best out of the team, which is the way we did it.
Relaxed is when you [cross] your arms, the sun comes and you have your pina colada. That is relaxed. This is not relaxed.
"Relaxed is when you [cross] your arms, the sun comes and you have your pina colada. That is relaxed.
"This is not relaxed, this is trying to get the best out of the players. One player, you have to embrace. Another player, you have to pinch a bit.
"Everyone has his different approach, to get the best out of them, then add it to the team performance."
