Guus Hiddink reckons the level of Football in English Premiership is not the same as it was when he was into his first stint as the manager of Chelsea.
Hiddink had had a short stint at Chelsea a few years back.
According to him, at that time, the competition was used to be amongst the top 4 or 5 teams and the rest of the teams were not able to put up that much of a fight, but, what he is seeing this time around is that it has got much tighter and the minnows have also started winning games on a consistent basis.
Hiddink was quoted as saying, “I can see the Football in England is more intense now than before and you can’t take anyone for granted. “
“The teams who would always be around bottom 3 in the past are in the top half of the table these days because they are playing quality Football.”
“And, the fact that they have grown in quality and have fetched good results, it is now allowing them to lure top players in the world to join in.”
Hiddink, who is not the permanent boss of Chelsea this time around either and is at Stamford only on an interim basis just like it was the case with him in 2009, dropped hints that he would be looking to give opportunities to the youngsters in Chelsea Academy to play in the top tier, but, only if he feels they are good enough to take the pressure.
In the words of Hiddink, “Look, there are no guarantees, but, if somebody has got the talent and deserves a chance, I will try and get him to play.”
“Premier League is not easy for you if you are a youngster just for the sheer pressure that is there.”