AVB: I'm not worried about Hiddink
Published 14:28 18/11/11 By Martin Lipton
Andre Villas-Boas today insisted he is not concerned that Guus Hiddink is now back on the managerial market.
Dutchman Hiddink was parachuted into the Stamford Bridge hotseat in February 2009 when Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked after just seven months, rescuing a season which ended with an FA Cup Final triumph.
Defeat at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday - which would be their fourth out of 12 Premier League games - could see the Blues slip out of the top four.
But while Hiddink was sacked by Turkey this week after their Euro 2012 failure, Villas-Boas maintained he is not worried about the Chelsea hierarchy pushing the panic button.
Villas-Boas said: "I have no problem with what has happened with Guus.
"I have no idea if he still advises the club. Guus had a very important period in the club, not that Scolari didn't have an impact.
"Hiddink came on board and made the necessary changes to get to another Champions League semi-final, the the FA Cup and go 15 games with only one defeat.
"This was a good period for the club but it was only six months in the club. That doesn't mean he would always be successful in a club of this dimensions.
"He's a top manager. At the moment, there's no vacancy. I'm sure that, when there's a vacancy, he'll be in contention. But it's not my understanding that there is any thought of him coming back here."
Villas-Boas, who criticised both Sepp Blatter and former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet for their interventions into the racism debate, accepted Chelsea now face a make or break spell in their season.
After the game with Liverpool, the Blues face league clashes against Wolves, Newcastle and Manchester City as well as the final Champions League dates with Bayer Leverkusen and Valencia and the Carling Cup quarter-final meeting with the Merseysiders.
"It's a good period for the different competitions," said Villas-Boas, set to restore Fernando Torres up front.
"You can qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League while the Premier League can maybe start taking its pattern by the end of December.
"To be fair, it has taken different patterns from January onwards in the past, so it may not necessarily be a decisive December. But there's also a quarter-final in the Carling Cup with Liverpool, which gives us a chance to go into that competition next year.
"Chelsea's recovery last season was from February onwards. That must play a part.
"April, March and May are still tight in terms of calendar. All the top teams will most likely be involved in the Champions League, which can dictate tiredness or less response in terms of the Premier League.
"It's unpredictable - you know this - but it can set out a pattern. When you get past the halfway mark, you will see a pattern."
