Hiddink could be the Golden Guus to rescue Liverpool - Martin Lipton's big lunchtime read

By Martin Lipton in Laptop with Martin Lipton

Published 12:13 15/01/10

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He was the Golden Guus at Chelsea, the man who rescued a campaign the Blues board feared would end with the club being outside the top five.

Now, it seems Guus Hiddink wants to stage a repeat performance at Liverpool.

And while the Anfield board reiterates its support for Rafa Benitez, you sense that more than a few Kopites would not be devastated to see the big Dutchman coming to the rescue.

While Hiddink remains under contract with Russia, and has the option to extend, those close to him insist that he has tired of commuting between Amsterdam and Moscow and would relish the chance to return to club football.

One option, and likely to be available within weeks, is at Juventus, where Ciro Ferrara is hanging on by his fingernails.

But after loving his time in England last season, the appeal of the Premier League might well outweigh that of Serie A.

Only last month, Hiddink thought long and hard about the offer from Manchester City, before declining the chance to replace Mark Hughes, swiftly taken instead by Roberto Mancini.

Liverpool, though, are a different case, and particularly because Anfield itself has a special resonance for Hiddink.

As he recalled before leading Chelsea to a momentous Champions League victory there last term, the night when the Blues re-found their spirit and sense of purpose, Holland's Euro 96 play-off win over the Republic of Ireland also came there, a night when he blooded Edgar Davids and was rewarded handsomely.

That evening has left an indelible impression on Hiddink and as a student of football, who knows about the historical importance of certain clubs, the idea of becoming - even on a temporary basis - the manager of Liverpool would mean a great deal.

The big question, the one the Liverpool board must be asking despite their vows of fidelity towards Benitez, is whether a change of management would bring a change of form as well.

But the evidence from last season at Chelsea is that Hiddink has what it takes to make players believe - first in the manager and then in themselves.

On his first day, he called the Chelsea players together in the dressing room to tell them there was a clean slate but that they all had to show they were ready to work for the club.

Didier Drogba and Petr Cech, blamed by Luis Felipe Scolari for forcing him out - nothing to do with results, then - were explicitly told that applied to them as well, as Hiddink realised that the key to harmony was healing any rifts.

A much tougher fitness regime was also introduced, with the Dutchman recognising that the Premier League requires more effort and energy than any comparative competition but with the mood music much more serene, he could get down to his job.

It was a simple solution. First, get the defence more organised, working out the set-piece problems - any similarities with Benitez and his preference for zonal marking? - that had eaten away at back four belief.

Then ensure the shape was the one the players felt most comfortable with, rather than flirting with finding a way to integrate Deco.

Back to basics, as it were, more than one leaf taken out of the Jose Mourinho play-book, but with a light-hearted training ground mood as an accompaniment to the demands for more personal discipline.

And only then, when a series of 1-0 wins stopped the fall and started to turn ambitions back round again, was it time for Hiddink to adopt a more attack-minded approach.

The results and rewards were obvious, just one defeat in their 22 games under the Dutchman.

Scolari's side would probably not have beaten Juventus, certainly not been good enough against Liverpool and would have been obliterated by the Barcelona side Hiddink's men will swear to their dying days they beat over two very different legs in the semi-final.

Third place, but within a few points of the top rather than the fifth or sixth the board were fearing and an FA Cup final victory to cap it off.

With only the League - and the Europa League - left to play for, Hiddink could not match those achievements at Liverpool.

Realistically, too, he would have nowhere near the same hand to play.

No matter who is in charge, it will not bring Fernando Torres back until the middle of March, not magic away the problems being carried by Steven Gerrard, Yossi Benayoun, Javier Mascherano and Glen Johnson.

But Hiddink would arrive with a breath of fresh air, with a degree of certainty in himself that would, by his very nature, carry the players with him.

And unlike this time last year, when he was only ever going to stay to the end of the season, this time Hiddink could begin to build the foundations for something he himself could build on in the future.

With Hiddink available, Benitez is that much more vulnerable. But it depends on what the Liverpool board feel is the best for the club.

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