Hiddink thought about staying

Interim coach Guus Hiddink acknowledges there have been occasions when he wished he was staying on at Chelsea. But the Dutchman continues to insist that he will quit the Blues after the FA Cup final against Everton on 30 May. Hiddink will leave the Stamford Bridge hotseat and return to his full-time role as coach of the Russia national side as soon as the season is over.

The 62-year-old has transformed Chelsea's fortunes since he replaced sacked Luiz Felipe Scolari in February. He kept Chelsea in the title race until a few weeks before the end of the campaign and led them to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

He also piloted the Blues into the final of the FA Cup but, despite calls from players and fans to stay at the club, Hiddink is convinced he will leave in the summer. But when asked if he had ever thought about staying during his successful spell at Chelsea, he replied: "I love working here, but at the same time I know that my job in Russia is not done yet. I had that feeling that you're saying, but I don't have any regrets whatsoever to go where I am going to go in June.

"I came here to restore what was more or less, at the time, difficult - the fight for qualification for Champions League. That was my main aim, my target. I was not coming here to make friends," said Hiddink.

"I am proud to have worked here. This is a big club and I am happy that I could give my contribution," he said. "I always admire the clubs that have the standard of quality, not just in performances, but also how they cope with the fans and how they show themselves to the world of football and outside."

Hiddink is expected to make way for AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti. The former Holland coach believes communication could become a major issue if they appoint Ancelotti. Many of Chelsea's players failed to communicate properly with Brazilian coach Scolari, who struggled to get his points and tactics across clearly in English.

"It is important if someone is coming in and is not dominating totally the English way of communicating," added Hiddink.

"If a foreign manager is coming in and not completely controlling the English language, he can do that in limited time. Communication is important and he will be helped. But I think the manager who comes in will communicate rather easily," he said.

Rome final
Chelsea's exit to Barcelona in the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League still hurts the Dutchman and as a result, he has turned down television invitations to be a pundit in Rome on 27 May when the Spanish giants take on Manchester United.

"I will not go to the final for practical reasons, because we are preparing for the cup final," said Hiddink. "I have been asked by television to do it - to give some comments - but I won't do it because I don't have the feeling to be there to be honest.

"I think Manchester Untied are well equipped to win it because they have shown in this strong league that they can cope with the pressure," he added.

(Source : FIFA)