
Guus
Hiddink has praised Chelsea captain John Terry's commitment and hinted he
should be given a new contract at the club.
Hiddink claims there are few differences between the Terry he coached at
Stamford Bridge in 2009 and the one he works with today.
The Dutchman highlighted the importance and influence of his skipper after
his last-gasp equaliser against Everton - which he admitted should have been
disallowed - rescued a point at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Chelsea have a policy of only offering 12-month contract extensions to
players over the age of 30 and Hiddink has intimated he will suggest to the
board that Terry should be handed another one-year deal after making his
700th appearance for the club against the Toffees.
Speaking about the 35-year-old, Hiddink told the club's official website:
"Not just with his equalising goal, but with his attitude and the actions he
did defensively and offensively. His commitment is huge for this team and
for the club.
"For me there's not much [difference] between John in 2009 and now. He's
fit, he trains well, he takes care of himself, takes a good rest, which you
have to do at that age. I cannot see that he is slowing down a bit.
"If I am asked [about a new contract for Terry] I will give my honest
opinion about that. If I say what I'm saying now, spontaneously out of my
heart, then you can imagine what I think."
Since his return to Chelsea, Hiddink has seen the influence of Terry on his
defensive partner Kurt Zouma, who has made 30 appearances for the Blues in
all competitions this season.
"Kurt is a very young player, not the type of leader John is yet after many,
many years with this huge experience. Kurt has a different way of playing,"
he said.
Chelsea face Arsenal on Sunday and, despite his praise for Terry, Hiddink
admitted his defence must improve, having conceded five goals in their
previous two games.
"We had a very busy schedule," Hiddink said. "We're going to have a little
bit of rest, to have them recovered, and then we slowly build up to the
Arsenal game. I think we will be fresh and I hope everyone is on board for
the next game."
He added: "We are unbeaten in the previous six games. It worries me a bit
that we are conceding those goals. We have to see where they come from and
we will do that very coldly, to analyse it without any emotion."