Lack of wins makes extended Chelsea stay for Hiddink unlikely

Guus Hiddink’s short reign at Chelsea may have steadied the ship in terms of minimising losses, but the lack of wins under the Dutchman can only be a worry for Blues fans.

Wednesday night’s goalless draw away at Watford was the fifth under Hiddink’s leadership, an outcome that is becoming far too familiar.

Since he took over, the former Holland boss has led the champions to just two Premier League victories from seven matches.

He may be unbeaten in that time, but such a poor win ratio will do nothing but harm his chances of being in charge next season.

Indeed, Hiddink has gone from 4/1 three weeks ago to 12/1 to be the man in the Stamford Bridge dug-out at the start of the 2016-17 campaign and it’s easy to see why.

His return of 11 points from seven games in the league is just three more than the team picked up at the start of the season under Jose Mourinho – their worst start to a Premier League campaign.

The disguise offered by an unbeaten run provides Hiddink with solace from any kind of mass hysteria about the side’s form, but in truth, results still aren’t as they should be with the squad they have at their disposal.

The west London side are still four points away from even breaking into the top 10, and while any relegation fears have been somewhat put to bed, their fans would hope to be more than eight points above the drop-zone at this stage of the season.

To be fair to Hiddink, while Chelsea are playing better football under his tutelage, there is still plenty of improvement to be expected from his team of megastars.

Diego Costa continues to irritate, but has failed to find his goalscoring prowess that made him a joy to watch last season.

The booking that he earned with his tussle with Watford’s Juan Carlos Paredes on Wednesday means he now has just one less caution this season than league goals.

Eden Hazard’s form this season has failed to improve, with a bench role greeting him at Vicarage Road, while the moments of magic from the likes of Oscar and Willian have been far more scarce than they were last season.

The focus may well have been turned from the Premier League to the FA Cup and the Champions League in the latter stages of the season, but that doesn’t excuse a bottom half finish.

Hiddink’s contract may only run until the summer, but with 2/1 favourite Jorge Sampaoli waiting in the wings, failure to turn more draws into wins makes an extended stay in the capital far less likely.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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