INNOCENT ... Michael Ballack
Brazilian Big Phil was dramatically axed last week —
and immediately claimed he had been betrayed by three senior Blues
players. Midfielder Ballack was one of the accused — alongside
keeper Petr Cech and hitman Didier Drogba.
But on the day that his caretaker replacement Guus
Hiddink took charge of his first Chelsea training session, Ballack
sought to set the record straight — and declare his admiration for
the new gaffer!
Ballack revealed it was normal for Chelsea players to
speak with Abramovich but insisted: “I was surprised when I heard
about what I was supposed to have done. “I always had a lot of good
words about Scolari. “But it is normal in a club for players to
speak with directors.
“If people speak with each other, even if you don’t
have the success you want, it happens. “It happened under other
coaches at Chelsea. It’s normal as Roman comes in the dressing room
and speaks with players.”
Ballack insists he had no problem with Scolari but
agreed there had been difficulties understanding what the Brazilian
was trying to say. Scolari’s pidgin English was a barrier, though.
Ballack revealed:
“Scolari was a great coach. Sometimes the language was
not a problem though sometimes I felt he wanted to explain much
more than he could with his language. “He put a lot of effort in
the team. Sometimes if you don’t win, it’s not an easy situation
for everybody. We didn’t get the results.”
By comparison, Hiddink’s English is near-perfect. He
also has the full backing of Ballack, despite the fact the
Dutchman’s presence conjures up a ghost from the past the German
would rather forget.
The most bitter-sweet memory of Ballack’s career came
when Germany were playing Hiddink’s South Korea side. Guiding the
tournament co-hosts to the World Cup semi-finals in 2002 is
arguably Hiddink’s greatest achievement. But for Ballack, what
happened when the sides met for a place in the final was probably
his most painful moment in football.
Ballack picked up a booking during the match and knew
it ruled him out of the final if Germany got there. Then, with 15
minutes of the match left, he scored the goal which ensured he
would suffer the agony of missing out.
At the time he said: “When the dream of playing in the
World Cup final is destroyed, it is the most bitter pill for a
footballer to swallow.”
Now managed by the man whose team he faced that day,
Ballack is looking forward to being on the same side as Hiddink for
a change.
AXED ... Phil Scolari got Chelsea boot last
week
Meanwhile, Carlos Queiroz insists he does not
fear for his job as coach of Portugal now Scolari is back on the
market.
Big Phil was a national hero in Portugal after guiding
them to the final of Euro 2004 and already there are calls for him
to return. But former Manchester United assistant boss Queiroz is
adamant he won’t step aside and doesn’t feel under
pressure.
He said: “The fact that Scolari is back in the market
doesn’t worry me. “I am not under pressure because of this — the
only pressure is to get the right results for the Portuguese
team.”
Queiroz, however, has blasted Chelsea for the way they
dumped Scolari after only seven months at Stamford Bridge. The
former Real Madrid gaffer said: “For me, it was a surprise but in
recent times too many coaches are being sacked in
England.
“It is regrettable that after only seven months a coach
has to leave his post. “But in England it’s becoming normal — and
it’s bad news for football.”
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