LONDON -- Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink admits he has a
different view of how football should be played to Manchester United
boss Louis van Gaal and says that possession without ambition is not
acceptable in England.
Van Gaal leads United to Stamford Bridge on
Sunday under considerable pressure from his own supporters amid growing
disillusionment about the team's possession-focused style of play that
has yielded just 11 wins and 31 goals scored in 24 Premier League
matches this season.
Chelsea are nine matches unbeaten in all competitions since Hiddink took charge, though Watford held the Blues to a goalless draw at Vicarage Road on Wednesday night.
Asked
if he and Van Gaal differed on their view of how to play the game,
Hiddink replied: "There's a different approach and different view on the
game, and that's [the case] with more coaches.
"When
you just play possession in your back four with the goalie and you just
play wide, wide, wide, wide, without having any intention of going
vertical, then you say this is a country that doesn't allow that.
"I think the first thought must be vertical.
"You
must not overrate the percentage of possession. It's what you do with
the possession. Most teams want the ball but are you going to be secure
in your way of playing or you go as soon as possible into your attack?
The latter option I prefer."
Pressed on whether these comments
were a valid criticism of United's style, Hiddink added: "I don't know.
It's difficult for me to judge how they play. They like to see more play
in the box, but we had the same problem weeks ago."
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