Guss Hiddink: Chelsea players must look in the mirror

Guus Hiddink has told Chelsea's underperforming players to "look at themselves in the mirror" and be "ultra-critical" during his first news conference as interim manager.

The Dutchman, 69, the short-term replacement for Sacked Jose Mourinho, said he would have a "brief" chat with players who did not have desire.

Chelsea sit 15th in the Premier League, three points above the drop-zone.

Hiddink added that finishing fourth was still a "mathematical possibility."

The former Netherlands coach first managed the Blues on a temporary basis for the final three months of the 2008-09 campaign. He helped the London club win the FA Cup and took them to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

On getting the job:

"I shouldn't be here halfway through the season. It means things are not going well. But anyhow, I am glad to be back. It is a few years ago I was here in a similar situation.

"If you look back a bit to last season when there was this year of success, then you go into next season with targets and wins, which are the same: winning the title again. It is not easy after a championship. You relax as a team and get a wake-up call. It is not easy to say that I am here and the problem is solved.

Paying tribute to Mourinho:

"If you look at his record over the years it is amazing. There were many, many titles. But nevertheless things happen in football. People take decisions that they have taken and I come on when I am asked."