Hiddink hopes win over Tottenham can help Chelsea fans forgive club
Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink is hoping to make amends with the club's supporters over a miserable 2015-16 season with a gift of atonement in the form of a win over London rivals Tottenham.
The Blues, currently ninth in the league, host second-place Spurs at Stamford Bridge next Monday. With Leicester City still sitting pretty at the top of the table, Chelsea's embattled players have been presented with a chance to throw a huge wrench in Tottenham's title chase with a win.
"I can see now that the feelings about that are very strong, so I think there's a big chance," Hiddink said of earning fan forgiveness, according to ESPN FC. "I'm not a desperate man, but we're desperate in the good sense of the word to get this season done to Chelsea standard."
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Backup goalkeeper Asmir Begovic agreed with his coach's sentiments, adding that while he sympathizes with Spurs' title challenge, he also hopes his team offers "a big test" next Monday.
"I know the fans are desperate for us to beat Tottenham," Begovic said. "It's a huge game, titles or no titles. We're in a position where we can have an impact (on the title race) and we need to put in a good performance on Monday.
"We're definitely going to try and give it our best ... Spurs at home is a big game at any time of the year."