London - Guus Hiddink revealed his unlikely past as a judo practitioner on Monday by dissecting the bizarre touchline tumble taken by Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Manchester United boss Van Gaal, who learned the martial art as a school teacher in Holland, threw himself in front of the fourth official to protest against a dive during his team’s 3-2 win over Arsenal.
And Chelsea manager Hiddink admired his fellow Dutchman’s technique.
‘You could see that he has practice in judo by the way he fell down perfectly,’ joked Hiddink. ‘He went down very fluently. I also had some judo so I’m able to do so as well - but I wouldn’t do that!’
Ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Norwich tonight, Hiddink added that his players could learn from other physical sports and disciplines.
The 69-year-old introduced wrestling for the academy players at PSV Eindhoven and encourages older professionals to take up boxing or judo. ‘I didn’t have the black belt. I went almost to brown, which was quite high. If you had met me in the early days…
‘I don’t say you must be a wrestler on the pitch, but you have physical contact. If you do those exercises you get the feeling of balance, how you can fight in duels. That is very important.
‘I am strongly in favour of knowing how to fall when you are unbalanced. You are not afraid to fall (in judo). If you have that experience as a youngster, it will benefit you a lot.’
Hiddink has lost some of his fight in his later years. ‘I box with my partner now,’ he said. ‘She wins. I’m not joking!’
But the interim boss at Stamford Bridge enjoys seeing physicality from his players. ‘I like when they go on the edge,’ he said. ‘Not fighting, but resistance. In other clubs I made a combination of handball and rugby because in rugby you are entitled to grab and make a wrestling move.
‘The best players are also strong players. You don’t always have to be a big guy. Willian is not a big guy but he fights duels defensively.’
Meanwhile, Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 20, has signed a new contract which ties him to Stamford Bridge until 2021.
Daily Mail