Bosingwa in line to mark Messi

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: JOSE BOSINGWA has been given the chance to stake his claim to confront Lionel Messi in next week's Champions League semi-final first leg against Barcelona after Guus Hiddink confirmed the Portugal international will play in the unfamiliar role of left back against West Ham United this afternoon.

Chelsea will be without the suspended Ashley Cole for the first game at Camp Nou and Hiddink is without natural cover at full back. Bosingwa, normally a right back, has had hamstring problems of late but, having missed six games, will return to the starting line-up today hoping to earn the chance to mark Messi on Tuesday.

“Bosingwa will start there,” said Hiddink, who was to inform the defender of his selection last night. “We have some options and we might even change it again during the game at West Ham but we do not have a natural replacement, so we have to improvise. I decided Bosingwa would play against West Ham the moment Ashley Cole was booked. If you know someone’s out you can start crying, saying, ‘He’s not here, so we’ll have a difficult time,‘ but I’d prefer to give full energy and confidence to the player who comes in for him.

“I won’t say he’ll definitely play on Tuesday – we’ll see how things go – but whoever plays against Messi has a tremendous job to do. He is one of the most productive players in the world when he’s performing. But Bosingwa is fit. He has done some rather tough practice this week and there has been no reaction. On the other side Branislav Ivanovic has done well at right back. He gives us strength and is determined. He knows what to do but, more importantly, he knows what not to do.”

Hiddink had already conceded there is little chance of Chelsea reclaiming the title this season following the midweek draw with Everton – a result that left the Londoners six points behind Manchester United, who still have a game in hand – and admitted the mood was “flat” after that result.

He will make “one or two other changes” to his line-up at Upton Park with the trip to Barcelona in mind. Many of the fringe players likely to be involved – Juliano Belletti and Mikel John Obi among them – are arguably playing for their futures at the club with new management, most likely Milan’s Carlo Ancelotti, to be appointed at the end of the season and likely to address the reality that this is an ageing squad.

“There are, in many clubs, some players who start playing very well in April and May because they know that, maybe, they are [playing for their futures],” added Hiddink. “All of a sudden you see players’ form comes up in these times. But generally speaking, even if players’ contracts are expiring, at a big club you must have this responsibility to deliver all the time.”

Steve Clarke, meanwhile, is convinced he could have stepped up to become the Chelsea manager but knew they would not put their faith in him. The club’s long-time number two, now at West Ham, said: “I think I could have been the manager there [at Chelsea] but I don’t think they would have offered me the chance. There was always the danger that I would be labelled as the number two at Chelsea. I could have stayed there for the next 10 years but I have ambitions so I felt I had to leave to try and further my career.”

GuardianService