It hasn’t taken long for the Hiddink rumours to start.

Although the smart money appears to say that Guus Hiddink is Chelsea bound for the 2010/11 season as technical director, he has some space in his calendar before then.

The friendship developed with Roman Abramovic may well see him back in London but surely a boss of Hiddink’s calibre should be at the World Cup, especially as he has cultivated a reputation as a trouble shooter who can work wonders with limited resources.

There is an argument that if he can do that with Australia and South Korea, what could he do with a major nation?

Obviously Guus has controlled the Dutch national team but there is always internal politics to deal with from that squad. The world may just get to see what Guus can do if Argentina follow up their interest.

Maradona has been banned from all football activity for a period of two months but there are concerns over whether he is the man to lead Argentina to the World Cup?

A squad containing Messi, Tevez, Higuain, Heinze, Mascherano and Aimar should not be struggling in the manner that they are.

National hero he may be but the greatest players don’t necessarily make the best coaches and Diego is likely to be out-thought in the tighter matches in South Africa.

It makes perfect sense for Diego to bow out, he will remain the peoples champion who guided the nation to the World Cup but can rightfully step aside to allow an experienced boss take control and hopefully guide the team to glory.

Maradona could even remain in post but work alongside Hiddink, hopefully capturing the blend of enthusiasm and tactical awareness which could make all the difference at a major tournament.

Thanks to dedo2083

These partnerships don’t always work out but an Argentina with Maradona and Hiddink at the helm would be far more dangerous than a Diego led team. As for Hiddink’s initial thoughts on the role, he answered;

“We know each other well. It even makes me smile thinking about it.”

There is the small nature of a contrct with the Russian Footbll Federation to negotiate but the race for Hiddink is definitely on.

Who do you think Guus should manage at the 2010 World Cup?

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The excitement of the play-offs means that there is a lot for any football fan to keep their eye on.

Algeria and Greece got the party started by triumphing in the two early kick-offs but the three remaining European play-offs were kicking off around the same time, causing armchair fans to flick between the three games.

Slovenia, although defeated in Russia in the first leg, gained a psychological advantage by notching an away goal in the dying minutes on Saturday, Turning a 2-0 loss into a 2-1 defeat makes a huge difference in the two-legged system and so it proved in Slovenia.

Within half an hour Dedic did just about enough to prod the ball home and suddenly, Slovenia were in the driving seat. The aggregate score was tied at 2-2 but that late goal in Russia proved to be the difference between the teams.

At half-time, many were predicting that Guus Hiddink would be able to revitalise his Russian team but Slovenia were never troubled too much.

A red card for substitute Alexander Kerzhakov seemed to place the final nail in Russia’s coffin and Slovenia saw the remainder of the game in relative comfort, even more so after the Russians slipped to 9 men.

Even though one Russian goal would have changed it all, it never materialised and Slovenian fans will be celebrating long into the night and excitedly looking for ways to get to South Africa.

The outcome of the Portugal and Bosnia and Herzegovina match may have been less exciting but don’t tell that to the Portuguese fans.

A poor qualifying campaign saw many people write off the Portuguese and a slim 1-0 lead was not going to be an insurmountable challenge to the Bosnian and Herzegovina unit.

It was 0-0 at half time but not too long into the second half, Meireles struck to give Portugal a 2-0 lead and place them on relatively easy street.

This away strike was crucial as it meant the Portuguese would need to ship three goals to be denied of their trip to South Africa and this never looked like happening.

Sighs of relief in Madrid and Fifa headquarters will be heard at the fact that Ronaldo will be present at the World Cup but for now, fans of Portugal and Slovenia will just want to celebrate.

The final list of teams for next summers World Cup is nearly complete.

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