We punch Costa to get him going
apologised for over-reacting. Then they looked at each other and started laughing.
‘Jokes were made afterwards and it is solved. If they have solved it in the way it has been done then there is no need for discipline. It was solved within seconds.’
Hiddink said that he wants his players to train at a high intensity and joked he would probably back Costa in a proper punch-up.
The Dutchman added: ‘If I had money on a fight — and I don’t because I am a volunteer here with all Chelsea’s big wage bill and everything — then in a physical fight, Diego looks the bigger bull.
‘I love them both, but Oscar might be a very fast, sneaky bull to make punches.
‘But when this guy (Costa) puts the emotion in, then automatically his level of play rises, and that is encouraging. So we try to “punch” him every now and then to get to this level.’ Costa and Oscar remain good friends and the native Brazilians even spent Thursday evening together.
Hiddink deliberately designed the session to ruffle a few feathers in the Chelsea squad, but admitted the players had lost their cool. He added: ‘We don’t want to have many repetitions of this. But when you go on the edge, within the rules, then there is no problem. ‘It is not intentionally provoked by us to have 10 or five-a-side and then say, “Hey guys, start fighting”, because then you damage the dressing room.
‘There was no punching and that was good. I like it more when I have to put the brake on and say, “Hey guys, come on, control the emotion”. I like it more when I have to be alert, but “Come on, guys please, this is not done at a big club, or any club”.’
Hiddink may decide not to risk Cesar Azpilicueta in tomorrow’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to Scunthorpe after the Chelsea defender suffered a fracture in his cheekbone in the 3-0 win at Crystal Palace last Sunday.
Hiddink added: ‘In the 18 there will be one or two young players in the squad but we don’t know yet. We have to see because there was also the little problem with Azpilicueta.
‘He has a little fracture in his jaw. He was kicked in the face at Crystal Palace and maybe he has to wear a mask. Maybe we will have two Zorros on Sunday with him and Matic.’
Chelsea also revealed yesterday that they have the biggest wage bill in the Barclays Premier League, despite the champions languishing in 14th place in the table.
Salaries at Stamford Bridge are up to a whopping £215.6million — ahead of Manchester United (£203m), Manchester City (£193.5m) and Arsenal (£192m).
GUUS HIDDINK has revealed Oscar and Diego Costa attacked each other ‘like two bulls’ after the pair were involved in a trainingground row. Chelsea’s interim coach admitted that the two players, who are close friends, lost the plot after Oscar’s challenge from behind provoked an angry response from the moody forward on Thursday. Hiddink said: ‘It was a pity that our photographer had a day off because he would have had some wonderful pictures of the two bulls after the charge from behind by the smaller bull Oscar. ‘Costa took a charge from behind and it was overdone, especially when you know it is Oscar. He got Diego and of course they scrambled and stood up, which is a normal reaction. They then chested each other a bit without the threat of punching. ‘I don’t like it when they hit each other but with the intensity of the training session, which was a very sharp session, it was on the edge. After that Oscar apologised in front of the group and Costa