Cole ban leaves Hiddink with a Messi problem
Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink faces a real headache ahead of the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Barcelona with no recognised left-back.
Ashley Cole picked up a yellow card against Liverpool meaning he misses the game in the Nou Camp due to the totting up process.
With Wayne Bridge sold to Manchester City in January and Paulo Ferriera sidelined with a knee injury, it means Hiddink has a serious problem with Lionel Messi.
"The left-back situation might cause problems but we have time to think how we might resolve it,'' said Hiddink. "Barcelona are a very advanced team with very skillful players. They know how to handle the pace. I like their philosophy of football.
"They sign players who are attractive to watch. They like to play advanced attacking football and it is difficult to play them because they are a top side.''
Hiddink admitted that there were times on Tuesday night that he feared Liverpool would pull off the impossible, so much so that there were angry words at half-time towards the players as the Blues trailed 2-0.
"We talked to them, my colleagues talked to them and sometimes you lose a bit of your temper,'' admitted Hiddink. "But they react and they also knew the first-half was not okay.
"But if you give a team like Liverpool too much space then you are in trouble. We were angry because we didn't start as we planned and we know Liverpool are a good team tactically with very skillful players.
"Tactically but also mentally we said to each other, that it was not the way we would start the second-half. That's why I like to work with this team, it reacts.
"We knew that we could score and happily we did rather early after the beginning of the second-half. But you cannot stay angry because then the anger becomes frustration.
"But this was one of those games where players have made a lot of errors. That's why it was very attractive - going from one goal to the other.''
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