Home comforts: Guus Hiddink wants Chelsea to make Stamford Bridge impenetrable again

Guus Hiddink says Chelsea’s slender hopes of challenging for a top-four finish in the Premier League hinge on them enjoying a perfect record at Stamford Bridge.

After dropping two points at home already this week in a 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion, Hiddink’s side have little margin for error ahead of Everton’s visit to west London on Saturday.

But Hiddink, the club’s interim manager, maintains that as long as there is a mathematical chance of claiming a place in next season’s Champions League, that will be the club’s target.

And the belief Hiddink might oversee a dramatic transformation in Chelsea’s fortunes during the second half of the season has been gathering pace during his first three weeks in charge.

Results have improved – Chelsea are undefeated in six games since Jose Mourinho was sacked before Christmas, five of those with Hiddink at the helm – and, more importantly, so too have performances.

But against West Brom the flaws that surfaced during their dismal first half of the season resurfaced, with Hiddink’s side guilty of conceding two sloppy goals and Diego Costa once again apparently intent on staging a running battle with his opponents.

READ > Diego Costa strikes as Chelsea cruise to 2-0 win against third-tier Scunthorpe in FA Cup

If they are to recover and beat Roberto Martinez’s Everton, Chelsea must demonstrate more steel to match the enterprise they occasionally showed going forward against West Brom, even with Eden Hazard still sidelined with a groin injury.