Chelsea stars are not just auditioning for Antonio Conte, says Guus Hiddink"

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has advised his players that while Antonio Conte’s arrival will leave the squad competing to make strong first impressions, they must not lose sight of the needs of the collective and ensure they perform for the team.

The Blues have looked a lot more solid and well-rounded since Hiddink’s arrival at Stamford Bridge, going on a run of 15 games unbeaten in the league.

This was brought to a halt at the weekend, however, as Swansea City continued their rise away from relegation trouble with a 1-0 win on Saturday.

Hiddink clearly was not pleased with his players, who now sit four points behind Liverpool, who have a game in hand, as their slim chances of finishing in a Europa League spot have quickly faded.

Last week, Antonio Conte was announced as the next manager to take over at the club in the summer, and Hiddink has warned the players that they’re fighting now to convince the incoming boss they are worth his time.

“It is a clean slate, everyone has to fight for his position with the new manager coming in of course,” Hiddink told reporters.

Hiddink also admitted that while Conte’s arrival has a huge bearing on their futures at the club, the first-team players must continue to fight and show determination for the club they are representing.

“There is that, but when you play at Chelsea you must always be proud and play with internal motivation,” he added. “If you play only with external motivation, worrying about material things or your position, you are slipping away.

“The intrinsic motivation is a condition that has to be there if you are to say a player is suitable for a big club. I said after beating Villa we will see what the players can do in bigger games. This was a bigger game because of the importance to Swansea.”

Chelsea are currently sat in 10th place in the Premier League and six points from seventh, a position that could be a route into the Europa League via the third qualifying round.