The Dutchman officially begins work with the London club today, combining the role with his duties as Russia coach until the end of the season.

One of his key tasks will be to get the best out of £24million striker Drogba, who has struggled for form and fitness this season and was a peripheral figure in the team under Luiz Felipe Scolari, who was sacked a week ago today.

The Ivorian has been dogged by injury problems so far this season but when asked whether he could get back to his best, he said: "I hope so. When you are sidelined for four months like I was, and then you return and get injured again, it isn't easy.

"The important thing for me now is simply to be on the pitch. It is up to me to show that I deserve to be on the pitch. I hadn't lost my instincts, I just lacked matches.

"If you want to improve your condition, it is better to be on the pitch. Training is all well and good but playing for 90 minutes is better."

Scolari tended to operate with a lone striker but Drogba admits the pressure is now on him and Nicolas Anelka to prove they can work as an attacking partnership.

The early signs were good, with Drogba playing alongside Anelka in the FA Cup win over Watford in which the Frenchman scored a hat-trick.

"There is something between us," Drogba told French sports newspaper L'Equipe.

"We are both quite intelligent players who know how to play together and create spaces for one another.

"It is a long time since he scored and then he scores three, three real striker's goals. I hope that will provide him with a boost, because the team needs him."

Anelka even suggested today that he and Drogba could have saved Scolari's job had the Brazilian played them in tandem.

"Of course we can work as a partnership for Chelsea," Anelka said.

"I have said it before and so has Didier but Scolari never tried playing us together.

"It was me scoring this time, but it might be Didier next time. That's good for Chelsea."

Midfielder Frank Lampard, meanwhile, believes Hiddink's arrival at Stamford Bridge has already started to have an impact, even though he has yet to take charge of a match.

He was in the stands for the 3-1 win over Watford and will be in the dugout for the first time for the visit to Aston Villa on Saturday.

But England star Lampard believes the playing squad are already raising their games.

He told www.chelseafc.com: "He has cast his eye over training and the game and you can see a little lift in the lads trying to impress him, which always happens when a new manager comes in.

"I think he will be happy with the desire and spirit we showed at 1-0 down (against Watford) and some of the football we played on a difficult pitch was good. I am sure he is looking forward to working with us.

"I think I will enjoy working with him because we all know him as a manager, we know what he did before with other teams. We look forward to working with him."

Hiddink insisted when he arrived in London that the title was not out of Chelsea's reach despite falling far off the pace set by Manchester United, and Lampard has echoed those sentiments.

He added: "Aston Villa is massive because they are in front of us (in the Premier League).

"To still be in the chase we have to win the game.

"It is going to be tough but we have a lot of big players, a strong team and we can do it."