Chelsea boss hails Mikel

Chelsea boss, Guus Hiddink has hailed Nigerian star, John Mikel Obi describing him as the ideal player to bring balance to the team, after the Blues secured a deserving 3-0 at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Chelsea’s Obi Mikel, Willian, Zouma and Ivanovic applaud fans at the end of the match. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Hiddink acknowledged his team’s ability on the ball as well as the hard work they displayed in south London, stressing we will only continue to pick up wins if we continue to marry those two different aspects of the game.

John Mikel Obi shone in central midfield and Hiddink explained what he adds to the team
‘He played very well as he also did in the previous games. He’s the ideal player in my option to bring balance to the team.

‘If the team is not willing to defend well or have the right balance then you concede a lot of goals. I thought John Obi can be one of the key figures in getting the balance back. On top of that the talented players can then explore their qualities.

‘He can recover the radar. He knows the game very well. He knows where the strength of the opponent is and he knows exactly how to cope with that. He has a very good eye, a very good nose, and a very good sense of where to recover.

‘He doesn’t do it in a very brutal way – he’s very, very elegant. What I like to see very much is not just a quality player but a player who can defend so smoothly. It’s beautiful to see. He doesn’t lose many balls, he’s good in short passing. I don’t expect and I don’t ask him to make the decisive final pass. He can but no, we let the other players do that.’