BY AYODELE ODUMADE

Chelsea Interim Coach, Guus Hiddink praised Nigerian International, John Mike Obi for his performances since he was appointed coach for a second time.  Mikel hardly got a look in under Mourinho this season but Hiddink has restored him into the team.  Mikel was pivotal to the team during Hiddink’s previous stint at Chelsea and it appears he is a player he fully trusts to get the team back to where they were.

 Speaking at the post match press conference after Chelsea’s victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, he said “He played very well today but also in previous games. He is my ideal player and option to bring balance in my team. I thought John Mikel was one of the key figures in getting back the balance. He can recover easily and he has got the eyes like a radar.” He went on further to say: “He knows where the strength of the opponent is.  He has very good eyes, very good nose and a very good sense to recover and he does not do it in a very brutal way.  He is one player who can defend smoothly and it is beautiful to see. He does not lose many balls and does short passing. Don’t expect him to get the final decisive pass. He can but…”

There has been speculation several times that Mikel’s time might be up at the Bridge, but it appears that the defensive midfielder might just have received a massive vote of confidence and a new lease of life.