Interim Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has talked up the importance of John Obi Mikel to the team following his performance against Crystal Palace this afternoon.
Mikel was chosen ahead of Nemanja Matic to partner Cesc Fabregas in the middle of the park, and the Nigerian went on to put in an impressive display to help the Blues to a 3-0 victory at Selhurst Park.
Hiddink also regularly used Mikel during his first stint in charge, and believes that the defensive midfielder will be a "key figure" in helping his side recover from a poor start to the campaign.
"He played very well but also in the previous game. He's the ideal player in my option to bring balance to the team," the Dutchman told reporters.
"If the team is not willing to defend well, or hasn't got the right balance, then you'll concede a lot of goals. I think John Obi can be one of the key figures in bringing back that balance. On this podium very talented players can explore their qualities.
"He can recover his radar, he reads the game very well, he knows where the strength of the opponent is and knows how to combat that. He has very good sense, he doesn't do it in a brutal way, he's very elegant. Someone who can defend so smoothly is very beautiful. I don't expect the decisive final pass from him - he can, but he can also let the other players [play]."
Hiddink has now lost just one of his 25 matches in charge of Chelsea over two spells.
Barney Corkhill
