John Mikel Obi

Taiwo Adelu

Dutch Coach of Chelsea FC, Guus Hiddink has revealed the qualities Nigerian John Mikel Obi possessed which a good coach should not take with kids glove.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria player, Mikel, played well in central midfield as the Blues beat Cystal Palace 3-0 in an away game in Sunday’s English Premier League match.

Hiddink

Mikel put in a decent performance for Stamford Bridge warlords to secure their first victory under Hiddink to move six points clear of the relegation zone with a deserved win at Crystal Palace.

Hiddink told the club’s website after the crucial match what the Nigerian 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,” said Hiddink of Mikel’s secret qualities which he explored to the fullest against Palace.