Guus Hiddink has hailed John Mikel Obi as an ‘ideal player’ and a ‘smooth defender’ and the Dutchman has warned his flair players to do the dirty work in order to turn their horrendous season around.
Nigerian international Mikel was vital to the Blues’ 3-0 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday where the 28-year-old put in a much-needed defensive stability in the defending Barclays Premier League champions midfield.
“The very talented players, they start working also, to invest in the dirty work and not just the beautiful game they can play, because this league is very demanding,” Hiddink said after the game at Selhurst Park.
“And if you think you can do it just on your quality, what’s more given by talent than nature, then this league will kill you.
“He [Mikel Obi] played very well but also in the previous game. He’s the ideal player in my opinion to bring balance to the team.
“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 (do that), but he can also let the other players (play).”
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