Guus Hiddink hailed John Mikel Obi after Chelsea’s 3-0 win at Crystal Palace.
Blues boss Hiddink left Nemanja Matic out of the starting line-up and showed faith in Mikel, who repaid him with an excellent performance.
“He played very well as he did in the previous games. He’s the ideal player to bring balance to the team,” said Hiddink.
“If the team is not willing to defend or doesn’t have the right balance then you concede a lot of goals.
“John Obi can be one of the key figures in getting the balance back. Talented players can then explore their qualities.
“He knows the game very well. He has a very good eye, a very good nose, and a very good sense of where to recover.
“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 and he’s good with short passing. I don’t ask him to make the decisive final pass – we let the other players do that.”
Cesc Fabregas, recalled to the side after recovering from illness, also impressed at Selhurst Park, where Oscar, Willian and Diego Costa scored.
“That’s the Fabregas we like to see. He performed as he can do,” said Hiddink.
This post was last modified on 04/01/2016