MX23RW : Friday, January 31 02:59:22| >> :120:31105:31105:

Chelsea's John Obi Mikel: 'Guus Hiddink has given us freedom to play'

John Obi Mikel says that Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink allows the team to play with freedom.

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has praised interim manager Guus Hiddink for allowing the team to play with freedom.

The Blues went on an 11-match unbeaten run after Hiddink was installed at Stamford Bridge as a temporary replacement for Jose Mourinho in December.

The run came to an end on Tuesday night when Paris Saint-Germain sealed a 2-1 win over the Blues in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League meeting at Parc des Princes.

Mikel, who replaced Nemanja Matic in the team, scored a crucial away goal ahead of the second leg at Stamford Bridge, which will take place on March 9.

"Guus has come in again and settled things," The Telegraph quotes Mikel as saying. "Players feel free to play and free to have responsibility and thrive on responsibility, but do it in a very relaxed way, which is sometimes what players need. Guus has come in and done that. We're picking up results in the League and we're very much in this tie.

"We've been through a difficult period, no doubt about it, but Guus has come in and settled the ship and now we're picking up results, and doing really well back home in the league. This was the first game under Guus in the Champions League and we're still very much alive."

In the league, Chelsea are currently 12th in the table.

ID:266603: cacheID:266603:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2532:
Written by
Danielle Joynson
Restore Data
Share this article now:
John Obi Mikel is congratulated by teammates after scoring during the Champions League encounter between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea on February 16, 2016
Read Next:
Hiddink "relatively happy" despite defeat
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool22165154213353
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2313553327644
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23125641271441
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth23117541261540
8Aston Villa2310763435-137
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2381053531434
10Fulham238963431333
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
16Everton225891928-923
17Leicester CityLeicester2345142549-2417
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2344153252-2016
19Ipswich TownIpswich2337132147-2616
20Southampton2313191653-376


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!