Mikel admits atmosphere in Chelsea dressing room has improved since Mourinho's exit

SUPER Eagles midfielder Mikel Obi has confessed that the atmosphere at Chelsea is a lot more convivial following the exit of former manager Jose Mourinho and his replacement with Dutch coach Guus Hiddink.

 

Earlier this month, Mourinho was sacked after a string of poor result and Hiddink out in temporary charge until the end of the season. Since Mourinho's departure, Chelsea has enjoyed a mini revival, securing five points from their last three games and Mikel too has enjoyed a return to the side.

 

Relegated to a marginal figure under Mourinho, Mikel played the full 90 minutes in the 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday. According to Mikel, the atmosphere in the Chelsea dressing room has improved, just three games after the sacking of Mourinho.

 

According to Mikel the departure of Mourinho has resulted in an end to what technical director Michael Emenalo described as a palpable discord” between the former manager and his players. Under Mourinho, the players appeared lethargic and unwilling to play for the manager or fight to save his job when it was under threat.

 

Mikel said: “We’ve moved on from that and the atmosphere has improved since the change of manager. It’s fine now as we’ve just not been getting results.

 

"Jose is a fantastic manager and will always be a fantastic guy but sometimes football is a cruel game and you have to move on. Is it the right decision? Who knows? We’ll only see in the future.”

 

Mikel, who is hoping to establish himself as a Chelsea regular once more, is hoping to feature in Sunday's game against Crystal Palace. He will also be hoping to be called up by Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh for the African Nations Cup qualifiers which resume in the new year.