Chelsea interim coach, Guus Hiddink, has hailed the influence of Nigeria international John Obi Mikel in his side&rsquo;s 3-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.<br /><br />The defensive midfielder has been enjoying a new lease of life since the arrival of the Dutchman at Stamford Bridge and has started the last two matches contested by the champions.<br /><br /><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1">&ldquo;He played very well as he also did in the previous games. He&rsquo;s the ideal player in my option to bring balance to the team, </span></span></span><br /><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1">&rdquo; said </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1">Hiddink.<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1">&ldquo;</span></span></span>If the team is not willing to defend well or have the right balance then you concede a lot of goals. <br /><br /></span></span></span><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1">&ldquo;</span></span></span>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.</span></span></span><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1">&rdquo;<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Hiddink continued : </span></span></span><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1">&ldquo;</span></span></span></span></span></span>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. <br /><br /></span></span></span><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1">&ldquo;</span></span></span></span></span></span>He has a very good eye, a very good nose, and a very good sense of where to recover.</span></span></span><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1"><span class="body1">&rdquo;<br /><br />Mikel, 28, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> lasted the distance in both games against Manchester United and Crystal Palace and assisted goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois keep two clean sheets.<br />