Chelsea's John Obi Mikel: There was 'no way' I could succeed under Jose Mourinho - he lost faith in me

© Provided by Independent Print Limited

John Obi Mikel has claimed there was 'no way' he could succeed under former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho this season.
The 28-year-old made just five Premier League appearances in the early stages of the campaign
before Mourinho was sacked for overseeing a poor start to the Blues' title defence.

Mikel has re-established him in the side in the wake of Mourinho's departure and believes the Portuguese tactician's lack of faith in his ability contributed to his reduced game time.

“I think confidence is everything, if a manager doesn’t believe in you, trust me there’s no way you can succeed,” he told Goal.
“Even if you do things right he would always make sure he finds fault.
© Provided by Independent Print Limited Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel named Nigeria captain

"People change in any walk of life, maybe he decided he wanted to do better in a different way and he didn’t need me anymore.

“He didn’t have the belief that he had in me before, which is fine because every manager has the player that they have trust in.

“It is a tough business, football, so when a manager comes in he wants to have people he believes in. If he doesn’t believe in you he doesn’t play you."

Guus Hiddink's arrival at Stamford Bridge has seen Mikel become a regular starter again and the Nigeria captain is delighted to be playing a part in Chelsea's rich vein of form.

"I think it’s all about a manager giving a player confidence.

“Hiddink came in, he spoke to me, he gave me the confidence and now I have played 20 games and we’re in the best position - where we haven’t been all season,” he insisted.