Vanguard
22 December 2008
John Mikel Obi insists he is relishing the pressure of anchoring Chelsea's midfield as the Blues look to continue their 100% away record at the expense of Everton on Monday night.
Chelsea's record_breaking away run is in stark contrast to their form at Stamford Bridge.Luiz Felipe Scolari's side have dropped 14 points at home so far this season _ suffering defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal and draws against West Ham, Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle.
Scolari points to injuries and suspensions as one of the main reasons for their poor displays at home.The loss of powerhouse midfielder Michael Essien with a serious knee injury has certainly been a factor.
But the man handed the role of replacing him has risen to the challenge in style and Mikel has cemented his place under the Brazilian coach.
The 21_year_old Nigerian is now determined to repay Scolari's faith in him by helping the club to win some silverware this season.
"The coach said to me 'you are this team _ when you don't play well, the team doesn't play well'," said Mikel.
"So I felt big, big pressure after that but it means I go out there to make sure the team plays well and wins.
"It puts pressure on me but good pressure because I think it shows he's pleased with me and thinks I can live up to the task.
"All I have to do is keep going and keep doing the right things and at the end of the season, I can look back and say 'I didn't disappoint him'.
"Football is all about belief and I think Scolari has belief in me."
Mikel made his 100th appearance for the club in the 2_1 home defeat by Arsenal but he insists there is plenty more to come from him.
"I feel what I've done here so far is like an apprenticeship. I'm 21 and things seem to have happened really quickly for me, so hopefully there's plenty more still to come from me here.
"I knew coming to Chelsea was going to be tough for me in terms of getting games and I had some people saying 'Don't go there, they have lots of midfield players and you'll have trouble getting in'.
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