Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel admits frustration under Carlo Ancelotti

John Obi Mikel, Chelsea (Getty Images)

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Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has revealed his frustrations with former manager Carlo Ancelotti when he was dropped last season.

Chelsea went through a tough spell last season after Christmas and Mikel was disappointed he was unable to help his team-mates on the pitch.

“I had a good start to the season until about January. Then when the club had a bad run, it affected everybody. Everything went downhill,” Mikel told The Sun.

“I was playing in every game, Champions League and Premier League, but suddenly we had this bad run which went on for about a month or two.

“I had a knee injury in the middle of it as well and was out for four or five weeks.

“When I came back, I wasn’t playing regularly – just a few games. It was frustrating for me.

“It’s very difficult as a young player but I’ve learned to deal with it.

“Every season you are going to have a period when things are not going well for you and other times when things are going well. You have to try and manage both.

“I just try to stay professional, train and forget about it. I play when I get the opportunity.”

Mikel was unsure of the reason why Ancelotti was not selecting him though this simply motivated him further to get back into the side.

“When I’m not playing, the manager has a reason why he’s not picking me.

“Everyone saw how disappointed I was when I was not being picked in the team.

“This was a period for me to keep my head down, work really hard and try to change different things.

“And all of a sudden, towards the end of the season, it was like I came back to my best again.”