CHELSEA need brotherhood, shower gel and plenty of moisturising cream to get back to the summit of football.
Legendary Blues midfielder John Obi Mikel believes dressing room chemistry is the key to success on the pitch. And he can see it brewing in the current squad.
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He was part of the all-conquering Chelsea team which landed title after title, cup after cup during his 11 years at Stamford Bridge.
But small details are behind big wins and Mikel revealed how his bizarre relationship with Salomon Kalou epitomised the strong bonds between the players of the time.
Together they won the Champions League, Premier League and four FA Cups when team spirit was the fear factor which often made the difference in key games.
Mikel, 38, said: “It is very important, the friendship between your teammates in the squad, because It brings you guys together.
“The chemistry is there, not just the chemistry on the pitch, the chemistry outside the pitch because you already know your partner, your team-mates.
“You know what they like and what they don’t like. How to approach them in terms of when they’re not performing,
“How do you get them to wake up? Do you go to them? Do you scream at them, or is it like a quiet word you need to have and get them to keep going?
“So that relationship is very important. And of course, Salomon Kalou, what can I say about the guy?
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“Listen, we were Mr and Mrs at the football club, we were called Tom and Jerry.
“He drives me mad, a guy I absolutely love. I can never say a bad word about Salomon Kalou.
“He never bought his own shower gel, his own cream, he always went to my locker and nicked mine.
“I’d finish having a shower and I go to my locker trying to get my cream, it’s not there. Salomon Kalou’s nicked it.
“Sometimes it’s fine to use it, but please, return it to my locker. He didn’t.
“And when I go to him and ask where’s my cream? He says, ‘buy another one’. I’m like, ‘what? Why don’t you buy yourself your own cream?’
“He just drove me mad. But then on the pitch, when you’re that honest and open with each other, on the pitch, you know each other so well, right and it helps so much.
“I’d love to see the players create that friendship, that chemistry between each other. Looking at this team squad, They’re young but I can see a little bit that they have that.
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“I need to see a bit more. It’s so important to create that atmosphere.”
Where Mikel won, lost and partied alongside superstars like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, modern day Chelsea is about building reputations through ambitious young players like Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and soon-to-arrive Liam Delap.
Mikel said: “We enjoyed good times together. We went out to central London every time we won a trophy. We celebrated quite heavily because we were successful and were given a licence to go out and enjoy ourselves.
“That brought that chemistry together because every year, every other year, we had something to celebrate. We were always winning something. So we were always having a massive party come the end of the season. That brought us together.
“They have to win trophies in order to be able to bring that chemistry in the squad.”
New Chelsea have started the process by qualifying for the Champions League and winning the Conference League.
But the post-match party was tame by previous standards, mainly because a lot of the players are now on international duty before travelling to next week’s Club World Cup.
I’d finish having a shower and I go to my locker trying to get my cream, it’s not there. Salomon Kalou’s nicked it.
John Obi Mikel
The month-long tournament in the US Club World Cup railroads through the traditional summer.
Mikel said: “It’s silverware to be won and we want to go out and compete to win it.
“We have to talk about the prize money as well. Almost £100million. That puts you in a great advantage in terms of in the summer, transfer window, bringing in players, strengthening your squad. There’s a lot there for these players to think about.
“I know we players talk about having a rest, which we should. But we actually don’t rest when we go on holidays.
“We fly back to our different continents where we’re from, countries where we’re from.
“And then we go back after a week or a few days, playing locally with the local teams where we grew up from, kicking the ball about, playing five-a-side, ten-a-side games.
“You don’t want to rest for two, three weeks without doing anything. When you come back for pre-season, it takes you even longer to get in shape.
“During the summer, you’re looking at yourself thinking, I need to get back into it. You start running, you start playing football and make sure you come back, so that it doesn’t take you a long time to get back into shape. We all did that. I get it, I understand.
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“The Club World Cup, for the teams involved, it’s a great opportunity, a great way for those teams to keep their players fit, keep them ticking over, knowing that when the season starts, they are almost half there.”
John Obi Mikel was speaking ahead of the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Watch all 63 games live on DAZN for free.
