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Guus Hiddink is succeeding where Jose Mourinho failed at Chelsea this season because he talks to his players, according to John Obi Mikel. Chelsea extended their unbeaten run under Hiddink to eight matches on Sunday with a 5-1 rout of MK Dons in the FA Cup fourth round, with an Oscar hat trick and first goals of the season for Eden Hazard and Bertrand Traore sealing a comfortable victory. The Premier League champions remain 13th in the table but have not lost since Mourinho was relieved of his duties in December after presiding over a disastrous start to the season and what technical director Michael Emenalo described as "palpable discord" that had developed between the manager and his players. Mikel says there is no such tension with Hiddink and attributes Chelsea's improvement under the Dutchman to a simple willingness to talk to his squad. "It's the way he [Hiddink] communicates with the players and maybe that's what the players felt they didn't get from the previous manager [Mourinho]," Mikel told BBC's Match of the Day on Sunday. "Sometimes players -- not just because they're not playing -- you need to communicate with them. You need to speak to them and don't just ignore them because players like to be communicated to. "This is what [Hiddink] has brought into the football club. In some ways you barely know he is in there, he is that calm and relaxed." Mikel made just nine appearances for Chelsea this season prior to Mourinho's departure but has emerged as a key figure under Hiddink, starting five of the Dutchman's six Premier League matches in charge.
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