Nigel de Jong was a relieved man after his unexpected call into the side just minutes before the start of Sunday's game against Birmingham.

The terrier-like Dutch midfielder was initially named on the bench, but after Patrick Vieira was forced out with a knee injury Nigel had to play with the threat of a suspension hanging over him.

A yellow card on Sunday afternoon would have seen the 25-year-old suspended for the games against United and Arsenal, but thankfully the final Premier League cut-off point for suspensions is now passed leaving Nigel free to tackle the rest of the season unhindered.

"I was on nine yellow cards, and the gaffer had pulled me to one side two days ago to tell me he was going to put me in the bench. Another yellow would have taken me to 10, and I would have been out of the United and Arsenal games.

"Now I'm unleashed, finally I can go on!" he laughs.

It's a huge relief for me, I don't have to think twice when going into a battle and I'm over my problems with the cards.

 

Next Saturday's lunchtime appointment with United has even more hanging on it after Sunday's results for both teams, but Nigel insists that the Blues must simply concentrate on their own game and not look beyond it.

"It's one of the biggest games in the world,” adds Nigel, “and we are looking forward to it because we are confident after two great wins in a week. 

"It would be nice to damage their prospects, but at the same time we have to focus on what we do. Our goal is to secure fourth place, anything extra to damage United is nice but we have to focus on ourselves, but we are going to go right to the very end of the season, I can promise that."