Juliano Belletti wants to prove to Chelsea fans he is good enough to bolster their midfield and help the club's Premier League title chances while they are missing valuable players.
The Brazilian started Chelsea's 7-2 Premier League victory over Sunderland at the weekend, playing in the holding midfield role as Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel are away at the African Cup of Nations.
Belletti has been utilised in a number of positions at Stamford Bridge since he was signed by Luis Felipe Scolari, including covering for Jose Bosingwa when the Portuguese full back has been missing.
While Bosingwa has been sidelined since October with a knee problem Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has favoured Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic in the right full back position so Belletti is now calling to be used more in the midfield.
He has now played the last two games as the anchor of the Chelsea midfield but has admitted there is a lot of competition for places in that area.
"At Chelsea I like to play in midfield because there is so much quality. It is not a difficult job for me because the other players have quality and experience," said Belletti.
"I played there in pre-season in America and I spoke with Carlo after pre-season and said I can help the team, not just as a right back, but also in midfield in the absence of Mikel and Essien, and at this moment in January the team needs me."
Essien has been hit with a knee injury while at the African Cup of Nations and scans on the joint revealed a torn medial ligament and meniscus damage which will rule him out of action for at least one month - which could affect Chelsea's Premier League title odds and their Champions League hopes.
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