With Essien out, you think Mikel will flourish?

[zolayes 14,489]

Mikel has nothing to prove ,,,he has already proved his true class ...

[Naked Mole Rat 437]

Mikel is a special player. He is arguably one of the best DM in the world, and I don't think anybody can do his job better than him. He's composed, disciplined, strong, intelligent and defensively capable.

To me, Mikel is almost world class. There are a couple things that prevent him from reaching that level: influence and low offensive contribution.

Right now, as well as Mikel gets his job done, he is pretty much invisible. The DM role is obviously one of the most subtle duties in football, but Mikel needs to step up. He needs to build his presence and try to be the leader. He needs to be able to dictate the game.

Also, he needs to start directly contribute to the team's offence. Currently, he indirectly contributes to attacking by staying back and letting the defenders get forward. But if he is to achieve that world class status, he'll need to make more forward passes and take more shots on goal. I know he is capable of doing these things, he just doesn't do them very often. His passing especially is superb. As far as techniques go, he's maybe even better than Lampard.

If Mikel can get these things out of his way this season, he will definitely flourish. But I really hate to think that Essien had anything to do with Mikel's development.

[Guest justin_3d]

Mikel has nothing to prove ,,,he has already proved his true class ...

Really?'

I was under the impression some people did not like him...

[zolayes 14,489]

Really?'

I was under the impression some people did not like him...

that shows they dont understand the job he does ..I hope you aren't one of those?

[The Big Drog 1,110]

Mikel is marmite, you either love him or you hate him. He is good at what he does, he is a passive holding midfielder, similar to Busquets in the way he plays, he has a good passing range, the majority of the time he keeps it simple, he keeps the team ticking over and he gets the ball to the more attack minded players in the team. Something he has improved in recent years is that he takes less time on the ball than he used to, he moves it faster and thats important because of the amount of the ball he gets, he is one of the main players in the team whose job it is to set the tempo of the play. He is a big guy and that helps him defensively, he has gotten much better at not diving into a tackle and thats cut down the silly fouls and yellow cards and he is comfortable dropping deep and playing almost as a third centre back to allow the wing backs to push on.

The negatives with Mikel are that he hasn't got the mobility of an Essien or a Ramires. Thats a huge problem, especially in a 3 man midfield, when Essien or Ramires is in the team its masked because they are able to do the running and destroying that Mikel can't do, when they are not its a bit of a shambles, the Lampard, Ballack and Mikel midfield we saw for a good portion of the season before last was dreadful because none of them had the legs to destroy in the midfield area and with Mikel being the holding midfielder he was the one who gott he flack for it. You might argue that Barcelona's 3 man midfield doesn't have a destroy either and that Busquets gets by ok and that is absolutely true but then Barcelona have the ball for 65% of the game, we dont and the way they defend off the ball (the high pressing game) means that their back four (and as a result the midfields ability to track runners ect.) is called into question a lot less than Chelsea's are.

The other problem is that there is still a question mark hanging over his head in regards concentration, too often you see midfield runners go past him and burst into the box with Mikel not even close to them and there is no doubt that he is not the same quality man marker as Essien or Ramires. On the ball too, some people find him too safe and perhaps would like the holding midfielder to drive their team forward a bit more on the ball.

Anyway to wrap it up, I think Mikel has a role in the squad, Im not sure he has a role as a regular in the start 11 and if he is to step into Essien's shoes during his injury absense then lets hope Ramires doesn't pick up an injury too. Given the choice, Id rather Ramires starting in holding midfield over Mikel.

[Guest justin_3d]

that shows they dont understand the job he does ..I hope you aren't one of those?

Nope. I always wanted to keep him.

A lot of people favor Essien, but in Essien i saw stamina and power. While in Mikel i always saw more creativity. Something Chelsea has not been good at, due to the system we play.

Hopefully with AVB we favor more creativity then muscles.

[Guest justin_3d]

Mikel is a special player. He is arguably one of the best DM in the world, and I don't think anybody can do his job better than him. He's composed, disciplined, strong, intelligent and defensively capable.

To me, Mikel is almost world class. There are a couple things that prevent him from reaching that level: influence and low offensive contribution.

Right now, as well as Mikel gets his job done, he is pretty much invisible. The DM role is obviously one of the most subtle duties in football, but Mikel needs to step up. He needs to build his presence and try to be the leader. He needs to be able to dictate the game.

Also, he needs to start directly contribute to the team's offence. Currently, he indirectly contributes to attacking by staying back and letting the defenders get forward. But if he is to achieve that world class status, he'll need to make more forward passes and take more shots on goal. I know he is capable of doing these things, he just doesn't do them very often. His passing especially is superb. As far as techniques go, he's maybe even better than Lampard.

If Mikel can get these things out of his way this season, he will definitely flourish. But I really hate to think that Essien had anything to do with Mikel's development.

For me Mikel has a lot of creativity but our system has been too negative.

With AVB it seems different and he might be set loose.

These quotes from AVB seems to me that he will help Mikel achieve that what you are asking for:

"It's not just a case of the manager arriving, changing things and that's why they score," he said. "You free them from the limitations that they might have in a different kind of system but, in the end, you make them believe in their qualities and this is the most important thing. For you to exploit the potential of every player to the full, you have to give them a certain amount of freedom, or else they will never test it.

"So we encourage them to make better decisions, give them freedom of choice a lot. Once you go towards finding that talent, you can end up with players transcending themselves and doing things they thought they could never do."

[zolayes 14,489]

a point about maturity ...Mikel is younger but Essien went to ANC in 2010 carrying an injury ,,this led to further injury and months out .. Mikel went

was carrying an injury and withdrew...

a point about maturity ...Mikel is younger but Essien went to ANC in 2010 carrying an injury ,,this led to further injury and months out .. Mikel went

was carrying an injury and withdrew...

[Naked Mole Rat 437]

For me Mikel has a lot of creativity but our system has been too negative.

With AVB it seems different and he might be set loose.

These quotes from AVB seems to me that he will help Mikel achieve that what you are asking for:

Maybe you're right. But I don't think Essien contributes to the 'defensiveness'. (I don't like how 'negative' sounds) Essien is a box-to-box midfielder who contributes both offensively and defensively. He's a formidable defender but at the same time, he likes to get forward.

I think the problem is that Mikel doesn't quite get how to play world class. When he first started to play in the DM position, Mikel had a lot to work on. First off, he had to restrain himself from going forward. That was important because back then, Mikel lacked many things. For one thing, he couldn't tackle for shit, which had to do with his getting sent off way often. So, he really couldn't afford to get forward and develop as a DM at the same time.

But, right now, he is defensively capable, he can read the game better, and he is physically stronger, which means that he can now afford to get more involved offensively. But, what I think happened is that now that he's been playing a defensive role for years, he doesn't know how to contribute offensively. To bring about his offensive potential, in my opinion, was one of the big challenges Ancelotti had with Mikel, and it is going to be pretty tough for Villas-Boas as well. Now, I might be wrong. Maybe it was a tactical flaw as you pointed out. Nonetheless, I'm really looking forward to what AVB will do with Mikel.

[GodZola 630]

I just knew a thread like this would turn up sooner or later after we got the dreaded prognosis on Essien.

I will stand by what I've said on previous threads & that Mikel has showed me next to ' fuck all' as a Chelsea player. Yes I've read the stats about him being accurate with his passing but I could do that now at my age - short tippy tappy balls to & from a defender or the same to a midfielder just infront of him - he is good at that but when we going to see him produce passes that are offensive on a regular basis, he is far too slow in distributing the ball, which leads to him getting caught in possession far too often, lastly he has no pace.

Six month's or so ago I said on here that I would like him to prove me wrong as I've seen very little from him to change my mind & he didn't disappoint. If AVB can bring the best out of him then I'm all for his inclusion but as things stand I will reiterate that he is a squad player but wouldn't make my starting 11.

For the record I would play a CB partnership of JT & Alex (Cahill if Alex is sold) & I would play Luiz in that holding midfield position as he has all the attributes that I would look for to play there. However I keep saying the same thing, why do we need to play a DM especially at home when 90% of the teams sit back & defend for 90 minutes if they can get away with it, I'd rather we played with a far more offensive lineup when we know teams are going to 'park the bus' & drop that position unless its warranted. Will see what AVB has in mind?

[zolayes 14,489]

I just knew a thread like this would turn up sooner or later after we got the dreaded prognosis on Essien.

I will stand by what I've said on previous threads & that Mikel has showed me next to ' fuck all' as a Chelsea player. Yes I've read the stats about him being accurate with his passing but I could do that now at my age - short tippy tappy balls to & from a defender or the same to a midfielder just infront of him - he is good at that but when we going to see him produce passes that are offensive on a regular basis, he is far too slow in distributing the ball, which leads to him getting caught in possession far too often, lastly he has no pace.

Six month's or so ago I said on here that I would like him to prove me wrong as I've seen very little from him to change my mind & he didn't disappoint. If AVB can bring the best out of him then I'm all for his inclusion but as things stand I will reiterate that he is a squad player but wouldn't make my starting 11.

For the record I would play a CB partnership of JT & Alex (Cahill if Alex is sold) & I would play Luiz in that holding midfield position as he has all the attributes that I would look for to play there. However I keep saying the same thing, why do we need to play a DM especially at home when 90% of the teams sit back & defend for 90 minutes if they can get away with it, I'd rather we played with a far more offensive lineup when we know teams are going to 'park the bus' & drop that position unless its warranted. Will see what AVB has in mind?

From your seconn paragraph it would appear that you were pleased he didnt improve

[GodZola 630]

From your seconn paragraph it would appear that you were pleased he didnt improve

Does it?

If & when he proves me wrong & that may happen under a different manager who likes to play offensively then I will start a thread about me being owned by Mikel & will quite happily eat some humble pie!

Malouda proved me wrong for a short period & I was glad to eat a slice but i didn't have to finish the pie!

[Henrique 9,133]

Mikel has nothing to prove.

We already know he is awful.

We need someone to replace Essien.

[True_Blue 469]

Mikel's first goal will be cheered more than Torres'

as for the actual topic: Yes I do. It remains to be seen what system we play in midfield. Mikel is a very good defensive midfielder, we all know his interception and composure are his best attributes. That being said, we need him to push forward a bit more with our current midfield. While we have Ramires, who never tires and works very hard, he lacks the technical play to play pinpoint pass through to the strikers. If we can find a player to take the ball of Mikel and do something with it, it would be ideal. As Ballack & Lampard used to. Perhaps Lampard will be that player again, with age restricting his energy, perhaps we'll see him sit deep more.

I regard Mikel very highly. He's still very young, but has all the attributes to be a great successor to the Essien-bumped-Makelele role. With the right coaching, adding an attacking instinct to his play, he'll be as effective as the latter.

He scored for us twice,just no one recall's it.In Season 2006 he scored vs Macclesfield Town and against Nottingham Forest in the following round.

[Kostas 1,468]

I have to question the football knowledge of those who don't appreciate the work Mikel has done for us in the last 2 seasons.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

He scored for us twice,just no one recall's it.In Season 2006 he scored vs Macclesfield Town and against Nottingham Forest in the following round.

My mistake.. Probably league goals everyone mentions then.

Still, the rest of my post holds true

[GodZola 630]

I have to question the football knowledge of those who don't appreciate the work Mikel has done for us in the last 2 seasons.

Oh that would be me then!

Starts off playing well last season then plays the rest of the season below average along with most of the team I might add, he even got dropped by Ancelotti towards the end of last season.

Oh & as for the double year, he got injured & was replaced by Ballack who showed him exactly how he should of played in that role & a major reason why we won the double that season.

He is not world class like Makelele or Essien was before he got injured, now does that make it any easier for you?

[Guest justin_3d]

Maybe you're right. But I don't think Essien contributes to the 'defensiveness'. (I don't like how 'negative' sounds) Essien is a box-to-box midfielder who contributes both offensively and defensively. He's a formidable defender but at the same time, he likes to get forward.

I think the problem is that Mikel doesn't quite get how to play world class. When he first started to play in the DM position, Mikel had a lot to work on. First off, he had to restrain himself from going forward. That was important because back then, Mikel lacked many things. For one thing, he couldn't tackle for shit, which had to do with his getting sent off way often. So, he really couldn't afford to get forward and develop as a DM at the same time.

But, right now, he is defensively capable, he can read the game better, and he is physically stronger, which means that he can now afford to get more involved offensively. But, what I think happened is that now that he's been playing a defensive role for years, he doesn't know how to contribute offensively. To bring about his offensive potential, in my opinion, was one of the big challenges Ancelotti had with Mikel, and it is going to be pretty tough for Villas-Boas as well. Now, I might be wrong. Maybe it was a tactical flaw as you pointed out. Nonetheless, I'm really looking forward to what AVB will do with Mikel.

Well I really think Essien and Mikel is so negative.

Even Guus never used them together only when we have to be ultra defensive.

I would love to see Mikel-Modric, or Mikel-Josh. All the creativity we need.