Mikel vs Blackburn: Vertical Passes from the "Horizontal Man"

[robdog 2,084]

I don't want to sound like Im making Mikel some kind of devil figure, he isn't. He has a good attitude, he does his best and he has made improvements in his game the last few years, however all of the tribute videos in the world wont change what we already know. We see Mikel play week in, week out, we know what kind of player he is and we know what standard of player he is. He is a decent squad option, handy if we ever have an injury crisis in midfield but he should not be the first choice holding midfield player for the reasons I've previously outlined in the thread and no amount of tribute videos will convince me otherwise.

That's kewl. You can keep your opinion & I can keep mine. The video that I posted was some proof that the many articles that are on the net that shows what type of player Obi Wan is. I guess that is why we call this a discussion board & we can discuss this right??? We are discussing & IMHO Romeu has not surpassed Obi Wan now. Maybe in a year or two, but not at this moment in time.

[The Big Drog 1,110]

Im not saying Romeu has, I am saying that Im amazed that a club our size has relied on Mikel as the main holding midfielder for such a long time and it is one of the great examples of the problems our club has encountered with the constant changes in management that no manager has had long enough to put their mark on the team long enough to buy a better holding midfielder than Mikel. That or they all have a hell of a lot more faith in Michael Essien's knees than they should.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I don't think he's not at all ready for the PL but I wouldn't say he would be a top DM in the PL on the back of 2 good CC outings (where he had almost zero pressure) and 1 good home game vs Genk who is even weaker than the CC squads used by Everton and Fulham.

As for those stats Romeu has a really small sample size against poor opposition in some of the least consequential games that we've been involved in. In those those games he hasn't really been under consistent pressure at any time, whereas Mikel was the motor that kept us in control vs QPR with 9 men. On the subject of forward passes you should look at the chalkboards and also remember how those games were. Forward passing success rate from a DM is highly affected by the kind of pressure and formation being played by the defense.

You really want to see Bertrand play over Ashley? Are you mad? I can understand playing Bertrand and Romeu over Ashley and Mikel for squad rotation purposes against weaker opposition but seriously... that's crazy.

That exactly was my point. Of course I don't want to see Romeu and Bertrand start at the Emirates or Old Traford, but maybe at home against Swansea or Wigan or Aston Villa so they can get some well-deserved PL experience.

Again, I'm not saying that Romeu is better than Mikel, he has no where near as much experience as him. I just think that with the performances he's put in, it is worth a risk to start him in a few PL matches instead of Mikel.

Same goes for Rayan Bertrand imo as well.

Concerning how good (or not good) Romeu is, I guess it's a matter of opinion, every one is entitled to his own.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Im not saying Romeu has, I am saying that Im amazed that a club our size has relied on Mikel as the main holding midfielder for such a long time and it is one of the great examples of the problems our club has encountered with the constant changes in management that no manager has had long enough to put their mark on the team long enough to buy a better holding midfielder than Mikel. That or they all have a hell of a lot more faith in Michael Essien's knees than they should.

Well done. :goodpost:

[GodZola 630]

Comparing Utd to Blackburn... Kean > Fergie? Heh. Seriously thats a pretty funny post.

If you had half a brain cell then you would of understood my post, if you weren't such a comedian then I would explain! If Mikel is as good as you make him out to be then would he not perform against the likes of Man Utd too, no?

[blue out west 27]

If you had half a brain cell then you would of understood my post, if you weren't such a comedian then I would explain! If Mikel is as good as you make him out to be then would he not perform against the likes of Man Utd too, no?

Mikel is selected in most big fixtures soooo

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Mikel is more composed than any of our other central midfielders, and only Josh and Mata are calmer and more relaxed than Mikel is when in possession of the ball. That's what makes him so quietly effective; it is an attribute that is underrated in many players. Each great team has the workhorse that does the simple things so well - that can be Glen Whelan at Stoke or it can be Sergio 'Diving Cunt' Busquets at Barcelona. Makelele wasn't appreciated until he left, and people only began to appreciate him because of who he was; a European Cup-winning superstar.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Mikel is more composed than any of our other central midfielders, and only Josh and Mata are calmer and more relaxed than Mikel is when in possession of the ball. That's what makes him so quietly effective; it is an attribute that is underrated in many players. Each great team has the workhorse that does the simple things so well - that can be Glen Whelan at Stoke or it can be Sergio 'Diving Cunt' Busquets at Barcelona. Makelele wasn't appreciated until he left, and people only began to appreciate him because of who he was; a European Cup-winning superstar.

Agreed.

Yet I think there's a time for the Mikel-type player & the Romeu one. Liverpool, a big game, I think Mikel is vital. His composure and accurate passing can be the key into that packed Liverpool midfield, and with their 5-man defence his long-range passing will come into full-effect.

Romeu is the type I'd say we play v. the likes of Everton & co. Where they defend to the death leaving the game in a dire grid-lock. Because Romeu gives a better attacking impulse than Mikel does. This is not to say I'm 'hating/bashing' on Mikel, simply pointing out where Romeu had an advantage.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Agreed.

Yet I think there's a time for the Mikel-type player & the Romeu one. Liverpool, a big game, I think Mikel is vital. His composure and accurate passing can be the key into that packed Liverpool midfield, and with their 5-man defence his long-range passing will come into full-effect.

Romeu is the type I'd say we play v. the likes of Everton & co. Where they defend to the death leaving the game in a dire grid-lock. Because Romeu gives a better attacking impulse than Mikel does. This is not to say I'm 'hating/bashing' on Mikel, simply pointing out where Romeu had an advantage.

I totally agree. Mikel handles pressure excellently and is one of the best in the PL at controlling the tempo of a match, which (along with experience of course) makes him valuable in big games)

Romeu on the other hand can operate at higher tempo than Mikel due to his great ability of quick passing making him ideal (theoretically since he has not been yet fully tested in the PL) for breaking defenses like swansea, Stoke...etc

[Amblève. 4,995]

I really like Mikel's playing style... I never compared him to Makelele, maybe that's the reason why I've never been someone who criticized him a lot. But I can't get it why we converted him into a DM although he was a very promising attacking midfielder with nice playmaker qualities. Just imagine how much celebrated he would be now if he would have been played as a AM all these years...