Mikel's tactical flaw

[RamiCFC9 258]

Mikel is mediocre player why the hell are people defending him.If he was playing for Real Madrid ot Barca he would've been abused like hell, because their fans have big team mentality.Sadly this can't be said about our fans, while our club is already big and aiming for the top, most of the "oldschool" fans are still living in 20th century and still praising mediocricity.

[Kostas 1,468]

^

I thought this forum is a place to share our views as long as it's related to Chelsea FC and its players , sometimes you might not agree with me but that doesn't mean that i can't post my thoughts .

Share your thoughts all you want but once you've been here long enough you'll start recognising the most annoying of paterns.

[capriccioso 2,545]

Mikel is mediocre player why the hell are people defending him.If he was playing for Real Madrid ot Barca he would've been abused like hell, because their fans have big team mentality.Sadly this can't be said about our fans, while our club is already big and aiming for the top, most of the "oldschool" fans are still living in 20th century and still praising mediocricity.

Mikel would walk into any team in the world except those two Spanish clubs. Ask Man United how they would dearly love a midfielder who can dictate the tempo.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Mikel is mediocre player why the hell are people defending him.If he was playing for Real Madrid ot Barca he would've been abused like hell, because their fans have big team mentality.Sadly this can't be said about our fans, while our club is already big and aiming for the top, most of the "oldschool" fans are still living in 20th century and still praising mediocricity.

And we wonder why everyone says that Chelsea fans are fickle

Mikel is a good player who has helped the team achieve plenty in the last few years. More importantly, he is a CHELSEA PLAYER who gives a 100% effort on the field, so your job as a chelsea fan is to cheer him on whenever he's playing. If you want a team with only the most expensive players in the world there is always man city.

[RamiCFC9 258]

Don't tell me what is my job as a fan.Mikel would never walk in any good team besides us ..If u just look at our last games against every decent team we've played its quite obvious we got totally dominated in midfield (City,Barca,Arse,Spuds even the scum), if there is a very very weak spot in our team its central midfield.We are consantly getting overran against any half decent team we play.And as "midfielder who can dictate the tempo" - Mikel is failing so hard in the big games.And this isn't just my opinion its facts.And facts are ;

1.Mikel cannot break up play or win the ball.

2.He cannot dictate tempo in big games.

3.He is mediocre.

[SeB 1,281]

I can't stop laughing at the thread's title

Mikel is the team's best tackler, he wins everything in the air and has a huge tactical awareness in terms of covering by example. Plus, he's undoubtely the most skillfull midfielder we have at the moment. By skillfull I mean the way to keep the ball under control, the ball protection. That and his near 100% success in his passing game (considering the genuine crap he receives most of the time in an over exposed zone) makes him very solid when it comes to contains a high pressing.

I don't understand how so much people can't understand the fact that it's impossible to have 2 offensive full backs (even if under AVB they started from the back instead of sitting upfront like under Carlo, the result on the team balance is significantly the same) without balance provided by a Mikel-like kind of player. A team balance depends of covering relations between the players and the lines of players.

Villas Boas was too ambitious and striped Mikel from his options, I start to think that how horrible the team was in transition phasis was not enough to show how important Mikel is. But anyway, it's like the cruisade against "pure goalscorers" like Gomez, Falcao or Huntelaar: people will never be happy with their playing style even with as much goals than games played because it's the mass mediatic formatting that wants that.

Of course like everyone, he makes mistakes. But considering the zone he plays in, and the crap passes he receives to provide a quality pass (not the most ambitious, but it's his role*), considering his consistency and strength to regain the ball ; I think the criticism he receives is harsh.

*: Two different points:

• Sergio Busquets is a dick, but an excellent player. His only difference is that his role is a bit wider that Mikel's because he launches attacks and orientates the play from the deep. It's due to the instructions he receives (watch again Lampard's goal at Blackburn if you think Mikel can't play vertically) and the oiled animation making every player moving and providing everytime 3 solutions to the holder of the ball.
  
• Romeu showed good things under no pressing like against Foolham in the league cup. But in terms of his passing then, there was several problems: he wanted to build the game from the back: it creates some waste in his passing game and then, new situations to cope with. With Mikel's reliability, we don't often face counter attacks from our own distribution phasis**. Plus, Romeu got upfront sometimes with the ball whereas being the holding man. It created then an inbalance.
  

**: It's like at Swansea City, Allen and Sigurdsson are that great this season because there is a 100% man behind him allowing them only to focus on a pertinent run without keeping an eye on their own opposite man in midfield. At Chelsea, Mikel allows Lampard to score 27 goals in one season in 2010 by example.

At Anfield the other evening, our midfield had no density: even Spearing-Henderson seemed more reliable. Romeu and Essien were awful tactically, they were anywhere thet didn't had to be. Suarez leaving his upfront positions aspirated (I don't know if you say that in english lol) the two center backs who were pretty often too high, with at least one of the two in the middle of the field. It's exactly the same when you play PES or FIFA and when you have to defend, you choose your CB to press the adverse midfield holding the ball. The "shift" of marking leaves one striker alone and quite everytime you conceide a goal.

And something very interesting, arguably a point to talk about: we qualified to the Champions League final thanks to an excellent pair featuring Lampard and Mikel, very disciplined defensively. And in a quite funny manner, with our 2 poorest tactical midfields, we conceide 4 goals against a team who hasn't even score 1 goal every 5 games at home. I can't imagine Mikel being totally innocent in that process

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

No offense or disrespect for anyone , but showing your support for Chelsea isn't by defending the likes of Mikel when criticized but its by criticizing them .

Are you high?

[BlueLyon 9,359]

If Mikel would play for Newcastle right now, I bet everyone would want him to be here, like you want Tiote. Since RDM came, Mikel started play and results got better. And to add that Danny lost his form. But yet we made better results. Weird isnt it? And you want to sell him or criticise? If he would play more regulary, he would be now fantastic. One of top DMs in world. Yes, he is still young, at 25, he has long career. Tiote was mostly unknown until age of 25, when Nufc came back to PL (last year). And now he is great. Why dont you see potential in Mikel, but want anyone else, I dont get it. Be happy we actualy have him. It always that, whatever you dont have, will always be better and you will want it. Essien can also return, if he at least gets his fitness back and power/agression.

[capriccioso 2,545]

Fucking hell, Seb, what a post

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Don't tell me what is my job as a fan.Mikel would never walk in any good team besides us ..If u just look at our last games against every decent team we've played its quite obvious we got totally dominated in midfield (City,Barca,Arse,Spuds even the scum), if there is a very very weak spot in our team its central midfield.We are consantly getting overran against any half decent team we play.And as "midfielder who can dictate the tempo" - Mikel is failing so hard in the big games.And this isn't just my opinion its facts.And facts are ;

1.Mikel cannot break up play or win the ball.

2.He cannot dictate tempo in big games.

3.He is mediocre.

Our weekest part is midield?!

If our attackers would be at leas decent, they would try to attack. Instead they just lose ball everytime and pressure is on defence. Most of time, opponent attacks us, because we have shit wingers and strikers. Apart from Mata. And then what do you expect from Mikel? To defend all 90 minutes because our attackers cant do shit in attack?

Imagine Busquets instead of Mikel. He would get ripped apart every time. You are blind man.

Take example: Mikel gets ball, passes to Kalou/Malouda/Torres/Danny who loses it right away, because he is shit. And then Mikel has to run back and try to stop counter attack because our great wingers and strikers cant keep ball. And that repeats 100 times in one game against better opponent. Sure Mikel will eventualy make mistake, he would be under pressure whole game. Better players around you make you better you know? Just look at Cahill, he evolved much since he joined better squad from Bolton. If we get proper attack, Mikel will be world class!

Besides, you know that Mikel played huge role in 2009/10 season, when we won double? Essien was injured lot that time and Mikel played fantasticaly. Better than Tiote, Mvila, Song nowdays.

Ramires, Cech, Mata, Mikel, Cole, Terry, Iva, Cahill, Luiz should not be sold. They are great players to build around.

Two months ago, I wanted Mikel to go, but after his great performances, I eat my words. I guess

some of you missed last two months...

[LDN Blue 7,903]

I can't stop laughing at the thread's title

Mikel is the team's best tackler, he wins everything in the air and has a huge tactical awareness in terms of covering by example. Plus, he's undoubtely the most skillfull midfielder we have at the moment. By skillfull I mean the way to keep the ball under control, the ball protection. That and his near 100% success in his passing game (considering the genuine crap he receives most of the time in an over exposed zone) makes him very solid when it comes to contains a high pressing.

I don't understand how so much people can't understand the fact that it's impossible to have 2 offensive full backs (even if under AVB they started from the back instead of sitting upfront like under Carlo, the result on the team balance is significantly the same) without balance provided by a Mikel-like kind of player. A team balance depends of covering relations between the players and the lines of players.

Villas Boas was too ambitious and striped Mikel from his options, I start to think that how horrible the team was in transition phasis was not enough to show how important Mikel is. But anyway, it's like the cruisade against "pure goalscorers" like Gomez, Falcao or Huntelaar: people will never be happy with their playing style even with as much goals than games played because it's the mass mediatic formatting that wants that.

Of course like everyone, he makes mistakes. But considering the zone he plays in, and the crap passes he receives to provide a quality pass (not the most ambitious, but it's his role*), considering his consistency and strength to regain the ball ; I think the criticism he receives is harsh.

*: Two different points:

• Sergio Busquets is a dick, but an excellent player. His only difference is that his role is a bit wider that Mikel's because he launches attacks and orientates the play from the deep. It's due to the instructions he receives (watch again Lampard's goal at Blackburn if you think Mikel can't play vertically) and the oiled animation making every player moving and providing everytime 3 solutions to the holder of the ball.
  
• Romeu showed good things under no pressing like against Foolham in the league cup. But in terms of his passing then, there was several problems: he wanted to build the game from the back: it creates some waste in his passing game and then, new situations to cope with. With Mikel's reliability, we don't often face counter attacks from our own distribution phasis**. Plus, Romeu got upfront sometimes with the ball whereas being the holding man. It created then an inbalance.
  

**: It's like at Swansea City, Allen and Sigurdsson are that great this season because there is a 100% man behind him allowing them only to focus on a pertinent run without keeping an eye on their own opposite man in midfield. At Chelsea, Mikel allows Lampard to score 27 goals in one season in 2010 by example.

At Anfield the other evening, our midfield had no density: even Spearing-Henderson seemed more reliable. Romeu and Essien were awful tactically, they were anywhere thet didn't had to be. Suarez leaving his upfront positions aspirated (I don't know if you say that in english lol) the two center backs who were pretty often too high, with at least one of the two in the middle of the field. It's exactly the same when you play PES or FIFA and when you have to defend, you choose your CB to press the adverse midfield holding the ball. The "shift" of marking leaves one striker alone and quite everytime you conceide a goal.

And something very interesting, arguably a point to talk about: we qualified to the Champions League final thanks to an excellent pair featuring Lampard and Mikel, very disciplined defensively. And in a quite funny manner, with our 2 poorest tactical midfields, we conceide 4 goals against a team who hasn't even score 1 goal every 5 games at home. I can't imagine Mikel being totally innocent in that process

Expected nothing less from you here SeB. Excellent post, you should convert it into an article for the site. I'm sure we'd get tons of hits from most fans when Mikel is in a headline.

[RamiCFC9 258]

We can talk all year is Mikel shi te or not actually .But what matter is : iam pretty sure RA won't settle down with players like Mikel.RA has many bad football habbits but at least he wants and craves for the best (just like me), he won't settle for mediocricity and iam happy about this fact.