John Mikel Obi, the keystone

[SeB 1,281]

Very simple: a modern DM: one that can help the defence, but also help the team with passes, goals and assists. Mikel is a good squad player, because he is needed when the team needs a defensive aproach.

Mikel is useless when you need to score goals and create chances.

I haven't been convinced by "attacking defensive midfielders" yet. Villas Boas was right when he pointed to the fact his DM shoudld be vertical at times to surprise the opponent by searching the striker. That what is Alonso or Pirlo's stock in trade. But for me that's all a defensive midfielder can do.

You barely can create chances from the centre of the field although we've several examples of it, e.g some of Lampard vertical long balls for some FA Cup goals we scored at Wembley. But it doesn't happens every game, especially at home in Stamford Bridge's small pitch, especially against teams who use to park the bus.

Otherwise, to create chances you have to go forward at least in the last tier. My concern is who gets in the space you created by your run forward ? None of the two solutions please me:

• You ask a player who plays in front of the DM to get into that space. But if he plays just a bit higher than the DM it's because he's better offensively, so then the DM won't have the same impact. Pointing what Song does is a fair point, but he's not an AM, that's great to praise his terrific vertical assists to Van Persie ; but you can point the waste in this kind of deliveries he tries to make, or all the times Arteta shouts at him to ask him to stay forward and not getting forward everytime.
  

• Nobody fills that space left by the DM left behind, then in case of a loss of possession you face an awkward counter attack. Or you improve dramatically your collective conservation of the ball. But so then you need the Nasris, players who'll guarantee 5 yard backward risk-free passes. It's an endless circle
  

If you have offensive full backs, how can you pretend having an attacking minded defensive player as well ? Even Barcelona plays with Busquets who acts as a 3rd CB. The difference is that as I tried to point, it's a matter of roles. But roles are also dependent of your team's playing. I mean when Barcelona players trains in the same system, same organisation etc during their time at academy... (I recently watched U11 kids playing 11 vs 11, it was a friendly against Arsenal youth, I don't know if they use to play with 11 players the whole season but it was just terrific). Then the play gets prowled, it's easier for the player holding Busquets role to pick a good pass as there's always 3 passing choices aroung him (the famous triangles the players makes around the holder with short moves without the ball).

It only needs time to create a playing identity, it's not just some meanless stuff, when players gets used to a system and know each other, who'll make that move etc... it gets easier.

Asking your DM to provide support or making late runs is a wise idea because most of the times the DM aren't expected to make this kind of runs. In fact that's why when they start their run they're unmarked and they're likely to be too at the end of their run.

Reason why Malouda isn't the only one to blame for Spain's first goal against France (especially because the system hasn't been used at training during the week before). He's standing in front of his goal and not how he should be (3/4 position) but in fact Alonso starts from Malouda's back, it's impossible to regain a 5 or 6 yard retard on just 30 yards.

I was really impressed by Charlie Adam and Blackpool's vertical play, they went forward everytime they could. Adam played very deep with David Vaughan, Adam wasn't afraid to make a 60 yard at full speed or trying a 60 yard diagonal from his own half. He had defensive duties as it can be seen in the figures above. But when he got forward he was (brilliantly) covered by Vaughan, just all the time, everytime!

Maybe the double pivot is the future as many teams plays a kind of 4-2-3-1 with a more or less attaking minded player in support (it can be a third midfielder or a trequarista). But even in that system, even if you try to get two complete players, there's a little sharing of roles as you've a player a bit more defensive minded and the other one more attaching minded (Germany's system with Schweinsteiger deep and Khedira as a box to box).

Everytime you'll have a midfielder more defensive minded (as I said above even Barcelona and his possession and intense pressing playing style has one). And you cannot reproach him not to be riskfull and not giving a hand of assists every season.

Maybe the double pivot will make Mikel getting some assists... But in fact we've such an attacking potential with Hazard, Lampard, Mata who arent strikers but who have striker's figures (they're closer to the 20 than just the double figures).

I'd prefer Mikel to stay the same at the moment, I mean there's no point asking him to get forward just for the sake of him getting an assist. That's pretentious and I prefer not to imagine the amount of opportunities in the play it would require to finally get a goal/assist (like for Song, in fact he's and that's really exasperating)

[Strike 7,478]

@SeB

The thing is when we are trying to break down QPR, Norwich etc, Mikel is not of much use as Ramires or a deep lying playmaker can offer more going forward. Mikel just propels possession, he doesn't chip the final ball through like Song does or go forward to attack as much as Carrick does. We need to play dynamic mids when we face weaker opposition to free up space for our creative mids to prosper - Oscar(?), Mata.

I agree with your assessment of Mikel though. He has developed into a proper cultured midfielder and I would want him to be in the team when we face vibrant counter attacking teams

[capriccioso 2,545]

Stats, and more stats.

We still need a better DM.

Who is better and available at a reasonable price?

John Michael Nchekwube Obinna is a good DM and will improve, he's only 24-25.

[DDA 9,930]

Dude this took me around 40 minutes to read. Feels like I've just read a small book lol. Great insight with depth and quality to your post, surely you can't be going for member of the month 2 awards running? Beast!

You can tell me all the stats and statistics in the world though but I will only judge a player with my very own eyes and to me Mikel has improved immensely but still not quite the Defensive midfielder i would love to have marshaling the midfield at Chelsea. I reckon he will be the Mac daddy this year though, so many things to look forward to this season it's unbelievable how things have changed drastically from the Christmas period of 2011!

[Henrique 9,133]

@Seb

Mikel has no quality to play in another role, all he can do is a defensive role. We need another kind of DM, I know the importance of a guy like Mikel, but he is really overrated by fans in this forum.

[Clevemayer 764]

He is a keyfigure maybe but not THE keystone, for our kind of play he is very important and there are not many who are of the same calibre at 25, and I think he is exactly what needed next term, dictating tempo with calmness, and giving extra cover, while our complete offense will run riot, he just has to keep picking the odd keypass like in that picture and our team can start ticking... thats my opinion, but there is much more to work together on the pitch than pure talent...

strange... some while ago I was fighting teeth and nail for him and now he gets some credit, its somehow weired... and even his gratest doubters can give him some credit but some ppl just can't jum over they're shadow...

[Rambo 1,729]

@Seb

Mikel has no quality to play in another role, all he can do is a defensive role. We need another kind of DM, I know the importance of a guy like Mikel, but he is really overrated by fans in this forum.

That's because he's underrated in reality and the majority of fans who write him off don't understand the importance of his role.

[Henrique 9,133]

That's because he's underrated in reality and the majority of fans who write him off don't understand the importance of his role.

This is an old argument that doesnt make any sense. He is a DM, and its not a coincidence that we start to concede a lot of goals when he became our first choice for that position.

Good squad player, and no more than that.

[madalista 30]

is there any proof to this or is it just in your head?

This is an old argument that doesnt make any sense. He is a DM, and its not a coincidence that we start to concede a lot of goals when he became our first choice for that position.

Good squad player, and no more than that.

[Sheva. 5,373]

He is a DM, and its not a coincidence that we start to concede a lot of goals when he became our first choice for that position.

Or maybe it's because of the 2 man midfield we play? don't think it's fair to blame Mikel alone for us conceding goals, and this wasn't the first season he was first choice.

When Essien suffered long term injuries he was first choice, and we won the PL with him as DM (and also CL, but we all remember that )

[Kojo 4,676]

Please just give over, sick of the stupid excuses, should never of signed him in the first place and should've gotten a better player.

He never came back to help the defenders against Atletico, he played a HUGE part in that loss, Falcao would never of gotten that space if a DM came back and actually man marked him or even covered other defenders so they could close him down, the defenders where so isolated. But what are you going to do shove some stats in my space?, his great pass completion of passing a ball back to the defenders, his great tackle success because he rarely takes any risks or jumps into tackles. Fuck stats they never uncover the full story.

There's a reason why most other clubs laugh at the fact we have still got Mikel in our team, yeah fair enough some idiots say Lukaku is a flop yet he's only 19 and are still on David Luiz's back because of a few mistakes, yet he's made up for them. But no one rates Mikel besides a few Chelsea fans, it's not that he's unappreciated or anyone notices the so called hard work he does as some say on here, it's the fact that he's a bad player.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Please just give over, sick of the stupid excuses, should never of signed him in the first place and should've gotten a better player.

He never came back to help the defenders against Atletico, he played a HUGE part in that loss, Falcao would never of gotten that space if a DM came back and actually man marked him or even covered other defenders so they could close him down, the defenders where so isolated. But what are you going to do shove some stats in my space?, his great pass completion of passing a ball back to the defenders, his great tackle success because he rarely takes any risks or jumps into tackles. Fuck stats they never uncover the full story.

There's a reason why most other clubs laugh at the fact we have still got Mikel in our team, yeah fair enough some idiots say Lukaku is a flop yet he's only 19 and are still on David Luiz's back because of a few mistakes, yet he's made up for them. But no one rates Mikel besides a few Chelsea fans, it's not that he's unappreciated or anyone notices the so called hard work he does as some say on here, it's the fact that he's a bad player.

Why do you care so much about what other fans say? if he's really as bad as you make him sound, he won't have started so many games for a club like Chelsea, under several managers.

[Kojo 4,676]

Why do you care so much about what other fans say? if he's really as bad as you make him sound, he won't have started so many games for a club like Chelsea, under several managers.

Point out where i said i cared?.

He plays because we have no other players, that's why he plays, he never used to play besides that. Even Romeu last season put in better consistent performances than Mikel ever has done in his whole time here at Chelsea.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Point out where i said i cared?.

He plays because we have no other players, that's why he plays, he never used to play besides that. Even Romeu last season put in better consistent performances than Mikel ever has done in his whole timno Me here at Chelsea.

I put in bold the previous post where you talked about other fans.

And Mikel doesn't play just because we have no one else - he plays because several Chelsea managers have deemed him good enough for this football club - whether as reliable backup or as a starter.

[SeB 1,281]

Even Romeu last season put in better consistent performances than Mikel ever has done in his whole time here at Chelsea.

I really like reading you about Mikel, you get even more laughables points everytime. Problem with you or others is that when you aren't able to see facts (not even a matter of what you prefer, your view of the game etc...) so the figures is the only option left.

Statistically Mikel managed a better season than Romeu, even being far from his best level (level he showed in the conquest of every trophy won since he's a regular starter).

Romeu is a poor tackler, he barely wins anything in the air, he's uneasy under pressure, his movements aren't good on phasis when we distribute from the back. Above all, he wants to be creative whereas the role is given allows zero creativity

About the Atletico game, your comments are ridiculous. What about the amount of defensive work from Mata, Hazard etc... when the ball is lost? When we haven't the ball we're ridiculously outnumbered in the center of the field.

When we have the ball we haven't any passing choices. You can't keep the ball with only two players, everytime you need to make triangles on the pitch. Hazard is closed into the last 1/3 (I think that's instructions when he plays central). Mata can't keep the ball under pressure and then becomes too creative (what explains why Silva's ahead of him with Spain NT).

Lampard and Mikel are cunts, they only pass to each others or to the defenders. How can you blame them and not the cadaveric front 3 in terms of off the ball movements ?