🇳🇬 Mikel John Obi

[Reddish-Blue 2,505]

Here's my problem with his passing range. I suspect it's good, in fact having seen some of his AFCON performances I'm fairly certain it is but it's so unambitious and lacking in urgency much of the time.

Now I'm quite prepared to accept that he's been asked to do that, but other players who have come into that position over the last couple of seasons haven't played in the same way. Romeu was much more ambitious with his passing, more ready to switch wings with long passes, play harder passes through the lines to a striker or attacking midfielder (which forces teams to re-adjust) or simply bring it out of defence with a bit more urgency (a word I use a lot with Mikel).

Even Ake in his matches showed a lot more willingness to hit first time balls with pace (one of which instigated the break which led to the first goal against Everton) although it's way too early to tell.

Even Chalobah has shown a willingness at Watford to drive the play on, but it's a different system in a different league so again there are question marks.

All this makes it a bit more frustrating with Mikel. If he has the ability to impose himself on games and drag players along with him then why doesn't he do it for Chelsea? Why is he so passive, slow and lackadaisical? Maybe Jose can stick the rocket up his arse that he so badly needs.

You look at the Nigeria squad..Mikel is the most experienced midfielder with 40+ caps. He's expected to influence the way they play...

As for Chelsea, he's always been surrounded by great midfielders like Lamps & Essien at their peak, Ballack..etc. But now, we don't have that leader in midfield, that bit of grit & steel...

I really expected Mikel to step up and fill the void but he simply hasn't.

In terms of talent & tools available, he's up there with the best...but whats missing from Mikel's game is that bit of aggressiveness and/or ability to influence the game on a consistent basis.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Chelsea holding midfielder John Obi Mikel has been increasingly linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the last week or so. Some quotes have been attributed to his agent suggesting he might be tempted by a move away, with Galatasaray having a reported interesting in the Nigerian star. Since moving to Chelsea in 2006 Mikel has won every available trophy domestically, as well as helping the club lift the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League. However, there is a feeling amongst some Chelsea fans that Mikel has never really hit the heights he was destined too and that he is perhaps not best suited to the two man defensive pivot. As such, would it make sense to sell Mikel?

Statistical analysis

Av. Passes Pass Accuracy Long Passes Interceptions Per Game Tackles Per Game Mikel 53 89% 3.3 1.5 2.3 Arteta 80.9 92% 5.3 2.9 3.2 Toure 78.9 89% 5.5 1.2 0.9 Carrick 77.1 88% 5.8 2.1 2.3

Mikel’s main role in Chelsea’s team is to be the deep lying midfield passer and as such I have compared him to the three top passers in the Premier League, all defensive midfielders (although Toure is often used higher up the pitch). The most striking observation is how few passes Mikel plays in comparison to other top players in his position with the other three playing significantly more passes per game and playing more long passes per game. Mikel’s passes tend to be sideways, rather than penetrative long balls in behind, something Michael Carrick, Toure and Mikel Arteta are very good at.

Mikel is quite a large player in frame but we can also see he is not the best defensive player. Toure’s stats are skewed as he is often used higher up the field but Arteta and Carrick make a far greater defensive contribution than Mikel. In fact, Mikel is also often caught on the ball sometimes and is not the most robust in the tackle. Carrick and Arteta on the other hand often win the ball and then quickly distribute it forward. Mikel on the other hand is relatively slow in possession and often slows down quick attacks.

Tactical analysis

Mikel’s passing is probably the biggest issue as he is simply not particularly productive on the ball nor is he particularly proficient at keeping Chelsea’s play ticking over with sensible and quick passing. If we observe his passing from the 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield (Mikel’s last Premier League appearance) we can see this trend:

Mikel had a pretty poor 81% pass completion for this game and as we can see only managed to complete 39 passes, nowhere near a significant enough figure to really impact the game. In a game like this he should have been dominating but instead was relatively non-existent. Most of his passes are quite safe, either backwards or short passes in midfield with his only long passes having been failed passes. In comparison to the top Premier League passing midfielders this really isn’t good enough, as they regularly complete 70+ passes at an accuracy of around 90%.

It’s also worth noting that Chelsea’s title rivals Manchester City have already strengthened this area with Fernandinho, whilst Manchester United are being heavily linked with a move for a centre-midfielder such as Fabregas.

Conclusion

John Obi Mikel has not been a bad signing for Chelsea but he has never really convinced as a top class Chelsea player. Since moving to the club he has been a steady performer at defensive midfield, without ever excelling. There are also doubts over whether he is of the required quality to get Chelsea back to the top of English football, especially considering that the club are weak in the defensive pivot area. If Mikel moves on it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the World as the club are set to bring in a new midfielder anyway. If the club can bring in a top class passer, or a top class combative midfielder then Chelsea would definitely be better off.

http://thinkfootball.co.uk/archives/10474

[Badboy 1,526]

He hasn't progressed to what he should have been.

[Clevemayer 764]

He hasn't progressed to what he should have been.

thats what I'm stating mate, this said, it doesn't mean he is bad, just god solid, and only sometimes excellent but sometimes below par too, so its all down to him for me, its his mentality... he was missmanaged after Mou left...

[Clevemayer 764]

Chelsea holding midfielder John Obi Mikel has been increasingly linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the last week or so. Some quotes have been attributed to his agent suggesting he might be tempted by a move away, with Galatasaray having a reported interesting in the Nigerian star. Since moving to Chelsea in 2006 Mikel has won every available trophy domestically, as well as helping the club lift the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League. However, there is a feeling amongst some Chelsea fans that Mikel has never really hit the heights he was destined too and that he is perhaps not best suited to the two man defensive pivot. As such, would it make sense to sell Mikel?

Statistical analysis

Av. Passes Pass Accuracy Long Passes Interceptions Per Game Tackles Per Game Mikel 53 89% 3.3 1.5 2.3 Arteta 80.9 92% 5.3 2.9 3.2 Toure 78.9 89% 5.5 1.2 0.9 Carrick 77.1 88% 5.8 2.1 2.3

Mikel’s main role in Chelsea’s team is to be the deep lying midfield passer and as such I have compared him to the three top passers in the Premier League, all defensive midfielders (although Toure is often used higher up the pitch). The most striking observation is how few passes Mikel plays in comparison to other top players in his position with the other three playing significantly more passes per game and playing more long passes per game. Mikel’s passes tend to be sideways, rather than penetrative long balls in behind, something Michael Carrick, Toure and Mikel Arteta are very good at.

Mikel is quite a large player in frame but we can also see he is not the best defensive player. Toure’s stats are skewed as he is often used higher up the field but Arteta and Carrick make a far greater defensive contribution than Mikel. In fact, Mikel is also often caught on the ball sometimes and is not the most robust in the tackle. Carrick and Arteta on the other hand often win the ball and then quickly distribute it forward. Mikel on the other hand is relatively slow in possession and often slows down quick attacks.

Tactical analysis

Mikel’s passing is probably the biggest issue as he is simply not particularly productive on the ball nor is he particularly proficient at keeping Chelsea’s play ticking over with sensible and quick passing. If we observe his passing from the 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield (Mikel’s last Premier League appearance) we can see this trend:

Mikel had a pretty poor 81% pass completion for this game and as we can see only managed to complete 39 passes, nowhere near a significant enough figure to really impact the game. In a game like this he should have been dominating but instead was relatively non-existent. Most of his passes are quite safe, either backwards or short passes in midfield with his only long passes having been failed passes. In comparison to the top Premier League passing midfielders this really isn’t good enough, as they regularly complete 70+ passes at an accuracy of around 90%.

It’s also worth noting that Chelsea’s title rivals Manchester City have already strengthened this area with Fernandinho, whilst Manchester United are being heavily linked with a move for a centre-midfielder such as Fabregas.

Conclusion

John Obi Mikel has not been a bad signing for Chelsea but he has never really convinced as a top class Chelsea player. Since moving to the club he has been a steady performer at defensive midfield, without ever excelling. There are also doubts over whether he is of the required quality to get Chelsea back to the top of English football, especially considering that the club are weak in the defensive pivot area. If Mikel moves on it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the World as the club are set to bring in a new midfielder anyway. If the club can bring in a top class passer, or a top class combative midfielder then Chelsea would definitely be better off.

http://thinkfootball.co.uk/archives/10474

And what is new about Mikel being shit in the final half of the season... nearly everybody admitted this?

[The only place to be 11,313]

Your point was that what Romeu did was more interesting than what Mikel does. That's false, the intent was fair most of the time but the execution lacked accuracy etc... He's nowhere near a regular starting spot for Chelsea but that must be so hipster to pretend Ake, Chalobah or Romeu can do what Mikel does on a full season and not just on isolated cup ties.

Indeed, I'm allergic with everything that comes close to youth football, young players etc... probably the reason why I spend my week & week ends coaching youths.

I'm not going to criticise a young player (who is clearly talented by the way) from taking a few chances in games against weaker opposition. We're talking about a game we won 6-0 and had sewn up after about 30 minutes, which is to me the perfect game for a young guy to try some new things.

Fuck knows what you're on about 'hipster' but Ake has been good in FA Cup, Europa League and Premier League games when given a chance. Maybe he can't do what Mikel does (pause to snigger) over 60 games but those three guys could share the workload in my opinion. That's if we don't sign someone like De Rossi who is a proper leader of men.

It's easy to forget that Mikel is older than Mata and has been at this club for about 7 years yet people like you still baby him. We can't really talk about him in terms of potential anymore, yet he has still failed to convince a lot of supporters of his value to the club.

And what is new about Mikel being shit in the final half of the season... nearly everybody admitted this?

Is that acceptable?

[Clevemayer 764]

I'm not going to criticise a young player (who is clearly talented by the way) from taking a few chances in games against weaker opposition. We're talking about a game we won 6-0 and had sewn up after about 30 minutes, which is to me the perfect game for a young guy to try some new things.

Fuck knows what you're on about 'hipster' but Ake has been good in FA Cup, Europa League and Premier League games when given a chance. Maybe he can't do what Mikel does (pause to snigger) over 60 games but those three guys could share the workload in my opinion. That's if we don't sign someone like De Rossi who is a proper leader of men.

It's easy to forget that Mikel is older than Mata and has been at this club for about 7 years yet people like you still baby him. We can't really talk about him in terms of potential anymore, yet he has still failed to convince a lot of supporters of his value to the club.

Is that acceptable?

No, but is it acceptable to just forget everything he did for this club before and just act like a little child and post stupid gifs on him leaving?

Seriously, there is no reason for that, many players have had bad spells, just imagine ppl treating Ess like that, Ess was shit for a large preiod under Carlo after his Red Card against Fullham in particular and still ppl defended him, thats the same approach you should take towards Mikel.

I never said its acceptable to have a bad spell, I said you can't write a player off or just forget everything he did when he has a bad spell.

There is in no circumstance the possibility to compare MIkel with Kalou, Bosingwa Floppes or whom ever. Mikel did a great job at times and just worked fine to exceptional at times in the Midfield and it annoys me when ppl don't accept this.

Yeah he had a bad spell in that last half of the season but If you argument like this Lamps should've been gone under AVB, if he is shit till january think about selling him, if he doesn't prove you wrong after january sell him defo but after one bad spell this is unfair...

Thats all I demand and many others here too.

Bosingwa hat two games he stood out ok, but its still unfair to compare Mikel to him and everybody should know this if he watches football regularly...

its just a matter of being fair and act appropriate

[The only place to be 11,313]

No, but is it acceptable to just forget everything he did for this club before and just act like a little child and post stupid gifs on him leaving?

Seriously, there is no reason for that, many players have had bad spells, just imagine ppl treating Ess like that, Ess was shit for a large preiod under Carlo after his Red Card against Fullham in particular and still ppl defended him, thats the same approach you should take towards Mikel.

People defended him because he had two bad injuries, yet he never shirked his duties or became a passenger. Has Mikel had some bad injuries that I missed??

Essien is a leader....Essien is a MAN. That's why he'll be defended because he loves this club and we love him.

As for the rest of your post, he's played nearly 300 games for us now. People know who he is, what he offers and they have a fair idea what he could be going forward. They'll appreciate the job he did for us in the past but we've always been a club that has looked to the future.

Quite frankly, Bayern have shown the whole of Europe what the players in the double pivot should be and I think Mikel has been left behind partly because we were so intent on turning him into the new Makelele - I don't know if Makelele would fit our team anymore in all honesty.

[Clevemayer 764]

Quite frankly, Bayern have shown the whole of Europe what the players in the double pivot should be and I think Mikel has been left behind partly because we were so intent on turning him into the new Makelele - I don't know if Makelele would fit our team anymore in all honesty.

I think Gündogan fits the bill of how a DM should be in Pivot much more.

I have no intention to deny any point of you're post it was a mix of Missmanagement of talents and restricting a player too much but lets wait and see if Mou can give him another push or not.

And like I've said with Mikel 75% of his problems on the pitch are because of his mentality...

[The only place to be 11,313]

And like I've said with Mikel 75% of his problems on the pitch are because of his mentality...

Absolutely 100% agree.

[Clevemayer 764]

Absolutely 100% agree.

so Finally you can just talk about Mikels real issues and his problems, and I think this is down to the fact that 50% of the 'Hate Mikel'-Trolls have left the building, so you will slowly start to argument the right way and you see that our opinions are not that far away from each other...

[Reddish-Blue 2,505]

No, but is it acceptable to just forget everything he did for this club before and just act like a little child and post stupid gifs on him leaving?

Seriously, there is no reason for that, many players have had bad spells, just imagine ppl treating Ess like that, Ess was shit for a large preiod under Carlo after his Red Card against Fullham in particular and still ppl defended him, thats the same approach you should take towards Mikel.

I never said its acceptable to have a bad spell, I said you can't write a player off or just forget everything he did when he has a bad spell.

There is in no circumstance the possibility to compare MIkel with Kalou, Bosingwa Floppes or whom ever. Mikel did a great job at times and just worked fine to exceptional at times in the Midfield and it annoys me when ppl don't accept this.

Yeah he had a bad spell in that last half of the season but If you argument like this Lamps should've been gone under AVB, if he is shit till january think about selling him, if he doesn't prove you wrong after january sell him defo but after one bad spell this is unfair...

its just a matter of being fair and act appropriate

Lamps should have been gone? HAHA, that's the most absurd thing i've ever heard. You actually compared a Chelsea legend to Mikel's situation?

Mikel would of been sold long ago at another top club.

[The Skipper 20,609]

Mourinho is going to break so many hearts this season. John Obi Mikel reduced to his deserved position, the bench.

If this thread is anything to go by, it's actually the opposite.

[Reddish-Blue 2,505]

so Finally you can just talk about Mikels real issues and his problems, and I think this is down to the fact that 50% of the 'Hate Mikel'-Trolls have left the building, so you will slowly start to argument the right way and you see that our opinions are not that far away from each other...

So what are Mikel's real issues and problems?

[LDN Blue 7,903]

so Finally you can just talk about Mikels real issues and his problems, and I think this is down to the fact that 50% of the 'Hate Mikel'-Trolls have left the building, so you will slowly start to argument the right way and you see that our opinions are not that far away from each other...

TOPTB has always been an excellent debater in that regard. Always willing to listen to other's opinions.

[Clevemayer 764]

So what are Mikel's real issues and problems?

aren't you able to read?

[Joe Cool 388]

So what are Mikel's real issues and problems?

Well, attitude problems aside, Mikel is well too limited of a player to be playing in a pivot. He fits in better in a 4-3-3 due to the fact that formation has one person dedicated to the holding role, mainly staying in front of the back 4 and nothing else. However, in a 4-2-3-1, where we only have two central midfielders, because Mikel is so limited offensively and creatively, it often leaves well too much responsibility on the shoulders of his partner (which none of our other central midfielders are good enough to take up) and gives us absolutely no ideas going forward. If you compare him to players like Gundogan and Martinez, it's should become quite clear as to why they made it to the finals of the Champions League and why we couldn't even get out of the groups.

I think he offers more to the team than Essien will (although that's not saying much), but why give either of those two a chance in the team when we have Ake, Loftus Cheek, and Romeu plus a new buy like De Rossi (potentially)?

[Clevemayer 764]

Well, attitude problems aside, Mikel is well too limited of a player to be playing in a pivot. He fits in better in a 4-3-3 due to the fact that formation has one person dedicated to the holding role, mainly staying in front of the back 4 and nothing else. However, in a 4-2-3-1, where we only have two central midfielders, because Mikel is so limited offensively and creatively, it often leaves well too much responsibility on the shoulders of his partner (which none of our other central midfielders are good enough to take up) and gives us absolutely no ideas going forward. If you compare him to players like Gundogan and Martinez, it's should become quite clear as to why they made it to the finals of the Champions League and why we couldn't even get out of the groups.

The Question is, if he really is that limited, he excells for Nigeria since two years when haveing the license for roaming forward, so maybe its because of our strict strategical view for him? Maybe he can't get out of the idea play'n as pure DM like in a 4-3-3 at chelsea?

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Well, attitude problems aside, Mikel is well too limited of a player to be playing in a pivot. He fits in better in a 4-3-3 due to the fact that formation has one person dedicated to the holding role, mainly staying in front of the back 4 and nothing else.

I don't know if Makelele would fit our team anymore in all honesty.

On these two points, could we possibly make an argument that this has been a major stumbling block for Mikel to have evolved into the holding role? SeB eluded to the fact that Mikel has been mismanaged since Mourinho's departure which is certainly a plausible explanation because it was José who first changed Mikel from an attacking to defensive player.

[Clevemayer 764]

On these two points, could we possibly make an argument that this has been a major stumbling block for Mikel to have evolved into the holding role? SeB eluded to the fact that Mikel has been mismanaged since Mourinho's departure which is certainly a plausible explanation because it was José who first changed Mikel from an attacking to defensive player.

did he really? I thought I was the only one with that opinion at my previous post a page ago, but then finally I've found somebody understanding me