🇳🇬 Mikel John Obi

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Was excellent in the first half yesterday. Very crucial to our pressing game and one of the main reasons we dominated the game. We should have been out of sight in that first half with the great defensive work the team, especially the pivot, did but the front four and Ramires were not good enough in the final third. You can't possibly blame Mikel, he did his job. He won the ball several times in the opposition half and started dangerous attacks that we missed and even got an assist for Schurrle's goal.

[Phil Driver 503]

So he got hauled off for being excellent ,it seems the sideways passes do fool some ,they do.

We and he were awful and gutless and Mikel was central to the way we played the sideways passes do nothing ,it is Ireland he should be stopping ,Rammy suffered badly as a result of being isolated ,sorry choulou but you do not continually get hauled off and dropped for being excellent .

[ChelseasMessiah 304]

He's still the best we have to partner Ramires. We absolutely crumbled when he went off.

[Phil Driver 503]

He was taken off because he had crumbled and lost Ireland . Press him as Stoke did second half and we are feeble ,every opposition manager should be doing it ,he was lost.

Another game where a holding midfielder who is good would be the last player you take off and as soon as Ireland came on (who is a journeyman) and Obi was running in sand when we needed him to secure the game,it was the same at Sunderland when they pushed up on him and they very nearly equalised,the question remains ,what does he do again? Protect the back four -- I dont think so .

[remains of the day 564]

He was good in the first half as he's been for the most part this season. But in the second half he was the first to capitulate the moment Stoke raised the pressure. Thought he could have done more to have helped prevent the second goal and quite pissed off at how he was jugging lackadaisically behind Stephen Ireland for that goal. Buddy, your left back has been fouled and is on the ground, the ref hasn't called the foul. Your centre back now has to rush over to cover and has been pulled out of position, your midfield partner is upfield and an opposing player is in front of you running straight at your defence and your just strolling along idly? Mikel needed to have taken control of the situation particularly since J.T is out of position and Cahill has been left on his own. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that he would, at least, tried to have gotten tight to Ireland and attempt to block his path so that Ireland is not able to take a clear shot on goal.

That situation really wasn't so dangerous but because Mikel made no effort to do anything, Cahill then is put under pressure. He himself fails to deal with it and just like that, a semi-problematic situation has now escalated into something far more dangerous than it needed to be. The team as a whole needs to improve on how they react in these kind of situations but I don't think Mikel's general lack of effort and urgency helps matters.

And yes @PhillDriver, I know you agree.

[lucio 5,418]

dont get why he is so weak in the tackle. loses most 50 50's

[robsblubot 3,595]

He was good in the first half as he's been for the most part this season. But in the second half he was the first to capitulate the moment Stoke raised the pressure. Thought he could have done more to have helped prevent the second goal and quite pissed off at how he was jugging lackadaisically behind Stephen Ireland for that goal. Buddy, your left back has been fouled and is on the ground, the ref hasn't called the foul. Your centre back now has to rush over to cover and has been pulled out of position, your midfield partner is upfield and an opposing player is in front of you running straight at your defence and your just strolling along idly? Mikel needed to have taken control of the situation particularly since J.T is out of position and Cahill has been left on his own. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that he would, at least, tried to have gotten tight to Ireland and attempt to block his path so that Ireland is not able to take a clear shot on goal.

That situation really wasn't so dangerous but because Mikel made no effort to do anything, Cahill then is put under pressure. He himself fails to deal with it and just like that, a semi-problematic situation has now escalated into something far more dangerous than it needed to be. The team as a whole needs to improve on how they react in these kind of situations but I don't think Mikel's general lack of effort and urgency helps matters.

And yes @PhillDriver, I know you agree.

Yup consistently lacks aggression.

A profession foul would have done the trick too - but he rarely (if ever) fouls anyone.

Have to agree with Phil too: Jose was not happy with whatever Mikel was or wasn't doing.

[Blue Armour 4,730]

Yup consistently lacks aggression.

A profession foul would have done the trick too - but he rarely (if ever) fouls anyone.

Have to agree with Phil too: Jose was not happy with whatever Mikel was or wasn't doing.

I remember the time when Mikel used to frequently pile up the yellow cards (and occasional reds)

He really has tried to bring that count down over the past three seasons...and I think we're seeing the end result. Its a good thing he has brought them down, but he seems less aggressive because of it.

[Reddish-Blue 2,677]

For the sake of Mikel's future, I hope he gets sold..

We need new blood in the midfield.

[robsblubot 3,595]

I remember the time when Mikel used to frequently pile up the yellow cards (and occasional reds)

He really has tried to bring that count down over the past three seasons...and I think we're seeing the end result. Its a good thing he has brought them down, but he seems less aggressive because of it.

Interesting... yeah maybe he's gone too far on the caution side.

In that position players are expected to pickup cards though - kinda unavoidable.

[ChelseasMessiah 304]

He's starting tonight.

That means we're definitely bringing in a world-class player in January. So Ramires can form a proper partnership in midfield.

[Jase 43,479]

Sam Rhodes ‏@SamuelRhodes_26m

Looks like John Obi Mikel is on his way to turkey in January. Our source claims that he has agreed personal terms with Galatasaray.

Can't believe you are quoting a news from a scam source!

[Jase 43,479]

No I thought we would by new DM in January.

Erm, yeah...posting that without expanding on it with your reasoning previously...

[ChelseasMessiah 304]

A midfield of Mikel and Lampard just does not have any impetus or drive. John wasn't bad but not what we needed today.

[The_Flash 1,144]

Did not have the nest game he gave away the ball many times

[zolayes 14,489]

Sam Rhodes ‏@SamuelRhodes_26m

Looks like John Obi Mikel is on his way to turkey in January. Our source claims that he has agreed personal terms with Galatasaray.

well he played like a turkey tonight ,,,wonder if he will survive Xmas

[Korea 734]

Mikel and Ivan are the ends of an attack...

I havent seen Mikel go forward in such a long time, and when he did today, we almost conceded a goal..

[happy_juan 64]

The lad reaches new depths of uselessness in every game.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I'm not sure if this is a new low for him because the Juventus, Arsenal and Rubin games were all pretty bad but he was terrible last night. He sucks the energy out of Stamford Bridge like no-one I've ever seen and seems to only be popular on social media sites with people who struggle to speak English properly.

I can't think of another player who has made about 300 Chelsea appearances and been so poor and unpopular.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

I don't know who the co-commentator at Sky was, but everytime Mikel had the ball this guy criticized him. Sadly he was right, sometimes in games like this one truly finds out how slow, uncreative Mikel is. Someone should explain to the bloke that football is not chess, you can't play every ball safe. Its about taking risks.