🇳🇬 Mikel John Obi

[The only place to be 11,313]

so tell me how many moves had we made in the sexond half without mikel? How were we playing? How many times did mikel lose the ball cos of this incessant pressing of gala? U might not like mikel but to ridicule him for yesterday is childish to say the least. He played well. He did the job that he was brought on to do. It was not as if jose removed a defender and put in a midfielder so that we go for an extra goal.

Mikel didn't lose the ball once....he lets other players do that. What he does is he shields the ball, moves towards his goal and compresses the space between the opposition players who are pressing him and the player he's passing to. If you watch the match there's a moment where he does that to Azpi, so Azpi has to clear it.

And no I don't like Mikel but I have no problem with a player like him being introduced to slow things down and ease the pressure off of us. I'd just prefer it was someone better.

Before he came on they had 4 chances, after 3 chances.

Before he came on they completed 85% of their passes, after 86%.

After he comes on, we actually play more in our third of the pitch.

Very little changes with his introduction.

[didierforever 7,349]

Mikel didn't lose the ball once....he lets other players do that. What he does is he shields the ball, moves towards his goal and compresses the space between the opposition players who are pressing him and the player he's passing to. If you watch the match there's a moment where he does that to Azpi, so Azpi has to clear it.

And no I don't like Mikel but I have no problem with a player like him being introduced to slow things down and ease the pressure off of us. I'd just prefer it was someone better.

Before he came on they had 4 chances, after 3 chances.

Before he came on they completed 85% of their passes, after 86%.

After he comes on, we actually play more in our third of the pitch.

Very little changes with his introduction.

Hahahqhqhq. And then people blamr choulo for using stats as per his requirwments.

We should completely leavr out how over run we were in mid, how pathetic we were in possession. How likely we were to concede below or how unlikely it seemed that wewould concede after.

Plus are u sayong that mikel on the field plays to Iimprove his stats??? He was under preasure, shielded the ball and gave an out for the team. Instaed that has become a negative for people saying he did to improve his stat or whatecer your argument is.

Our prejudices always cause us to voew things differently and this is the prime example of it. Had this been matic, I am sure people would have lauded him for his touresque physicality

[We Hate Scouse 10,326]

Hahahqhqhq. And then people blamr choulo for using stats as per his requirwments.

We should completely leavr out how over run we were in mid, how pathetic we were in possession. How likely we were to concede below or how unlikely it seemed that wewould concede after.

Plus are u sayong that mikel on the field plays to Iimprove his stats??? He was under preasure, shielded the ball and gave an out for the team. Instaed that has become a negative for people saying he did to improve his stat or whatecer your argument is.

Our prejudices always cause us to voew things differently and this is the prime example of it. Had this been matic, I am sure people would have lauded him for his touresque physicality

He was under pressure and put us even more under pressure as a team by playing the ball backwards and inviting them to attack us even more.

Had this been Matic the stats would've told a different story. 0 tackles & 0 interceptions by Mikel - He offered nothing defensively. He was atrocious, all he done was pass the ball backwards and lose Galatasaray a ball with that god awful shot.

[Strike 7,489]

once Mancini changed the tactics, a midfielder had to come on. you can berate him all you want but can't deny we were getting battered at the start of the 2nd half and after he came on it got better.

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

Some obvious haters here.

Maybe he passed back to Azpi so he had to clear. How many times did others pass back to Cech so he could launch it?

Like him or not but he was a good sub and def helped control possession. Mou took off Schurrle for him so it should he clear that he just wanted to control some possession and get out with the draw. If you don't think we had more possession since his introduction then you clearly didn't watch the match and I don't need stats to prove that, just watch the last 25 mins. Not saying more possession means good possession but he was put on help keep possession and maintain the result and he did his job. Did he earn himself a start? No. But he doesn't deserve hate for yesterday's cameo.

[Special Juan 28,141]

Some obvious haters here.

Hate is a strong word, and wrong word to use. I find it very hard to believe any Chelsea fan hates any Chelsea player and think the wording here is used to easy and frequent when it suits people. All people are doing is pointing what issues they have with him and whether people agree with each other or not hate isn't the point here.

[didierforever 7,349]

once Mancini changed the tactics, a midfielder had to come on. you can berate him all you want but can't deny we were getting battered at the start of the 2nd half and after he came on it got better.

Dint u get the memo dude? Its hip to bash mikel. Forget the fact that he completely changed the complexion of thw game, but how the bloody hell could he five a backpass. The worse thing is people saying he invited preasure as if our defence was on a knife's edge. One individual incident of the azpi clearance has bexome thw pivotal point of the 30mins that mikel was on the pitch ( not even considering that it was a fairly regulation clearance).

And the even worse thing is these are the same guys whi woukd get on thwir high horse if u have written something right after a city loss ( in a very emotional state) against say someone like salah.

But bashing mikel, god forbid if anyone says otherwise.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I don't hate Mikel. I quite like him. But after 8 years of trying to defend him, I've given up and realised he is moreorless useless in any game unless your opponents don't press high up the pitch, which means he can sit back, let the full-backs and midfielders bomb forward and he'll act as a third centre back. The thing is Matic does that twice as well and constitutes an attacking threat. Mikel has been consigned to the "spare parts" bin.

[The only place to be 11,313]

And the even worse thing is these are the same guys whi woukd get on thwir high horse if u have written something right after a city loss ( in a very emotional state) against say someone like salah.

Salah has barely played for us, is new to the system, new to the club, new to the league and new to the country.

Mikel is one of our more experienced players, and EVERY fan knows what he gives us at this point in time.

It's the same old shit though. If you don't like the way a player plays football then you must be a hater, or you must be scapegoating him or it's just the 'hip' thing to do. That is quite frankly bollocks. I've seen people give him credit for good performances (like Everton away) but they're so far and few between that he simply doesn't get that much praise. Throw in the fact that we've bought a genuinely good midfielder in Matic who is completely different from Mikel in every way and he's going to look poor in comparison.

The fact is that there's a few people on here, on Twitter and elsewhere who have long defended Mikel. They've said he's misunderstood, that what he does is beyond us mere mortals comprehension, that he's unfairly singled out, that he's actually the best DM in Europe (except for Busquets obviously), that he's key to what we do, that he's going to be here forever....and they've had to eat their words because Matic has come in and done a much better job in his first few games. He's been proactive, he's been hard-working, he's been driving the team forward, he's been passing through the lines, he's been taking players on and he's even shown a nice eye for a chance.

It's hilarious.

[didierforever 7,349]

Salah has barely played for us, is new to the system, new to the club, new to the league and new to the country.

Mikel is one of our more experienced players, and EVERY fan knows what he gives us at this point in time.

It's the same old shit though. If you don't like the way a player plays football then you must be a hater, or you must be scapegoating him or it's just the 'hip' thing to do. That is quite frankly bollocks. I've seen people give him credit for good performances (like Everton away) but they're so far and few between that he simply doesn't get that much praise. Throw in the fact that we've bought a genuinely good midfielder in Matic who is completely different from Mikel in every way and he's going to look poor in comparison.

The fact is that there's a few people on here, on Twitter and elsewhere who have long defended Mikel. They've said he's misunderstood, that what he does is beyond us mere mortals comprehension, that he's unfairly singled out, that he's actually the best DM in Europe (except for Busquets obviously), that he's key to what we do, that he's going to be here forever....and they've had to eat their words because Matic has come in and done a much better job in his first few games. He's been proactive, he's been hard-working, he's been driving the team forward, he's been passing through the lines, he's been taking players on and he's even shown a nice eye for a chance.

It's hilarious.

What is hilarious is the fact that people are bashing mikel for a completely good performance.

We bought matic who is better than mikel in evry respect (agreed and don't think I or anyone here would say differently) but does that mean mikel should be critisized for a good performance too??? As for the other things u wrote above (mere mortal stuff and all) and the fact that he is being said as the best DM can merely be a fabrication of your imagination cos I don't thunk any1 here has said so. Atleast I havr not. I have critisized him for poor performances and given him his due for good ones like yesterday.

Ps- as for salah, I specifically said that in a emotional moment just after the gane, exagerrations can be made. Hence accepting a mistake even though playing him as a striker ahead of torres n schurrle in a match as importabt as city away while making a sub at HT ehich was a mega- critical point was a massive mistake too though not of Salah.

[We Hate Scouse 10,326]

Salah has barely played for us, is new to the system, new to the club, new to the league and new to the country.

Mikel is one of our more experienced players, and EVERY fan knows what he gives us at this point in time.

It's the same old shit though. If you don't like the way a player plays football then you must be a hater, or you must be scapegoating him or it's just the 'hip' thing to do. That is quite frankly bollocks. I've seen people give him credit for good performances (like Everton away) but they're so far and few between that he simply doesn't get that much praise. Throw in the fact that we've bought a genuinely good midfielder in Matic who is completely different from Mikel in every way and he's going to look poor in comparison.

The fact is that there's a few people on here, on Twitter and elsewhere who have long defended Mikel. They've said he's misunderstood, that what he does is beyond us mere mortals comprehension, that he's unfairly singled out, that he's actually the best DM in Europe (except for Busquets obviously), that he's key to what we do, that he's going to be here forever....and they've had to eat their words because Matic has come in and done a much better job in his first few games. He's been proactive, he's been hard-working, he's been driving the team forward, he's been passing through the lines, he's been taking players on and he's even shown a nice eye for a chance.

It's hilarious.

it really is ridiculous you literally can't criticise the guy or you get jumped on.

People are criticising other players from last night...Hazard, Ramires etc. but no ones jumping in defending them because people can accept the criticism, yet here it seems that people worship the holy Mikel and there will be no slander towards him.

[We Hate Scouse 10,326]

What is hilarious is the fact that people are bashing mikel for a completely good performance.

Which is an opinion. If people think he played badly accept that and get on with it. There's no need to wank the guy off and defend absolutely everything people say against him for fucksake.

[The only place to be 11,313]

What is hilarious is the fact that people are bashing mikel for a completely good performance.

It wasn't 'good' though. It was at best the bare minimum you'd expect from a professional footballer with such a tiny amount asked of him. I'm surprised one of the stats used in his defence wasn't 'number of bootlaces done up correctly'.

One of the things overlooked is that Galatasaray took off Drogba in the last ten minutes as well who, despite being fairly old now, was probably still the focal point of their attack.

[didierforever 7,349]

Which is an opinion. If people think he played badly accept that and get on with it. There's no need to wank the guy off and defend absolutely everything people say against him for fucksake.

why not? If it's their opinion then this is mine.

As u rightly said, people are criticizing hazard and willian right left and center but no one is defending them abd that is the correct thing. They were poor, hence the treatment.

If someone says azpi was poor, everyone will jump down his throat and rightly so. For me, mikel was GOOD in the match yesterday. He gave us the stability that we were cryibg out for and he choked off any momentum from the galatasaray game. Considering the situation and the circumstances in whuch mikel was subbed in, I would say, this was the exact thing he would have been vrought in for. Hence, a GOOD performanxr. Job well done!!!!

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

Hate is a strong word, and wrong word to use. I find it very hard to believe any Chelsea fan hates any Chelsea player and think the wording here is used to easy and frequent when it suits people. All people are doing is pointing what issues they have with him and whether people agree with each other or not hate isn't the point here.

Well I didn't mean they hate him, but people def have got it in for him when this thread is more active than others who performed far worse. And people aren't just pointing out issues they have with him, if that was the case then it'd be fine, but they are actually criticizing his performance yesterday. And the criticism is pathetic too, like he passed back to Azpi who had to clear has been brought up 10 times, finding the most ridiculous of examples to criticize a decent enough performance. I don't think that is warranted at all. And of course, people can post their opinions, but in my opinion some are obviously hating.

[Special Juan 28,141]

Well I didn't mean they hate him........ but in my opinion some are obviously hating.

[didierforever 7,349]

It wasn't 'good' though. It was at best the bare minimum you'd expect from a professional footballer with such a tiny amount asked of him. I'm surprised one of the stats used in his defence wasn't 'number of bootlaces done up correctly'.

One of the things overlooked is that Galatasaray took off Drogba in the last ten minutes as well who, despite being fairly old now, was probably still the focal point of their attack.

Sigh.

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

Salah has barely played for us, is new to the system, new to the club, new to the league and new to the country.

Mikel is one of our more experienced players, and EVERY fan knows what he gives us at this point in time.

It's the same old shit though. If you don't like the way a player plays football then you must be a hater, or you must be scapegoating him or it's just the 'hip' thing to do. That is quite frankly bollocks. I've seen people give him credit for good performances (like Everton away) but they're so far and few between that he simply doesn't get that much praise. Throw in the fact that we've bought a genuinely good midfielder in Matic who is completely different from Mikel in every way and he's going to look poor in comparison.

The fact is that there's a few people on here, on Twitter and elsewhere who have long defended Mikel. They've said he's misunderstood, that what he does is beyond us mere mortals comprehension, that he's unfairly singled out, that he's actually the best DM in Europe (except for Busquets obviously), that he's key to what we do, that he's going to be here forever....and they've had to eat their words because Matic has come in and done a much better job in his first few games. He's been proactive, he's been hard-working, he's been driving the team forward, he's been passing through the lines, he's been taking players on and he's even shown a nice eye for a chance.

It's hilarious.

There is nothing wrong with criticizing Mikel. Imo he is just a good squad player and no one is saying he is amazing. But to bring up the same shit whenever he plays, even after a good performance is a waste of time.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Well I didn't mean they hate him, but people def have got it in for him when this thread is more active than others who performed far worse. And people aren't just pointing out issues they have with him, if that was the case then it'd be fine, but they are actually criticizing his performance yesterday. And the criticism is pathetic too, like he passed back to Azpi who had to clear has been brought up 10 times, finding the most ridiculous of examples to criticize a decent enough performance. I don't think that is warranted at all. And of course, people can post their opinions, but in my opinion some are obviously hating.

That is just an example of how misleading stats can be. A pass from Matic to Hazard through the lines which forces defences to reorganise and a pass back to a player who has no option but to hoof it long still count as passes completed but are in reality completely different.

The problem is that those who defend him constantly fall back on stats which have little context.

[The Mak 4,459]

Passing the ball around a bit and recycling possession...really? If we had more possession after he came on, fine. But attributing it solely to him is ridiculous - he was an extra body in midfield. Any midfielder, hell, any footballer worth his salt should be able to do what he did last night: PASS THE FUCKING BALL.

Seriously? If that the defence? Desperate times for the Mikel fans now that Matic is here I suppose. It's like saying Torres had a good game because he ran around a bit. Please.