Mikel John Obi

[Blue Armour 4,436]

Not bashing at all mate, just taking the piss out of some who got completely carried away with ONE really good performance, that's all.

We also just differ on what we believe a CDM should do. You believe he should keep it nice and simple and protect the back four, I believe, at this level, he should be able to do that and more, i.e. have pace/quick decision making/good passing range. Mikel couldn't even do the simple stuff today against a team fighting relegation.

Absoultely true...

Its come to the point where we need Mikel AND Ramires to provide any sort of protection to the back 4...In the past all we needed was one Makelele or Essien....

[zolayes 14,489]

Time we learned Attack is the best form of Defence . Get rid of the double pivot

[Spike 12,049]

this thread is hilarious. we had 2 useless wingers, 2 fullbacks u had a horrendous match, a striker who dint win a single aerial challenge when i think we might have punted about 20-30 balls from the defense, a center back who has continously been falling in standards (ivanovic), a center attacking midfielder whole role should have been to be a link up between the pivot and the forward but instead he (oscar) got what 5-10 useful touches all match long, a manager who put a 2nd string team for the no.1 priority match and trusted in a already known fucked up pivot of lamps-mikel and yet if u read the last 2 pages of this thread u would feel mikel was the soul reason for this shambolic performance and defeat.

mikel might not be good enough for chelsea's supposed ambition but this is absolutely ridiculous.

No...no you wouldn't because they have not even been mentioned. Only Mikel has been mentioned in this thread, because this is Mikel's thread if you want to whinge about the whole teams performance go read the matchday thread or something. It's not surprise that people only talk about Mikel in his own thread.

[OneMoSalah 8,885]

He had a bad game today but so did the whole team. The way he played against United coming on and dominating the game showed how good he really is. Just an off day today. When we lose the amount of abuse Mikel gets is ridiculous. Some of it I think ok maybe he didn't do this that and this but there's some of it that isn't even his fault. Hes obviously the scapegoat of the team.

[The Skipper 20,609]

No...no you wouldn't because they have not even been mentioned. Only Mikel has been mentioned in this thread, because this is Mikel's thread if you want to whinge about the whole teams performance go read the matchday thread or something. It's not surprise that people only talk about Mikel in his own thread.

Yeah he had a poor game today, but if you read the comments here it's like the loss is his fault. The whole team was subpar today, that's fact. I'm not really looking into this performance as an indicator to anyone's overall ability simply because it's a one off game where we played a second string side (who aren't good enough overall to begin with). I think there's a general overreaction concerning today's result - it's like people expected us to comprehensively beat Southampton with the team we put out - I already knew it was going to be very difficult to do that when the XI was read out.

IMO people are just using this game to bash players and fuel previous agenda's they had on them. If we started Hazard, Mata, Ramires, Luiz & Ba today it would've been a completely different game and everyone knows that. It's the gulf of quality between our first team and second team that needs fixing, and you can't really blame our squad players for that I think.

[Spike 12,049]

Yeah he had a poor game today, but if you read the comments here it's like the loss is his fault. The whole team was subpar today, that's fact. I'm not really looking into this performance as an indicator to anyone's overall ability simply because it's a one off game where we played a second string side (who aren't good enough overall to begin with). I think there's a general overreaction concerning today's result - it's like people expected us to comprehensively beat Southampton with the team we put out - I already knew it was going to be very difficult to do that when the XI was read out.

IMO people are just using this game to bash players and fuel previous agenda's they had on them. If we started Hazard, Mata, Ramires, Luiz & Ba today it would've been a completely different game and everyone knows that. It's the gulf of quality between our first team and second team that needs fixing, and you can't really blame our squad players for that I think.

I've never had an agenda against him. JUST SAYING.

[The Skipper 20,609]

I've never had an agenda against him. JUST SAYING.

Likewise, just saying. Never said you did. I was talking about the general consensus.

[Guest FullEnglishBreakfast]

Poor old Jon. Trapped in a system that does himself and everyone else no favours. Last night was a shining gem of the mess Chelsea is in. No direction instead of one direction.

I'm so sorry for the pun.

[Spike 12,049]

Likewise, just saying. Never said you did. I was talking about the general consensus.

And I never said you said I said...(?)

Haha, regardless a lot needs to changed for Mikel to succeed, and is he the player we want build everything around?

[The Skipper 20,609]

Haha, regardless a lot needs to changed for Mikel to succeed, and is he the player we want build everything around?

I wouldn't build my team around a holding midfield player. What you do need though is to provide pillars for players you want to build your team around (in our case Mata, Hazard and Oscar) and in my opinion Mikel can be that. Whenever we play Mikel with the three aforementioned all three seem to have a bit more freedom in their play simply because they know they've got a good holding midfield player behind them as a platform.

[The only place to be 11,313]

He had a bad game today but so did the whole team. The way he played against United coming on and dominating the game showed how good he really is. Just an off day today. When we lose the amount of abuse Mikel gets is ridiculous. Some of it I think ok maybe he didn't do this that and this but there's some of it that isn't even his fault. Hes obviously the scapegoat of the team.

Benitez is the scapegoat. Torres is the scapegoat. Mikel is simply a decent player who we can't rely on when the pressure is on. It's not his fault, it's not something malicious that he chooses to do, it's simply his character.

If you actually watch the United game, they drop off and don't put pressure on which is the exact opposite thing teams should do. Southampton did is perfectly today and Mikel crumbled. When Steaua put pressure on us in the second leg, he gave the ball away a number of times and Steaua should have capitalised on it.

Make no mistake, Lampard does him no favours but Mikel is simply someone we can't rely upon going forward. Fortunately we have a real prospect in Chalobah who I believe will succeed not because he has the physical tools like Mikel, or the technical tools like Mikel (actually I'd say his distribution is better already) but because he has the mental tools that Mikel simply doesn't have. That position in the team requires consistent leadership - that's something no-one has ever said Mikel has.

Does he have a role in the squad? Absolutely. He can provide bench cover and maybe shore things up then we're defending a lead, but he's no more than that.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

For fuck sake whole team is doing badly overall. Not just Mikel. There is a thing called TRANSITION going on at our club, we are not fighting for some trophies right now in Pl or Cl, there are many questions about the game we have.

We have a shit coach. We have wrong tactics. Lamps and Mikel never fit together in double pivot. Result is they play bad together. Several reasons for Mikel playing bad. He is best at doing his role of DM in 4:3:3 with hard working players.

Today game was bad from whole team, not just Mikel. Oscar was lost in game, Marin and Moses were awful. Torres, well...this formation is to play fast possesion football and we had 40% of possession. Is that Mikel's fault? Its his fault as much as Oscars, Lamps or anyone elses.

Once we pick a proper formation, get a decent DLP, striker and a coach that has some clue I will judge Mikel. If he will still play bad I will say I was wrong to believe in him, but if he proves he is good (specialy after he reaches age 27/29), at this club or somewhere else you can all go to f*** yourselves for not believing in him.

Man I just wish he would play at some other PL team that has no issues like we have and he would rip our team. Then I want see some of your faces.

[The only place to be 11,313]

For fuck sake whole team is doing badly overall. Not just Mikel. There is a thing called TRANSITION going on at our club, we are not fighting for some trophies right now in Pl or Cl, there are many questions about the game we have.

We have a shit coach. We have wrong tactics. Lamps and Mikel never fit together in double pivot. Result is they play bad together. Several reasons for Mikel playing bad. He is best at doing his role of DM in 4:3:3 with hard working players.

Today game was bad from whole team, not just Mikel. Oscar was lost in game, Marin and Moses were awful. Torres, well...this formation is to play fast possesion football and we had 40% of possession. Is that Mikel's fault? Its his fault as much as Oscars, Lamps or anyone elses.

Once we pick a proper formation, get a decent DLP, striker and a coach that has some clue I will judge Mikel. If he will still play bad I will say I was wrong to believe in him, but if he proves he is good (specialy after he reaches age 27/29), at this club or somewhere else you can all go to f*** yourselves for not believing in him.

Man I just wish he would play at some other PL team that has no issues like we have and he would rip our team. Then I want see some of your faces.

Can I ask you one question - the free-kick today, when Mikel was in the wall.

Does he move his head towards the ball? Simple question - yes or no?

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Can I ask you one question - the free-kick today, when Mikel was in the wall.

Does he move his head towards the ball? Simple question - yes or no?

To be honest I have seen some worse defending at set pieces. Check Real for example and their 'brilliant' defending at free kicks/corners. But I dont hear about Ramos being shit...

They are team and work together to cover up for mistakes.

Our team is team of individuals. Plenty of mistakes for not working as team, having consistency and keep changing the team starting eleven. One game its Lamps-Rambo then Lamps-Mikel then Rambo-Mikel then...play two players in pivot for 90% of games like all teams do. They will get used to each other and perform better.

[The only place to be 11,313]

To be honest I have seen some worse defending at set pieces. Check Real for example and their 'brilliant' defending at free kicks/corners. But I dont hear about Ramos being shit...

They are team and work together to cover up for mistakes.

Our team is team of individuals. Plenty of mistakes for not working as team, having consistency and keep changing the team starting eleven. One game its Lamps-Rambo then Lamps-Mikel then Rambo-Mikel then...play two players in pivot for 90% of games like all teams do. They will get used to each other and perform better.

The reason we've kept switching is because no-one (not Rami, not Lamps, not Mikel) has put their name on a shirt and given consistent performances. As much as I criticise Rami, he's been the best of the bunch and his work ethic and commitment is faultless, but he falls down technically too often.

Mikel has the physical and technical gifts you dream about a midfielder having, but I don't trust him. I don't think he makes the players around him better, but he has nice stats. He isn't a leader and I think you need that in that position. Lamps just isn't a double pivot midfielder.

There's not a player in the squad who should be immune from criticism, but too many people stick by their favourites. Maybe it's just a blind spot they have, maybe it's a fear of admitting you were wrong (I've admitted I may have been wrong about issues on here and a couple of members have tried to mock me for that - ignore them because only a small-minded boy thinks fallibility is something to be ashamed of). I don't think it's wrong for people to support the players but sometimes you have to question a players' quality.

And there have been plenty of average players who have made 300 appearances for top teams. There's no shame in that, but there's no reason not to acknowledge these players' limitations and move on from them.