Mikel John Obi

[Blue Gino 377]

Would love to see both Mikel AND Ramires sold in the summer personally. Use the funds for Fellaini and Benat.

[Backstreet09 499]

Well, isn't that just lovely to read? Makes you come across as a really intelligent person. It's like me saying the forum would be much better if you broke your hands and couldn't post. I get that you are not a Chelsea fan, but you are on a Chelsea forum and will have to show respect to Chelsea players.

Mikel had a very good game. Was our best outfield player in the first half. It's absurd to point him out for the first goal. So many defensive mistakes in that goal.

ERMAHGERD I hope I get blind . My eyes bleed everytime when I see him on the pitch . Do you actually thing he's good enough ? Has he ever done anything note worthy ? Mikel's shit #yolo

And yesh torres is awfully shit , nobody has to quote and point it out(:

[Clevemayer 764]

bad display by him yesterday but I would love all the posters here to mention one good player yesterday on our disposal? plz. you're welcome...

I personally think ramires was the worst out of all, he couldnt even stop he has lost any of his ball controll in that last half a year

Lampard? oh yeah he was great because he was invisible...

mata? was he on the pitch?

Hazard did ok, and I don't understand why you take him of

Ba, couldn't do any more

Cole? where was our great LB today?

Brana and Luiz? WTF?

Cahill did some great tackles but lost agüero frequently

so I personally think there where two good performers chech and Hazard and the rest where utter shit and out of that all the worst of all wasnt mikel...

we can talk but stay with the facts...

He lost the ball once in midfield yes, but you dont play that pass to him in that situation please guys, kick that ball out the wings ar packed and the midfield too, there is no chance whatsoever for him to keep the ball from a rushing city player in that situation... pretty much the same thing like chechs throwin against liverscum last year...

He could have done defo better for that goal... but be serious and tell me whom, despite chech couldn't have done better? please I'm waiting...

we've been shit and lost deservedly and Ramires was the worst out of that bunch...

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Yea because taking off our only holding MF for a striker isn't a sign we're chasing the game.

That is completely besides the point which is how the team performs with or without Mikel. And just for the record, you never take off your holding midfielder when chasing a game because you need possession first to score. In fact, some old Italian managers used to bring on another holding midfielder when chasing a game to ensure that they have all the possession and keep the pressure on the other team.

Hopefully we bring in another defensive midfielder who can challenge Mikel for his starting spot.

I think Romeu can be that player if he regains his AVB form.

ERMAHGERD I hope I get blind . My eyes bleed everytime when I see him on the pitch . Do you actually thing he's good enough ? Has he ever done anything note worthy ? Mikel's shit #yolo

And yesh torres is awfully shit , nobody has to quote and point it out(:

Yes I do think he good enough and keeps getting better. What exactly is note worthy in your opinion? If only goals and assists are noteworthy then why watch games? Just look up the score afterwards..

[Shaan 263]

can people tell me what mikel actually adds to the squad?

I'm confused as he appears to add nothing to me...

he is horrible in air ..... never passes more than 20 yards ..... cant shoot to save his life .... is as slow as a dead snail...he may be good for team like west ham or stoke not a title challenging team like ours....

pls sell this guy and buy some real dms like vidal or de rossi

[xPetrCechx 13,570]

I think mikel like cahill is an excellent back-up player but i dont think he should be starting week in week out at a club challenging for trophies.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I think mikel like cahill is an excellent back-up player but i dont think he should be starting week in week out at a club challenging for trophies.

Fine, I'll bite. Who do you think currently in the league is better than Mikel and how (meaning in what areas)? What do you think a holding midfielder for a trophy-seeking team should have that Mikel does not?

[The only place to be 11,313]

Fine, I'll bite. Who do you think currently in the league is better than Mikel and how (meaning in what areas)? What do you think a holding midfielder for a trophy-seeking team should have that Mikel does not?

You could make a case for Fellaini, Toure, maybe Lucas but there is a real dearth of strong defensive midfielders right now in this league. It's why it's a good idea for you to put him in context with the current crop and not compare him to the player we all enjoyed watching just a few years ago - Makelele. Maybe that's why he's struggled to convince the supporters who loved Claude, because they have such fond memories of watching him dominate midfields.

I think Mikel will be a capable backup player for this club going forward, but after 250+ games for the club I still don't see him an an integral player for us. Every time I see him coming out for the Blues, I think we could do better.

I actually think we should seriously look at making Chalobah a DM because he could thrive there for both club and country for the next decade, and I'd start that process ASAP.

[English Freak 456]

You could make a case for Fellaini, Toure, maybe Lucas but there is a real dearth of strong defensive midfielders right now in this league. It's why it's a good idea for you to put him in context with the current crop and not compare him to the player we all enjoyed watching just a few years ago - Makelele. Maybe that's why he's struggled to convince the supporters who loved Claude, because they have such fond memories of watching him dominate midfields.

I think Mikel will be a capable backup player for this club going forward, but after 250+ games for the club I still don't see him an an integral player going forward. Every time I see him coming out for the Blues, I think we could do better.

I actually think we should seriously look at making Chalobah a DM because he could thrive there for both club and country for the next decade, and I'd start that process ASAP.

Good points..but Fellaini has put in quite a few eye-catching performances as a more advanced midfielder for Everton.

Don't think Fellaini is exclusively a 'defensive' midfielder.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

You could make a case for Fellaini, Toure, maybe Lucas but there is a real dearth of strong defensive midfielders right now in this league. It's why it's a good idea for you to put him in context with the current crop and not compare him to the player we all enjoyed watching just a few years ago - Makelele. Maybe that's why he's struggled to convince the supporters who loved Claude, because they have such fond memories of watching him dominate midfields.

I think Mikel will be a capable backup player for this club going forward, but after 250+ games for the club I still don't see him an an integral player for us. Every time I see him coming out for the Blues, I think we could do better.

I actually think we should seriously look at making Chalobah a DM because he could thrive there for both club and country for the next decade, and I'd start that process ASAP.

This is exactly why people criticize Mikel, because they don't understand his role and want him to be an attacking midfielder or a B2b midfielder instead of the holding midfielder he is.

Fellaini is an attacking midfielder with worse technical ability than Ramires. His sense is positioning is non-existent. Toure is a top player, but he is B2B midfielder without Mikel's distribution and defensive duties. I would agree on Lucas though, before his injuries, he was an excellent holding midfielder.

Maka was one of the best holding midfielders in history, you can't write someone off because he isn't as good as Claude; that would be like saying Hazard isn't good enough to be in the starting XI because he is no Zola.

[zolayes 14,489]

I would use Torres as a holding midfielder ,,,No one else in the PL breaks up more attacks so easily

[The only place to be 11,313]

This is exactly why people criticize Mikel, because they don't understand his role and want him to be an attacking midfielder or a B2b midfielder instead of the holding midfielder he is.

Fellaini is an attacking midfielder with worse technical ability than Ramires. His sense is positioning is non-existent. Toure is a top player, but he is B2B midfielder without Mikel's distribution and defensive duties. I would agree on Lucas though, before his injuries, he was an excellent holding midfielder.

Maka was one of the best holding midfielders in history, you can't write someone off because he isn't as good as Claude; that would be like saying Hazard isn't good enough to be in the starting XI because he is no Zola.

The old 'people don't understand Mikel's role' stuff. It's patronising bullshit when you realise that every Chelsea fan loved Claude Makelele.

Fellaini is a DM playing in an advanced role with sound technical skills. His positioning as a DM was perfectly good. We can have this argument again but you don't want to discuss what he was like when he was a DM at Everton and Liege, so let's leave it.

Mikel's problem is that he's an average DM and that's not a bad thing in itself. But when a sportsman is average then 50% of people will say he's underrated and the other 50% will say he's overrated. He doesn't make the team worse but he doesn't make it better. He's a shirt-filler who has been lucky to have played in some good teams, but he'll never stand out on his own merits.

Now it didn't have to be that way. He was a stand-out player as a more creative midfielder but was converted to a DM by Jose. I hate that. I hate trying to make a more offensive-minded player into a defensive-force because they require different things. It's why I favour Chalobah as a DM (to go back to that point). His first instinct will always be to defend.

It's why I don't think the most urgent thing we face is replacing Mikel. He can be in the team, but that team has to be much better because he won't elevate a single player's performance. He'll occasionally fuck-up but most of the time the other players will cover for him.

And when all else fails, there will be fans like you to tell supporters they're too stupid to understand just how good Mikel is.

[Styles 9,790]

Now it didn't have to be that way. He was a stand-out player as a more creative midfielder but was converted to a DM by Jose. I hate that. I hate trying to make a more offensive-minded player into a defensive-force because they require different things.

Guess Mourinho isn't the man to nurture the young players we have then?

[The only place to be 11,313]

Guess Mourinho isn't the man to nurture the young players we have then?

Well he's a tactical moron as well, but all managers are aren't they?

[Styles 9,790]

Well he's a tactical moron as well, but all managers are aren't they?

Yup, some more moronic than others.

Mikel is a decent player and is unfairly criticised because a) he's an easier target than guys like Lampard and b ) people want him to be something he isn't.

If I was a billionaire owner of a club then chances are Mikel wouldn't be in my team if I'm being honest.