Mikel John Obi

[English Freak 456]

He had stepped up, until he was removed from the team, that was Rafa's own tactical decision and fair play to him. But that partnership of Luiz-Lampard has been awful and if Lampard wasn't scoring goals then everyone would see it. This isn't saying Lampard has no place in the team, but he doesn't in central midfield.

MIkel is shite. He's a passenger in our midfield.

The Luiz- Lampard partnership is better than Lampard - Mikel in midfield...cause when you think about it, Luiz actually tries to make things happen as a CB playing in midfield.

Mikel just jogs around the pitch in a lazy fashion..makes a few passes to the goalie or CB...and that's about it.

[Strike 6,957]

Fernandinho - destroyer? That's a new one.

Excellent in the Champions League this season. Mobile and an able tackler. He would be a revelation in a 4-3-3 but City are destined to snag him

[Madmax 9,219]

Excellent in the Champions League this season. Mobile and an able tackler. He would be a revelation in a 4-3-3 but City are destined to snag him

While I agree, he is not a destroyer. It's like saying Ramires is one.

If we're playing 4-2-3-1, this would be fantastic:

Fernandinho --- Lars Bender

Oscar -------Mata --------Hazard

[Strike 6,957]

While I agree, he is not a destroyer. It's like saying Ramires is one.

If we're playing 4-2-3-1, this would be fantastic:

Fernandinho --- Lars Bender

Oscar -------Mata --------Hazard

I rate Fernandinho's ability to go into a 50-50 and come out with the ball. It's too bad that he's peaked late or been noticed late. 27 is not too late but I can see the club going in a different direction

[Joe Cool 388]

Made more fucking effort trying to get his mits on that trophy then he did picking up his marking assignment in the away leg against Rubin Kazan.

Didn't look like he struggled to get up for this Europa League match.

It's funny, he is the one trying to get his unworthy hands on the trophy after the fact that he pretty much dismissed the Europa League with both his degrading comments about the competition and his awful performances against one of these lowly "Thursday night" sides.

At least Bosingwa played brilliantly against Barca and Bayern before acting the twat in the trophy presentation.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

MIkel is shite. He's a passenger in our midfield.

The Luiz- Lampard partnership is better than Lampard - Mikel in midfield...cause when you think about it, Luiz actually tries to make things happen as a CB playing in midfield.

Mikel just jogs around the pitch in a lazy fashion..makes a few passes to the goalie or CB...and that's about it.

No.

What Luiz does is create a massive gap with his ventures running into midfield. Why do you think he was put in that role in the first place? When he did at CB, the repercussions were disastrous. Now it's less noticeable because against weaker teams, our defense can cope.

Lampard's only in that position because we've had to accommodate for him. He shouldn't be sitting in front of our defensive line because he doesn't offer them the same amount of protection as an actual defensive midfield payer, like Mikel. The role of the central midfield is supposed to be one you don't notice, he's not the one that's going to grab the assists or goals. He'll go about his role unnoticeable. This is the mistake people make with that role.

[IliyaDamyanov 43]

mikel is average player

[Jase 43,479]

Oh joy. This thread was quiet for 2 days and suddenly, we are back to having the same and repetitive argument about Mikel again.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Great, we're back to this again.

There's numerous posts in this entire thread with people giving very good examples of Mikel's role. Especially when compared with Romeu, but they're just ignored and buried under the repetition of trolling/spamming/insults etc.

Personally? I think everyone will change their mind if Mourinho inserts him back into the squad.

There's really no point in arguing, you spend an hour on a 1000 word post to try to explain Mikel's role and what a DM should be like by giving examples and stats and all you get back is the usual "Mikel is shit" or personal insults aimed at you..

[LDN Blue 7,903]

There's really no point in arguing, you spend an hour on a 1000 word post to try to explain Mikel's role and what a DM should be like by giving examples and stats and all you get back is the usual "Mikel is shit" or personal insults aimed at you..

Indeed, I took the bait

Hopeless.

[Joe Cool 388]

There's really no point in arguing, you spend an hour on a 1000 word post to try to explain Mikel's role and what a DM should be like by giving examples and stats and all you get back is the usual "Mikel is shit" or personal insults aimed at you..

Great job acting like everyone who criticises Mikel just responds in this manner. Obviously there are the idiot trolls who just come in here and say "Mikel is shit", but I've also seen plenty of reasonable arguments criticising his dire commitment and catastrophic defending (the one with all the gifs from Man City, for example), so to tar all of his critics under the same brush just because they don't agree with you is just plain wrong.

[bleed_blue 136]

No.

What Luiz does is create a massive gap with his ventures running into midfield. Why do you think he was put in that role in the first place? When he did at CB, the repercussions were disastrous. Now it's less noticeable because against weaker teams, our defense can cope.

Lampard's only in that position because we've had to accommodate for him. He shouldn't be sitting in front of our defensive line because he doesn't offer them the same amount of protection as an actual defensive midfield payer, like Mikel. The role of the central midfield is supposed to be one you don't notice, he's not the one that's going to grab the assists or goals. He'll go about his role unnoticeable. This is the mistake people make with that role.

This whole "role of CM is supposed to be one you don't notice", "He'll go about his role unnoticeable" is a hogwash.

Busquets plays as CM/CDM in Barcelona's 4231. Do you hear people saying that he goes unnoticed?

Xabi Alonso played that role for Liverpool and now does the same for Real Madrid. I don't see people saying he goes unnoticed.

Same holds for Schweinsteiger and Martinez at Bayern, Michael Carrick at Manchester United.

You say Luiz creates massive gaps in our midfield, Lampard does not offer enough protection. How does that explain our goals conceded per game jumping from 0.89 to 1.53 when Mikel starts.

Somehow the CM job that Luiz/Lampard/Ramires end up messing up ensures that we concede lesser goals than with Mikel who does that CM job 'effectively and remains unnoticeable'.

There's really no point in arguing, you spend an hour on a 1000 word post to try to explain Mikel's role and what a DM should be like by giving examples and stats and all you get back is the usual "Mikel is shit" or personal insults aimed at you..

While when people point out Mikel's shortcomings, apologists revert back with the usual comment "You don't understand football if you can't appreciate what Mikel does for the team".

When I see stats like

Our win ratio jumps from 44% to 67% when Mikel is not in the playing XI

Our loss ratio falls to 14% from 34% when Mikel is not in the playing XI

Our goals conceded per game decrease to 0.89 from 1.53 when Mikel is not in the playing XI

Our goals scored per game increase to 2.53 from 1.69 when Mikel is not in the playing XI

I ask myself once again

What is this defensive protection and solidity that Mikel provides which actually ends up hurting our results?

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Great job acting like everyone who criticises Mikel just responds in this manner. Obviously there are the idiot trolls who just come in here and say "Mikel is shit", but I've also seen plenty of reasonable arguments criticising his dire commitment and catastrophic defending (the one with all the gifs from Man City, for example), so to tar all of his critics under the same brush just because they don't agree with you is just plain wrong.

I'm sorry, but the reasonable arguments are buried underneath mountains of BS and insults.

While when people point out Mikel's shortcomings, apologists revert back with the usual comment "You don't understand football if you can't appreciate what Mikel does for the team".

When I see stats like

Our win ratio jumps from 44% to 67% when Mikel is not in the playing XI

Our loss ratio falls to 14% from 34% when Mikel is not in the playing XI

Our goals conceded per game decrease to 0.89 from 1.53 when Mikel is not in the playing XI

Our goals scored per game increase to 2.53 from 1.69 when Mikel is not in the playing XI

I ask myself once again

What is this defensive protection and solidity that Mikel provides which actually ends up hurting our results?

Nope, I won't bite, I have studying to do and I won't get into a pointless argument now. You want to know my opinion on Mikel is? I've stated it here countless times and explained it in great detail. You want to know what Mikel provides to the team? Here, read this: http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/13977-john-mikel-obi-the-keystone/

[Leif 6,006]

Seb isn't God. He's not the next Mourinho combined with SaF, with all respect to him. His view on Mikel is his opinion and shouldn't be passed around like it's fact.

I remember him saying Torres was a key player, Ramires was one of our best passers and that Cahill would be a disastrous signing.

[Amblève. 4,995]

This is beautiful.

[robsblubot 3,205]

I'm sorry, but the reasonable arguments are buried underneath mountains of BS and insults.

Nope, I won't bite, I have studying to do and I won't get into a pointless argument now. You want to know my opinion on Mikel is? I've stated it here countless times and explained it in great detail. You want to know what Mikel provides to the team? Here, read this: http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/13977-john-mikel-obi-the-keystone/

I've read that useless post where all the wrong stats are handpicked to prove the point that Mikel is a fantastic player.

Yet, he rarely plays... So, I guess the stats that the Chelsea staff keep show otherwise, or at least they seem to look at them in a very different way.

Lets just agree to completely disagree on this one as well.

[bleed_blue 136]

I'm sorry, but the reasonable arguments are buried underneath mountains of BS and insults.

Nope, I won't bite, I have studying to do and I won't get into a pointless argument now. You want to know my opinion on Mikel is? I've stated it here countless times and explained it in great detail. You want to know what Mikel provides to the team? Here, read this: http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/13977-john-mikel-obi-the-keystone/

That is a very poor article. Full of flaws and misunderstandings of stats.

But even if one were to take that at face value and assume that Mikel is suited to the CM/CDM role, I will ask the same question again

"WHAT IS THIS DEFENSIVE PROTECTION AND SOLIDITY THAT MIKEL PROVIDES WHICH ACTUALLY ENDS UP HURTING OUR RESULTS?

[Kojo 4,676]

No.

What Luiz does is create a massive gap with his ventures running into midfield. Why do you think he was put in that role in the first place? When he did at CB, the repercussions were disastrous. Now it's less noticeable because against weaker teams, our defense can cope.

Lampard's only in that position because we've had to accommodate for him. He shouldn't be sitting in front of our defensive line because he doesn't offer them the same amount of protection as an actual defensive midfield payer, like Mikel. The role of the central midfield is supposed to be one you don't notice, he's not the one that's going to grab the assists or goals. He'll go about his role unnoticeable. This is the mistake people make with that role.

You're just making stuff up as you go along, Mikel does this, Mikel does that, when realistically he does nothing. Luiz and Ramires are much better defensive midfielders, Mikel is just crap.

Look at Michael Carrick, picks out passes from anywhere, runs about all over and covers, Xavi Alonso the same, and yet we get this John Obi Mikel who doesn't run, can't pass the ball forward, can't tackle, yet he has this job which is so apparently vital of sitting infront of the back 4.