Mikel John Obi

[ChelseasMessiah 304]

So tired of this Lampard vs Mikel talk, change the fucking tune.

It'll be over by June, once Lampard's contract runs out.

[happy_juan 64]

Great cameo by Mikel, he was harshly benched but came on helped us dominate their desperate midfield.

Hahhahaha. Surely a WUM?

[Phil Driver 503]

He is meant to come on and kill the game ,we are too deep and believe it or not they nearly equalise ,very bad again and we just sit back and let the opposition come at us ,when he gets it we are to slow and cant break .

[Blue Armour 4,174]

Was quite lazy to keep up with Ireland for the second Stoke goal. Terry was screaming and waving for a player to mark Ireland when he went out to block the incoming cross, but Mikel just jogged back (like he did against Juventus last season) and failed to stay with his closest attacker.

Its no wonder he doesn't start more often.

[Phil Driver 503]

No proper defensive midfielder (that is what we are told he is) lets a player go past him so easily and he did let him go.

Makelele would be turning in his grave if he were brown bread. Put him under pressure and he will fold. Got to do more to tackle Ireland or hold him up ,even a foul is better than watching him walk through.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Was quite lazy to keep up with Ireland for the second Stoke goal. Terry was screaming and waving for a player to mark Ireland when he went out to block the incoming cross, but Mikel just jogged back (like he did against Juventus last season) and failed to stay with his closest attacker.

Its no wonder he doesn't start more often.

Terry actually points to Ireland and tells Mikel to get on him but Mikel simply can't make the ground up.

[Phil Driver 503]

No proper holder and protector of the back four as we are told this what he does lets that happen ,you are right if he ventures anywhere near the half way line he cant get back because he is running in sand ,that is why he just sits and leaves his partner to contest the midfield battle ,he does not keep getting dropped and hauled off by all managers because he is doing a great job,the sideways passing should fool nobody,he does not protect any back four as we saw with the Ireland goal,Maka would have spotted that run and eaten Ireland ,nobody got in that space when he played,because he could read the game . This lad is well short of what we need ,you cant keep getting hauled off and contributing to our terrible performances and get away with it forever.

I am afraid Mikel is a common denominator in a lacklustre Chelsea performance and it is no coincidence.

[edetarod 2,155]

one thing i'm really happy that Mourinho is doing is benching him most of the time, he really is a limited player, and the fact that's he's only scored 1 goal in the league since 2007 is embarrassing for him

Lampard is slightly better than him, atleast he passes the ball forward once in a while and scores goals

but the truth is neither are good enough to be starters at Chelsea

[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 3,260]

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 4,174]

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 2,232]

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

We need new blood in the midfield.

[robsblubot 3,260]

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.