da dobrowin： As a young player, John Obi Mikel had a reputation for being one of the brightest young sparks of his generation. Who can forget the squabble between Chelsea and Manchester United over who retained Mikel’s services? They fought over him for good reason – those who knew him and had watched him were full of praise for the young Nigerian. He was the youngster that pulled an impressive Nigerian side through to the final of the Under 20 World Cup. As a result he was voted second best player at the tournament. The winner? Lionel Messi.
da gbg bet： Despite the hype surrounding the player, the beginning of his Chelsea career was marred by an inability to adhere to the club’s disciplinary standards. When he played he was played out of position as a defensive midfielder, where he would take a while to adapt.
There are plenty of people out there who want Mikel to be given more freedom. They want to see Mikel embrace the attacking side of his game. Consider Nigeria’s head coach Samson Siasia, who has accused Chelsea of “destroying” John Obi Mikel’s attacking flair and told the midfielder in no uncertain terms that he ought to leave Stamford Bridge.
“He has to start playing more offensively to become the Mikel we knew,” Siasia told the Mirror, “but if it’s difficult to change the way he is playing, he has to move to another club.The system at Chelsea destroyed Mikel’s game. He is an offensive player, but when he moved to Chelsea they changed him.”
In response to Siasia’s concerns, I say this: give Mikel until the end of the season, and see what things are like then. There’s evidence this season that Mikel’s natural attacking flair is beginning to bleed back into his game. A Telegraph article concerning the Nigerian notes not only that Mikel is the best passer in the Premier League (with an 89.93% pass completion ratio) but also that Mikel’s shooting accuracy is at 60% this season compared to 27% in the Premier League last season.
It’s important to bear in mind that it’s not all simply short passes from in front of the back four that have allowed Mikel to establish such impressive figures. This season has seen Mikel double the number of forward passes he hits (now every two passes in five is a forward pass as opposed to last season’s one in five).
However, Siasia is right in one important respect. His time at Chelsea has been remarkable barren in terms of goals. He arrived in 2006, has made 158 appearances, and has scored only 2 goals. Neither of which were in the Premier League. The question is then – can Mikel add goals to his game?
If he wants to do so, he would do well to have a look at the likes of Alex Song, who has come on leaps and bounds in his attacking play for Arsenal this season. Song is the most buccaneering defensive midfielder you’re ever likely to see and has already racked up four goals this season.
Admittedly, the Arsenal system is significantly difficult from the one Mikel finds himself in at Chelsea. By working as a fixed anchor in front of the back four, Mikel grants Chelsea a defensive steel that is usually lacking from an Arsenal side. But wouldn’t it be a shame not to utilise this side of Mikel’s game? Ancelotti cannot waste an opportunity to see what Mikel can bring to the side offensively. If this boy is given more freedom, he will reward Chelsea with performances and in the future – goals. Siasia’s words should not be seen as encouragement for Mikel to leave Chelsea, but encouragement for him to re-find his attacking flair.
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