In the aftermath of yesterday's 4-0 win over Portsmouth, many column inches have been filled and words been spoken about Deco, who rounded off a brilliant performance yesterday with a scorching 30 yarder. But also of great joy to me was the performance of John Obi Mikel, who demonstrated that he is able to fill the gap left by the departed Claude Makelele.
Calm on the ball, strong, and faultless in his distribution, Mikel acted as a screen in front of the defence and allowed Deco, Lampard and Ballack to roam forward and cut Portsmouth open so incisively.
Mikel has a number of advantages on Makelele, which makes me hope his development continues on an upward curve. The Nigerian is much stronger and taller, giving him the ability to cut out balls played towards the opposition strikers, snuffing out potential danger.
His strength also allows him to retain the ball better than Makelele. While Makelele was always good at drawing the foul and winning a free-kick, Mikel's strength means that the rhythm of the team's play isn't stopped.
I've been one of Mikel's biggest fans for a while now, stating my belief that he can be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. His class on the ball is often unnoticed and not touched upon by pundits and journalists, and therefore fans who don't watch Chelsea's games don't notice him.
The one aspect of Mikel's game that he needs to improve is his tackling. Football fans will remember his sendings off last season against Man United and Everton, both of which were undeserved in my opinion.
It is a sad thing to say but it seems some referees want to outlaw the sliding tackle in English football, and Mikel has been the victim on a number of occasions whereas other players have got off scot free. Dirk Kuyt against Everton anyone?
Essien's absence yesterday through injury gave Mikel his chance to shine and he grabbed it with both hands. Such a performance has given Luiz Felipe Scolari another nice problem to have.
Mikel could find himself sitting on the bench when Essien does return, but Scolari can feel happy knowing he has a more than adequate replacement waiting in the wings.
5 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
True Blue 10 months ago
Mikel is really a class act. I'm also a fan of Mikel John Obi. I even feel Mikel would be more suited to the defensive role in midfield with even fullbacks getting forward. So Essien's attacking instincts will mean he will be out of position in counter-attacks while Mikel, as we saw yesterday, always remains in his 'Makalele' position.
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Salomon Gonzales 10 months ago
Lets all step back and take a moment to appreciate this unbelievable talent that Obi Mikel is. Yesterdays performance was as good as Makalele in his prime. When we sold Diarra to accomodate Obi Mikel I was a bit worried but now i salute that desicion. Although Diarra himself will develop into a world class midfielder, Obi Mikel is simply better....
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Alan McGuinness 10 months ago
For a while I didn't know who would be better at filling in Makelele's role - Diarra or Mikel. I had similar hopes for Diarra as I do now for Mikel, and in the end Diarra leaving made choosing who to groom as Makelele's successor much easier.
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Paul sanya 10 months ago
Going back to the Holland junior world cup in which mikel came second to Messi, I knew chelsea had a super star on their team, I strongly think Mikel's performance on sunday was half of the talent in him,reason being that he is under utilised right now, he made name for himself as an attacking midfielder,it was out of desperation under JM that he opt to take that role.if Ballack stays injured Iwont be surprised to see Essien and Mikel switching roles as attacking and defensive midfielders respectfully..
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Paul The Wall 8 months ago
I think he might just have opted for the defensive role out of desperation ,
but "I aint mad at your game bro"...
The one thing I love about his game is his calm,it is just a beauty to behold from a player in his very early twenties...not so many players have it...Kaka,Zidane,Berbatov...it's almost like they know what they can do with the ball and as such,need not worry...Other than that,his distribution is awesome.
It'll be a shame if he got back to the Bench as soon as Essien recovers,there's always room for talent...
I believe he should be given enough playing time as right now he's just the kind of player Ballack is,maybe just not without the aerial prowess as Micheal Ballack...
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