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John Obi Mikels Chelsea snub might benefit Nigeria

kizinho

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8 years ago

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NEWS: John Obi Mikels Chelsea snub might benefit Nigeria [New Sports] » Naijacrawl
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John Obi Mikel has not kicked a ball in anger for Chelsea this season not in the Premier League, not in the Champions League, not even in the League Cup.
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By contrast, he has played eight games for Nigeria, six at the Olympic Games (with one goal) and another two for the senior national team.

After opting to play for his country in Rio, it was expected that a direct consequence would be a loss of an already uncertain club place, where the Nigerian faces strong competition from a variety of players, especially with the acquisition of NGolo Kante earlier in the season.

With new manager Antonio Conte in place, Mikel missed the opportunity to stake his claim in the starting XI during preseason and is now paying the price of that absence.

That was expected. What was not exactly expected was the result of the lack of game-time. Mikel has always been something to an enigma for Nigerians, many of who feel he has not quite measured up to the pedestal on which he has been placed.

But he has consistently found ways to remain a key component of the Super Eagles machine, despite being written off time and again.

The arrival of Conte and his missing of preseason was to sound his death knell at Chelsea, and perhaps for Nigeria too. But he excelled at the Olympic Games, with his leadership and drive essential to the team returning home with a bronze medal, against all odds.

As if that was not enough, in two games for Nigeria since, the midfielders leadership and quality have shown through, helping the team to two wins, one of them a big one on the road.

Those performances have silenced critics of his bench-warmer Chelsea status. Not a single hypothetical team line-up is drawn up by Nigeria fans without Mikel in the middle.Somehow, his inactivity at Chelsea appears to have turned into an inadvertent asset for Nigeria.

Mikel is not the quickest of players. He is not the most energetic and is certainly not gifted with stamina. During games for Nigeria, he is usually gassed out about the 80-minute mark, but in the two games this year he has looked anything but.

At Ndola, for instance, when Gernot Rohr left him on the pitch for the full 90 minutes, Mikel actually pushed up in the closing minutes, when Kelechi Iheanacho was shifted to centre-forward, and this was after the closest thing to a box-to-box performance that he has put up in years.

What this seems to suggest, in an quirky sort of way, is that the lack of playing time at Chelsea appears to be working in Nigerias favour.

Instead of a jaded footballer who barely got any rest during the summer, the Eagles have a captain who is training hard at a top club in England, but because he is not chalking up any minutes at club level, still remains fresh enough to give more to the national team.

Whether that is a reasonable assumption to make considering how important match fitness is to a footballer remains arguable. But what is not arguable is that Mikels last few performances for Nigeria have ranked among his best in national team colours.

Some disappointment remains among certain fans who have expected a lot more from the midfielder, but they are learning to accept what they have: a Toyota engine in a Ferrari body. Its sleek enough to do a competent job, but its not exactly what you shelled out for.

As the Super Eagles prepare to face their biggest test against Algeria in November in the race for a place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, it is doubtful Mikel would have racked up enough minutes to make a difference to his present situation.

But as long as he replicates the performance of the last few games and leads the Super Eagles to victory, there are not many who would mind about his club status.

In fact, theyll be happy to see him riding pine all the way to the end of the season!

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kizinho
 

Adike Kizito is a top-rated software developer, blogger, sports, and entertainment lover. He is the CEO of these popular websites Naijacrawl.com and Mp3ager.com. He operates his software developing task through Kizzsoft.com,... Read More

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You’ve thrown Sancho under bus, don’t expect apology – Mikel Obi to Ten Hag

Victorious

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SPORTS NEWS: You’ve thrown Sancho under bus, don’t expect apology – Mikel Obi to Ten Hag [New Sports News] » Naijacrawl
Photo: Naijacrawl
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Victorious

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Victorious

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