Connect with us

John Obi Mikels Chelsea snub might benefit Nigeria

kizinho

Published

7 years ago

on

Follow
NEWS: John Obi Mikels Chelsea snub might benefit Nigeria [New Sports] » Naijacrawl
Photo: Naijacrawl
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.
Read Also : Eden Hazard laziest footballer I know – John Obi Mikel


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!

Click Here To Comment




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

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Be first to comment


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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

Victorious

Published

6 months ago

on

SPORTS NEWS: You’ve thrown Sancho under bus, don’t expect apology – Mikel Obi to Ten Hag [New Sports News] » Naijacrawl
Photo: Naijacrawl
Former Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi has insisted that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has thrown Jadon Sancho under the bus for publicly criticizing his performances for the club.Mikel Obi believes Ten Hag was in the wrong for his action over Sancho, adding that it doesn’t make sense for the England winger to apologize to the Dutchman.Recall that Ten Hag had told the media after Man United’s defeat to Arsenal in September that Sancho was not meeting the...
Continue Reading

Mikel Obi, Ronaldo Nazário react to Pele’s death

Victorious

Published

1 year ago

on

SPORTS NEWS: Mikel Obi, Ronaldo Nazário react to Pele’s death [New Sports News] » Naijacrawl
Photo: Naijacrawl
Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel and former Inter Milan striker Ronaldo Nazário have reacted to the death of Brazilian football legend Pele.Mikel Obi wished Pele to rest in peace, while Ronaldo said Pele’s legacy would transcend generations.Pele, 82, died on Thursday evening after battling cancer.Pele’s family announced his death in a post on his official Instagram page on Thursday evening.Reacting, Mikel Obi, in a post via his Instagram account, wrote, “Res...
Continue Reading

Ronaldo’s exit from Man Utd is horrible – Mikel Obi

Victorious

Published

1 year ago

on

SPORTS NEWS: Ronaldo’s exit from Man Utd is horrible – Mikel Obi [New Sports News] » Naijacrawl
Photo: Naijacrawl
Chelsea hero John Obi Mikel has branded forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from Manchester United as "horrible."Ronaldo’s contract with Manchester United was recently terminated.Man United took the decision to part ways with Ronaldo after the player’s explosive interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan.However, Mikel believes Ronaldo should not have done the interview, insisting that the timing was wrong.“He is Cristiano Ronaldo; he is one of the greatest players ever t...
Continue Reading

Latest

SPORTS NEWS: Chelsea take decision on Pochettino after 5-0 loss to Arsenal [New Sports News] » Naijacrawl
8 hours ago 14

Chelsea take decision on Pochettino after 5-0 loss to Arsenal
SPORTS NEWS: Pep Guardiola: Erling Haaland ruled out of Manchester City's Premier League clash with Brighton due to injury [New Sports News] » Naijacrawl
8 hours ago 13

Pep Guardiola: Erling Haaland ruled out of Manchester City's Premier League clash with Brighton due to injury
SPORTS NEWS: Breaking: Xavi makes u-turn, to remain Barcelona manager next season [New Sports News] » Naijacrawl
8 hours ago 13

Breaking: Xavi makes u-turn, to remain Barcelona manager next season

  • NC NEWSLETTER

    Download Naijacrawl App today

    Fastest way to read on the go

    Download the Naijacrawl App.