John Obi Mikel: Hero or Villian?

John Obi Mikel of Chelsea (L)and former coach Roberto Di Matteo ahead of the Uefa Champions League Group E match against Juventus on September 18, 2012. (Getty Images)

John Mikel Obi is a player who undoubtedly splits opinion amongst Chelsea fans; some revere him as an important cog in the inner workings of the team, and others see him as a liability.

There was a huge amount of hype surrounding Mikel when he first signed for Chelsea, an apparent bidding war between Manchester United and The Blues had ended when he was pictured sporting a Manchester United shirt at a press conference.

Despite the fact he was pictured in another club’s shirt, Jon Obi Mikel subsequently signed for Chelsea from Lyn Oslo for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of 16 million, in 2006. In the aftermath of the transfer, Carlos Queiroz accused Chelsea of ‘kidnapping’ and Morgan Andersen, Director of Lyn Oslo was accused and found guilty of fraud.

Early years

It’s fair to say that Mikel had a turbulent start to his career in the Premier League. Things soon improved and Mikel started to gain attention and praise from critics, however he was fined three separate times by Chelsea for turning up late for training.

Jose Mourinho had his doubts about Mikel’s commitment levels both on and off the pitch and was subsequently dropped for a month with his father, Michael also voicing concerns about his son’s behaviour.

In the summer of 2008 Claude Makelele left Chelsea for Paris-Saint-Germain; Makelele was one of the best centre midfielder’s in the world at the time and was credited with creating his own position within football. When Makelele left there was a vacancy in the centre of midfield, which proved to be the perfect opportunity for Mikel to step into his shoes in the revered ‘Makelele’ role.

The infamous image of Mikel smiles after signing with Manchester United from 2005. (Getty Images)

Double Winner

During the 2009-2010 season, Mikel played regularly with 28 appearances in the Premier League and finished the season with a F.A Cup and Premiership winner’s medal. Although Mikel finished the season on a high there were murmurs amongst the Stamford Bridge faithful about his performance and levels of commitment.

AVB

These murmurs rose in volume to become roars of discontent and during Andre Villas-Boas’s tumultuous reign, Mikel became a bit part player who was an unused substitute in Villas Boas’s last two games in charge. Critics were pointing to Mikel’s lack of strength, inability to keep possession and apparent laziness in accordance with his defensive duties.

Champion of Europe

Despite a difficult season Mikel played a pivotal role in the Champions League final in Munich. Mikel played with a passion and authority that had been lacking in so many games throughout the season. The midfielder worked tirelessly for 120 minutes, hassling and forcing the Munich players backwards in a performance that was key to the team’s eventual victory.

The victory may have silenced critics for the short term but the 2012/2013 season was soon underway and Mikel was soon under fire again for below par performances, particularly in the Champions League group stages where Chelsea crashed out early, costing fan favourite, Roberto Di Matteo his job.

The Clattenburg Affair

No-one claimed to solely blame Mikel and it was clear that many of the first eleven were underperforming during The Blue’s predictable, annual November slump however it was Mikel who bore the brunt of many fan’s criticism. On the 28^nd of October Mikel accused British referee, Mark Clattenburg of racism during a Premier League tie with Manchester United in which Fernando Torres was wrongfully sent off for an apparent dive and Javier Hernandez scored the winner in a 3-2 thriller from an offside position.

On the 22^nd of November, Clattenburg was cleared of any misconduct and the F.A banned Mikel for 3 games with the midfielder also incurring a £60,000 fine for threatening the referee.

ACON

In 2013, Mikel helped Nigeria win the African Cup of Nations but returned to West London with the weight of expectation upon his shoulders. Chelsea were struggling in the league and had a fixture pile up the likes of which had never been seen. With a small squad and a manager who was universally disliked by the fans it soon became clear that every player needed to give 100% in the remaining games to get anything from a disappointing season.

FA Cup semi-final

Mikel’s performance against Manchester City in the F.A Cup semi-final has been widely criticised by fans and pundits alike, there was a distinct lack of energy, passion or intent from the Nigerian international. Mikel was often either bullied out of possession by the superior Yaya Toure or simply gave the ball away in circumstances that didn’t warrant it.

A picture taken on October 28, 2012 shows Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi (R) talking with referee Mark Clattenburg (2nd R) as Juan Mata (L) looks on during the English Premier League football match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. (Getty Images)

Toure’s performance showed the importance of having a powerful central midfielder who can dictate the pace of the game by both defending and attacking with equal effort and commitment. Mikel seemed to let the game pass him by and was eventually substituted for Fernando Torres by Rafael Benitez.

Chelsea’s performance was immediately lifted and they dominated the final stages of a tense cup clash. While the result was by no means completely Mikel’s fault there seemed to be a gulf in class between the Chelsea midfielder and City’s central pairing of Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry.

The Future

John Obi Mikel signed a 5-year contract in December 2012 which will keep him at the club until 2017 which will please some fans but infuriate others. The debate surrounding Mikel’s performances and commitment will no doubt rage amongst fans while he remains at Chelsea and it will be interesting to see what happens when the next manager is announced but for now there is nothing anyone can do except watch, analyse and debate.