Chelsea have ruined my Mikel – Siasia

Chelsea have ruined my Mikel – Siasia

Sports Nov 8, 2010

Mikel

New Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, has slammed English Premier League champions Chelsea for destroying the attacking instincts of midfielder Mikel Obi, who he showcased as a creative player at the 2005 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
The 23-year-old Mikel, who was five years ago adjudged as the second best player at the Under-20 World Cup behind Lionel Messi, is now expected to play a big role in the Super Eagles under Siasia.
“The system in Chelsea actually destroyed Mikel’s game. Mikel is an offensive player, but when he moved to Chelsea, they changed him because they had a better player offensive wise like Frank Lampard who can score goals,” Siasia said at the weekend.
“I don’t think he is playing in his natural position because we all saw what Mikel played in 2005 and everybody loved him for what he did, he can keep the ball and create chances for the strikers to score goals.
“That was why Chelsea actually gave him a contract, but getting there they had two top players, Lampard and Michael Ballack. Lampard scores goals and so what (Jose) Mourinho did was to bring Mikel back because how many goals has Mikel scored? He brought him back so that Lampard and Ballack played offensive.”
Siasia said that Mikel will have to do more going forward to become a world beater.
“Mikel is a fantastic player, but if you want to be a great player, you have to take risks, do something extra. As a defensive midfielder, you do not have to do much; you just win the ball and pass to the other player. The offensive player takes on more responsibilities,” said the new Eagles coach.
“(Michael) Essien scores goals from defensive positions, why can’t Mikel take the kind of chances that Essien takes? If you don’t shoot, you will never score. You keep passing those short balls, but sometimes you need to take a little bit of risk. That is what is missing in Mikel’s game.”
The Nigeria coach would even suggest Mikel quit Stamford Bridge if it would be impossible for him to be a lot more offensive.
“He has to start playing more offensive to become the Mikel we knew. But if it would be difficult to change the way he is playing, he has to move to another club,” Siasia said.