Good analysis on the journey of Mikel at Stamford Bridge , who has been a revelation so far in this season and getting better every match that we play.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/03/mikel-john-obi-chelsea

Edited October 4, 201015 yr by Jawan

Whoa, he is not Asian, so put his last name where it belongs, at the end of his name. John Obi Mikel, not Mikel John Obi.

Whoa, he is not Asian, so put his last name where it belongs, at the end of his name. John Obi Mikel, not Mikel John Obi.

But if you read the article you will see that his family name is Obi. John is his given name, and Mikel is his confirmation name.

He himself, however, has chosen Mikel as his "football" name.

Whoa, he is not Asian, so put his last name where it belongs, at the end of his name. John Obi Mikel, not Mikel John Obi.

There was lot of confusion regarding his name...so safest bet was to put his name as it appears in Wiki page created for him.....and they have used Mikel John Obi there :).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikel_John_Obi

But if you read the article you will see that his family name is Obi. John is his given name, and Mikel is his confirmation name.

He himself, however, has chosen Mikel as his "football" name.

According to an article I read his name is actually Michael, its was misspelt as Mikel once and he liked it so stuck with it.

Don't really give a toss what he's called as long as he is playing well.

not mikel biggest fan but he done well yesterday and i hpe he proves me wrong and keeps getting better

Whoa, he is not Asian, so put his last name where it belongs, at the end of his name. John Obi Mikel, not Mikel John Obi.

As others pointed out his family name is Obi. But more importantly, it's not only same Asians who put the family name first. You don't even have to leave Europe to find an example...

interesting!

in 2-3 years, i think he will be our leader like JT

His regular first team spot under Carlo has done a world of difference to his confidence and maybe in a year or so we will see the Mikel we signed four years ago.

So glad he is getting the recognition he deserves now. It's taken people too long time to get over the first impression of him (crap because he hits a few wild shots)

His composure on the ball is matched by no-one in the premiership. He always picks the right pass, never putting someone in trouble and he very rarely gives it away. Not to mention he is a tank and when he has the ball at his feet players just bounce off him

Provides the right balance to our team and his distribution keeps us flowing

Wouldn't want any other player in the world in that role at the minute

ps. I told you all so :P

ps. I told you all so :P

Thing is, when you told us so, he was playing sh*te!!!

i wouldn't say sh*te, just within himself a bit

only difference between last season and this is he goes walk about more but you could put that down to having someone in the team now who can cover for him

last season he had the same vision, the same composure on the ball and the same pass completion level. it's just taken someone to point it out for people outside chelsea fans to appreciate his contribution

So glad he is getting the recognition he deserves now. It's taken people too long time to get over the first impression of him (crap because he hits a few wild shots)

His composure on the ball is matched by no-one in the premiership. He always picks the right pass, never putting someone in trouble and he very rarely gives it away. Not to mention he is a tank and when he has the ball at his feet players just bounce off him

Provides the right balance to our team and his distribution keeps us flowing

Wouldn't want any other player in the world in that role at the minute

ps. I told you all so :P

His composure on the ball is matched by no-one in the premiership. He always picks the right pass, never putting someone in trouble and he very rarely gives it away.

you sure about that. ive seen him give away the ball alot this season but he's getting much better

not sure about the stats say after the arsenal game but before it his pass completion was 96%

3% higher than diaby who was 2nd and a fair bit higher than the rest

only time he gets robbed in possession is when he gets the ball with 1 or 2 people round him and i remember even getting out of those situations quite well at times

I was browsing through the RedCafe forum (yeah I know, what silly place to be browsing) a couple of days ago, and I stumbled across the Mikel topic. The general consensus seemed to be that Mikel is stalling in his development at an age he is supposed to develop as a footballer. Are they:

A) Blind?

B) Bitter after us snatching him in front of their eyes?

C) Brainwashed?

Mikel this season has been a revelation and I consider him a sure starter of the team. Brings a lot of stability and has even cut out giving away silly fouls inside our own half. What a player.

So glad he is getting the recognition he deserves now. It's taken people too long time to get over the first impression of him (crap because he hits a few wild shots)

that's a ridiculous thing to say and actually an insult to suggest that people would make that opinion on him because of his shooting

he is doing great and I'm thrilled, but let's not go over the top just yet. Still maintain he hasn't been massivley tested,but all he can do is keep at it. Looks like the signing of Ramires forced him to step up. So far...

and , coming from you bjd, that is high praise indeed !!!!

I don't think there is any doubt that he has been encouraged to be a bit more progressive this season. It is good to see because I do think he is a good passer of the ball, and I don't just mean 5 yards sideways.

Ancelotti clearly wants us to keep possession more and build from the back and there is always the risk that you will give the ball away if your opponents really press hard like Arsenal did on Sunday and Marseille did in the second half. That's just the price you pay if you want to play that way.

I think Mikel is an important part of the team and has played well in most of the matches I've seen this season. He must have improved a lot if Liam is prepared to give him MoTM.

ps. I told you all so :P

Pah, been standing by him since day one, so you told me nothing!

I think he's a great player. People praised Makelele for his ability to break up play and then pick the right pass even if it was short or sideways. Mikel does the same and people say "all he does is pass short or sideways!"

I will say, his forward passing has come on leaps and bounds this season.

in 2-3 years, i think he will be our leader like JT

As much as I like Mikel, there is nothing I have seen that makes me think he's got leadership capabilities. He seems quite reserved and just goes about his business, so I don't think he'll be stepping up to challenge for the arm band anytime yet

He's been class ever since Arsenal at home last season. He's not improved much since then so I'm confused why people are only just jumping on the bandwagon now.

Always knew he had the ability so I'm glad he's finally getting the recognition he deserves now. Around 7-10 assists should be his target for this season.

Edited October 7, 201015 yr by Gilvorak

He's been class ever since Arsenal at home last season. He's not improved much since then so I'm confused why people are only just jumping on the bandwagon now.

Always knew he had the ability so I'm glad he's finally getting the recognition he deserves now. Around 7-10 assists should be his target for this season.

Sadly for Mikel and through no fault of his own, the things he excels at are not as notable as goals or mazy runs on the ball to the casual observer. What he does is just as important, but he is merely "effective" and not eye catching.

Defence has always been the most important aspect of any sport to me. A good tackle, a smart "boxout" to retain/regain the ball, a fantastic interception....to me all as exciting as a goal! I cant think of a player in the EPL who could do Mikels job as well for us.... maybe Fletcher, not a fan of him, but I rate Mikel higher.

Oh, as I predicted ( fo me!) so far he has really elevated his game in terms of his forward passing this season (and hence a large part of why people are starting to turn around on their views of him this season).... I think there is more still to come also!

I think there is more still to come also!

that's it

with each game you can see him growing in confidence. we have a very special player in the making this season