Personally I wouldn't see Mikel getting in many prem teams or worth over 10m if we are lucky.

Real Madrid might come in for him.

I would say that he would get respectable playing time at 3/4 of the prem teams, there are not that many good holding players about.

He's one of those players like Carrick who you think will be easy to replace but isn't really.

Totally agree with Forevercarefree.

Some individual highlights, it's just my point that he's giving us what we've been missing all season, composure, calm passing, strength, reads the game well etc..he's always had this in his locker, we've seen it before in a certain final, he's just inconsistent, hopefully he can improve on that.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ELR2IOURuIk

Not sure his any better than Flamini. He wouldn't get in there first team

 

HE is better than Flamini. Flamini now has lost pace, not strong enough to shield the defense, And cannot break up the oppositions play before the build up. 

Some individual highlights, it's just my point that he's giving us what we've been missing all season, composure, calm passing, strength, reads the game well etc..he's always had this in his locker, we've seen it before in a certain final, he's just inconsistent, hopefully he can improve on that.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ELR2IOURuIk

I thought it was going to be a highlights package from since he joined Chelsea not just the one game again. Yeah he played well, I havnt said he didn't. But you can tell in those highlights Palace just didn't pressure him.

Ok Mikel is a world better and can play for any team in europe

Mikel hater, take a break!

Not sure his any better than Flamini. He wouldn't get in there first team

Get a life boy.

People have short memories in football this is the Mikel we had for the first 8 of his 10 years at the club, which only dropped of in the last 2 seasons due to lack of game time primarily due to the introduction of Matic who revolutionised the position, but also injuries and AFCON. Now he is getting a bit of game time he looks so much less rusty and is re-showing the world what he is made of. 

And he is precisely what we have needed this season as for some reason Matic has gone of the boil and is no longer playing as a shield in the midfield, he seems to have been given a different role to last season and is now playing more box to box whether that's of his own accord or manager direction is yet to be seen, hopefully he does re-find himself as Matic on form is a different class but with Mikel we have a very solid and dependable shield.

Edited January 5, 201610 yr by PedroMendez

Mikel hater, take a break!

Yep I hate someone because I don't rate them as a footballer

Way too much positivity in here of late, I miss the dark days

I thought it was going to be a highlights package from since he joined Chelsea not just the one game again. Yeah he played well, I havnt said he didn't. But you can tell in those highlights Palace just didn't pressure him.

Umm..within those highlights there are more than a few occasions when Palace players pressured him, but he was composed, I'm not sure what you were watching.

Yep I hate someone because I don't rate them as a footballer

All the garbage you are spouting about a seasoned professional, who has been a very commendable servant to the club,

shows you up for what you are, I am sure John Obi is not in the leased perturbed by your comments as he gets to play for Chelsea

many times over these last 10 years, where as you probally can not get into the kindergarten XI, shame it affects you so much.

People have short memories in football this is the Mikel we had for the first 8 of his 10 years at the club, which only dropped of in the last 2 seasons due to lack of game time primarily due to the introduction of Matic who revolutionised the position, but also injuries and AFCON. Now he is getting a bit of game time he looks so much less rusty and is re-showing the world what he is made of.

And he is precisely what we have needed this season as for some reason Matic has gone of the boil and is no longer playing as a shield in the midfield, he seems to have been given a different role to last season and is now playing more box to box whether that's of his own accord or manager direction is yet to be seen, hopefully he does re-find himself as Matic on form is a different class but with Mikel we have a very solid and dependable shield.

Good post, though it's far to sensible for some people, he is precisely what we need right now, as long as he can remain consistent, there is no reason why Matic should be playing ahead of him. I can't see why some people do not want to give him any credit whatsoever and then make excuses as to why he appeared to even have a good 90 minutes, get behind the player.

All the garbage you are spouting about a seasoned professional, who has been a very commendable servant to the club,

shows you up for what you are, I am sure John Obi is not in the leased perturbed by your comments as he gets to play for Chelsea

many times over these last 10 years, where as you probally can not get into the kindergarten XI, shame it affects you so much.

It doesn't affect me, seems to be it affects a lot more people. I might be better than Mikel at FIFA but who cares lol, I'm pretty sure Mikel don't give a sh*t about my comments, either would I about his. But what your saying is pointless, it like me saying I have never been caught drink driving oops.

Good post, though it's far to sensible for some people, he is precisely what we need right now, as long as he can remain consistent, there is no reason why Matic should be playing ahead of him. I can't see why some people do not want to give him any credit whatsoever and then make excuses as to why he appeared to even have a good 90 minutes, get behind the player.

That's the thing remain consistent. Who knows he might of finally come of age and be superb till the end of the season.

I don't think Mikel is a good player and never have, that's just my opinion. I gave him credit for the palace game but let's see how he gets on till the end of year.

I don't think consistency has been Mikel's historical problem he has always been consistently good in the big games and the games where we don't need to do the chasing but its when we need to break down a defense where he has come up short and has frustrated fans, this is largely due to his unadventurous passing range which hasn't ever really shown the ability to split open a defense.
This however doesn't mean Mikel is a bad player he just needs the right partner or to be used in the correct circumstances, he can be and has been a very good player and I personally think our current midfield set up should really suit Mikel and bring out the best in him. I also think that our current midfield has been crying out for someone with Mikel's positional disciplined as this is something Matic has lacked this season.
Fabregas has the passing range to split defenses and is one of the best at this in the world which should thus compensate for Mikel's lack of ability to do this however Fabregas lacks the defensive ability to be a complete midfielder and therefore to get the best out of Fabregas he needs a midfield partner who is positionally sound.  
Mikels lack of passing range also requires his midfield pairing and other players around him to find pockets of space and to make themselves available this is also something Fabregas and in particular Oscar do very well. Without this Mikel can't play well if you go back and watch the highlights from the Palace game how many times did Fabregas drop into space so that a composed Mikel could drop it off to him and this is the set up that led to the first goal. I think this midfield actually shows some great synergy something it has been lacking and in the Palace game our midifeld looked balanced for the first time this season.

I'm not saying Mikel is perfect and I'm not even saying he is a top class player but if you play him correctly he can be very effective and allow others to excell. 

 

Edited January 5, 201610 yr by PedroMendez

I gave him credit for the palace game but let's see how he gets on till the end of year.

No you didn't.

No you didn't.

How do you know? Did we watch the game together?

I don't think consistency has been Mikel's historical problem he has always been consistently good in the big games and the games where we don't need to do the chasing but its when we need to break down a defense where he has come up short and has frustrated fans, this is largely due to his unadventurous passing range which hasn't ever really shown the ability to split open a defense.

This however doesn't mean Mikel is a bad player he just needs the right partner or to be used in the correct circumstances, he can be and has been a very good player and I personally think our current midfield set up should really suit Mikel and bring out the best in him. I also think that our current midfield has been crying out for someone with Mikel's positional disciplined as this is something Matic has lacked this season.

Fabregas has the passing range to split defenses and is one of the best at this in the world which should thus compensate for Mikel's lack of ability to do this however Fabregas lacks the defensive ability to be a complete midfielder and therefore to get the best out of Fabregas he needs a midfield partner who is positionally sound.  

Mikels lack of passing range also requires his midfield pairing and other players around him to find pockets of space and to make themselves available this is also something Fabregas and in particular Oscar do very well. Without this Mikel can't play well if you go back and watch the highlights from the Palace game how many times did Fabregas drop into space so that a composed Mikel could drop it off to him and this is the set up that led to the first goal. I think this midfield actually shows some great synergy something it has been lacking and in the Palace game our midifeld looked balanced for the first time this season.

I'm not saying Mikel is perfect and I'm not even saying he is a top class player but if you play him correctly he can be very effective and allow others to excell.

Matic and Fabregas have both been awful this year. Fab was good against palace though. You got to play fab because he is world class but I don't think he can play in a 2 midfield, abit like lampard at his peak. Also don't think Fab is our best cam so it's awkward where you fit him in.

I thought maybe going back to the 3 man midfield like in Mourinhos first spell might of worked.

So your opinion on the forum is different to the one of it? Weird. Or wum.

So your opinion on the forum is different to the one of it? Weird. Or wum.

I do think Mikel had a good game, just don't think he is a good player.

I do think Mikel had a good game, just don't think he is a good player.

You said he wasn't put under pressure, which is nonsense and to say he isn't a good player is ridiculous, why is he still here after ten years? He can't be that bad.

Edited January 5, 201610 yr by Floyd25

I just don't get all the hype after 1 good game. Fair enough if it was Kennedy or RLC but Mikels been around for ages. It's not like he has turned into a great player through 1 game.

Let's see how he does till the end of the year.

 

Watch it fella - you'll be getting a visit from the Nigerian Mafia if you carry on like this (that's if they're not already on their way!!)

Watch it fella - you'll be getting a visit from the Nigerian Mafia if you carry on like this (that's if they're not already on their way!!)

Think most of them are on here ;)

You said he wasn't put under pressure, which is nonsense and to say he isn't a good player is ridiculous, why is he still here after ten years? He can't be that bad.[/quote

He wasn't put under that much pressure, but that's not stating someone had a bad game. At the end of the day he was lucky not to get 2 yellows. Both challenges were late.

Yeah Mikels a good squad player, like I said I would doubt he would get in many prem teams if any though.

I know I have upset the Mikel fan club, let's leave it now.