^ It's also apparently impossible to praise him without mentioning how awful he is and how anyone else would be better.

 

Read a post recently about how he had a good game but because of him in the team instead of Matic we lost. Figure that one out.

 

And I can count on one hand the amount of players Jose rotates for the sake of rotation.

 

edit: Also, people are calling him scapegoated because guess who the only player is after the weekend game getting stick. 

Edited December 8, 201411 yr by Stim

^ It's also apparently impossible to praise him without mentioning how awful he is and how anyone else would be better.

 

Read a post recently about how he had a good game but because of him in the team instead of Matic we lost. Figure that one out.

 

What's hard to figure out with either of those?

 

When assessing a player you have to be fair and acknowledge the good and the bad he does, or do you want just either praise or criticism? Seems a little myopic.

 

As for the second bit, a player can have a good game by their standards but we could still be weaker as a team because the player he replaced (and what he brings to the team) was absent.

 

Mikel surprised me by having a decent game (and I've praised him for that) but it's also possible to look at individual moments as well as the match as a whole and recognise that we missed Matic. 

 

Is that all figured out?

How many good games does mikel have though, be honest? He's just had a good game by his standards, yet he'll go back to playing bad again and he'll be critised. He gets flack too often, which, in my opinion, is too often for a cover player of his supposed quality.

edit: Also, people are calling him scapegoated because guess who the only player is after the weekend game getting stick. 

 

Which is odd really considering missed interceptions from Cahill were basically responsible for both of Newcastle's goals.

To be fair I have seen posts being critical of Cahill but I think folk are prepared to give him the benefit of having had a very good season up to the whack on the head against Spu*s.

 

Might be unlucky on Mikel but you cannot wonder why folk are singling him out. Sure, he didn't have a dreadful game. But he starts his first PL game in ages and we just happen to lose our first game in f**k knows how long. May well be a coincidence but it certainly won't do his chances of starting more PL games much good.

 

 

edit: Also, people are calling him scapegoated because guess who the only player is after the weekend game getting stick. 

 

Willian. Hazard. Cahill. Ivanovic.

 

All these players have got as much, if not more stick than Mikel.

Which is odd really considering missed interceptions from Cahill were basically responsible for both of Newcastle's goals.

 

Cahill is usually very solid, and probably the 3rd or 4th best central defender in the league right now. For his position, he is very good, but for Mikel's position he is poor. I find that our game slows down a lot when Mikel plays, also. 

Willian. Hazard. Cahill. Ivanovic.

All these players have got as much, if not more stick than Mikel.

And rightly so for Saturday

He is a brilliant player to watch, any time a player is one on one against him you already know he's got it, it's been a while since we've had an enforcer in midfield who is just there to sweep up and not go forward all the time. We missed him quite a bit

Im not sure how much of a difference he makes, He’s better then mikel, yes but Mikel’s contribution over the years is massively underrated on these bored. People just need a scape goat and mikel fits the bill, Oscar and Willian both get it as well from time to time. [/size]

 [/size]

Matic would have pressed higher but that in it’s self wouldn’t have won the game, we had our chances, we didn’t take them, they had a couple of pieces of luck go there way and capitalised on both.. it really was that simple, Cahill aside no one really had a bad game, but the problem is drogba aside no one really had a great game. Most of the time it will be enough, in the north east apparently it isn’t[/size]

Well said

Mikel is a good back-up to Matic. Nothing more nothing less!

And if he was an 'excellent back-up' then Mourinho would use him to give Matic a break in league matches once in a while. But he doesn't. EVER.

 

By your logic, not a single player outside our fixed first eleven is good back up. This includes Ramires, Remy, Drogba, Luis, Cech and Schurrle. If they were any good, tired first team players would be rested and these players would be played, right?

 

It is also very different to say "we may have won if Matic had played" as opposed to "we lost because Mikel played". Many of you prefer the latter statement. None of us would disagree with the first.

By your logic, not a single player outside our fixed first eleven is good back up. This includes Ramires, Remy, Drogba, Luis, Cech and Schurrle. If they were any good, tired first team players would be rested and these players would be played, right?

 

 

Actually Cech has been used to give Courtois a rest in European matches. In fact every single player you mentioned there has been used more than Mikel has in the CL to give other players a rest. Ramires has also been injured for a while now, as was Remy and Schurrle was ill apparently.

 

I'd hazard a guess that all of those player have started more than one league game from January up until this last weekend, although feel free to check that. Mikel has only started one I believe (Liverpool away last season).

 

Is that right?

Utter beast in midfield. We can't afford to lose him for even one game.

http://www.sportskeeda.com/football/tactical-analysis-nemanja-matic-crucial-chelseas-style-play

 

 

Excellent article 

I love this guy.

Matic' amazing tackle:

 

 

And JT's praising words about Matic:

 

http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2014/12/21/7430447/john-terry-nemanja-matic-claude-makelele

 

 

What a player he has been since the signing. 

Edited December 23, 201411 yr by CFCholland

It would be amazing if he started scoring more too. I think the difference in that city midfield and our's is yaya toure' goals. If matic would score more he would be even more formidable.

He does have a good shot on him when he gets forward, and is a threat at set pieces as well. I think he will gradually add more goals to his game.

It would be amazing if he started scoring more too. I think the difference in that city midfield and our's is yaya toure' goals. If matic would score more he would be even more formidable.

Toure has been that prolific this season, most his goals have come from the spot, but there are signs he is hitting some form.

We've scored more than city this season anyway, so I'm not worried about matic pitching in more. If anything city are the ones who need to get more goals from midfield, and stop relying on Aguero as heavily.

Matic' amazing tackle:

 

 

And JT's praising words about Matic:

 

http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2014/12/21/7430447/john-terry-nemanja-matic-claude-makelele

 

 

What a player he has been since the signing. 

 

A brilliant tackle that would have more than likely got us our second goal if it wasn't for the ref getting in the way.

At the moment our most important players are: Terry, Matic, Fabregas and Hazard. Everyone else we are able replace with good success even Costa.

Matic is such a monster of a player. Best in business. Buying him back for £24m or what ever sum it was is a bargain.

A brilliant tackle that would have more than likely got us our second goal if it wasn't for the ref getting in the way.

That wasn't the counter where the ref got in the way , that was when Costa missed his one on one

My player of the season at the moment.