Following a series of underwhelming performances, the
Chelsea midfielder has come in for criticism from some Nigerian fans.
Should he retain his spot in the team?
DEBATE
By James Ezimoha & Solace Chukwu
When considering
Nigeria's star performers this summer,
John Obi Mikel's name is startlingly absent.
Despite
the midfielder's experience and many qualities, he failed to impose
himself in the Super Eagles' opening three games and has, at times, been
accused of slowing down the team's play and lacking defensive
discipline.
Forgotten is the vitality and innovation of the Confederations Cup.
In
this great debate, two of Goal Nigeria's writers debate the Chelsea
man's continued presence in the heart of the Super Eagles' team.
| "Keshi can and should bench Mikel" |
“Nigeria qualified for the second round of the World Cup despite defeat to Argentina.”
That statement could have been totally different had results in the other group game gone differently.
That
is, if Iran had beaten Bosnia and Herzegovina with the same margin as
they lost, 3-1, the Super Eagles would have touched home by now.
John Obi Mikel's underperfomance would have been the highlight of a very sad tale.
In the second round, however, there is no room for second-best teams.
If
Nigeria are to defeat France on Monday, the Super Eagles cannot afford
to field a player who has been second-best with every touch, every pass,
every tackle, offensively and, quite surprisingly, defensively,
throughout the tournament.
The Chelsea man is not one to go
under the radar in a match. And certainly not in the World Cup where
every game is high profile and every minute spent on the pitch is an
opportunity to shine on the grandest platform of world football.
Is Mikel trading on past glories?
No doubt, he’s a senior and respectable
member in the team based on caps and responsibilities. However,
Nigeria’s persistent faith in him has, and could, cost the team more.
The national goal is far greater than one player’s ego.
His
underperformance against the Albiceleste wasn’t a one-off. It also had
nothing to do with a second yellow card which would have ruled him out
of the Knockouts. First, the rules were changed, which I’m sure the team
is aware of. Secondly, his decline predates the tournament itself.
It’s hard to see why Keshi cannot bench him. The Big Boss can and should. There could never be a ‘perfect timing’ to do it.
This
writer was one of those who raised placards protesting Michael
Babatunde’s inclusion in the team to Brazil. It was the same for when he
was included in the win-or-burst match against Bosnia at the expense of
Victor Moses—the ‘Messiah’ of the Super Eagles.
Babatunde shocked everyone with a strong fire-for-fire performance that attracted praise from all, even his critics.
The
Big Boss has stated that everyone in his team is capable of doing the
job as he has shown with the Moses and Babatunde episode; even
goalkeeper, Vincent ‘The Cat’ Enyeama can be replaced...
If we continue to rate Mikel on past glory and popularity levels, we would be doing ourselves a huge disservice.
Let the best man play.
| Better the Devil you know... |
In the wake of the Super Eagles’ 3-2 loss to Argentina in Porto
Alegre, almost every player in the team emerged with credit. The one
clear and unanimous exception was John Obi Mikel. Slow on and off the
ball, lethargic in his movements and often making the wrong decisions
when there was a chance to break, his performance was in marked contrast
to that of his opposite number.
While Lionel Messi was at the heart of everything the Albiceleste did right, Mikel was often simply in the way.
That
said, calls for his exclusion for the Second Round game against France
are misguided and reactionary. It was already abundantly clear from the
very first game against Iran that something was not right with our No.
10, so why is there so much uproar all of a sudden? Did no one notice it
earlier?
This writer has been quite vocal in his
dissatisfaction with Mikel’s showings, and advocated for Mikel to be
dropped for the Argentina game in favour of Ramon Azeez. Football is
really all about fine margins and timing. While dropping Mikel in a game
where the team could afford to lose in order to trial another option
may have been preferable, we are now faced with the Knockout rounds.
If
Mikel had been dropped for the game against Argentina, and Azeez had
performed well in his stead, it would have sent a message to the Chelsea
man. He has clearly been in need of a kick to step up his level of
performance. Is a high-stakes knockout tie the place or time to do this?
Absolutely not.
Nigeria's biggest match in a generation is no occasion for experimentation
It is crunch time, and as such, making
such a drastic change (for Mikel is a vital part of the team) for
Nigeria’s biggest game in almost two decades would be unwise. Azeez
underwhelmed against Iran playing an unfamiliar role at the top of the
midfield triangle, but there are no guarantees he will fare better in
his natural role, especially considering he has not played there since
his call-up to the Super Eagles.
At this stage, Azeez or even
Gabriel Reuben would represent a huge risk. The latter has seen no
minutes in Brazil, and his last appearance as a substitute against the
USA in a pre-World Cup friendly totally unhinged the midfield. He seems
even less mobile than Mikel, and his range of passing is not reassuring.
Azeez, on the other hand, is an unknown quantity in his natural
position.
As the saying goes, better the devil you know than the angel you do not. (Goal.com)
