The season has not been very good for Chelsea football club, but you cannot say the same for John Mikel Obi. He has been showing his worth in recent weeks as he has been trending on social media continuosly, fans were particularly amazed during the match Chelsea won 3-0 at Crystal Palace.
Mikel has become accustomed to a role on the fringes. A player synonymous with seeing out games, he didn’t start back-to-back Premier League matches at all during 2015. But he’s begun 2016 with a second successive start and his presence could yet have a restorative quality for Chelsea.
There were the tackles, interceptions, clearances, blocks but even those details can be too much show for Mikel. Instead it is the ball recoveries – the times he was in the right place to pick up second balls and recycle possession – that really highlight his significance.
Mikel Obi has been praised for almost the same reasons he was always critised in the recent past by the same people.
It seems like Mikel has to do more to still stay in the good books of the fans he has earned for his self recently. Let us hope he keeps up the good work.