Chelsea, a club with a well decorated trophy cabinet and star players has somewhat found itself in turmoil in the recent past. In any club, conflicts between players, current and past are not uncommon.
Over the course of the opening two weeks of the Premier League, an ugly public spat has taken place between ex Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel and present Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.
This spat is more than what meets the eye, John Obi Mikel’s criticism of Nicolas Jackson is also a sign of the legend’s passion and support for the club, and the fact that he always wants the best out of the players at Chelsea.
The Saga
Mikel, after Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Man City criticised the striker and that the players lacked the lethal touch in terms of finishing on BEIN Sports. Mikel stated the club needed strikers who knew how to put the ball in the back of the net. He also mentions how he means no disrespect to the striker, even though it might come across differently at times.
Jackson didn’t take this criticism well, his response after scoring and assisting on the weekend against Wolves, was an X rated statement via his Instagram that said, “Shut your mouth, don’t talk sh*t, we are killing ourself for Africa.” Fans were left stunned and unimpressed with Jackson’s response, which is rather disrespectful to the club legend.
Why Obi Mikel Cares
It’s easy to see why Mikel is concerned about the club in the way he speaks. The former midfielder refers to the club as “we” on multiple occasions, showing his true passion and love for the Blues that hasn’t faded away after retirement.
Having spent over a decade at the London club Mikel was often the face of stability and reliability as a defensive midfielder. His 249 appearances bring a ton of experience and knowledge of the game, especially playing around some of the best players of that generation at Chelsea.
Being moulded by managers like Mourinho and Ancelotti, Mikel as a player understands a thing or two about professionalism and hardwork. When it comes to Mikel’s knowledge of clinical finishing, he played alongside two of the best African strikers during his tenure at Chelsea, Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba.
Ending The Feud with Class
In Jackson, John Obi Mikel sees something there as a football player and as raw talent. His open criticism of his “African brother” lacking clinical finishing comes from love for African players and the club itself.
He also highlights Jackson’s effort off the ball, the fact that he gives it his all for the whole 90, and his movements often lead to him being in the right places at the right time.
Mikel’s point of view is that Jackson is still young and early in his career and all he needs is a more experienced striker to shape the Senegalese into a complete striker. A thought that disregards rumours that Mikel wants Nicolas Jackson to be replaced at the club.
John Obi Mikel holds his view of being critical of the striker in the future if needed and appreciating him when he plays well, only because he wants to see Jackson thrive at Chelsea like his ex teammate Didier Drogba.
On his podcast, The Obi One, Mikel talks about the incident acknowledging how he might have been a bit harsh about the situation and has been spoilt by top notch finishing and goal scoring by Drogba.
In the end he stands by his criticism of Jackson but laughs it off with a bit banter saying that he’ll have no issues if Jackson scores every week and asks him to shut he’ll take it as the club will succeed.
John Obi Mikel, a true blue at heart, wants only one thing from Chelsea and that is to be back fighting for titles and trophies, and once they reach that level he’ll be more than happy to stop being critical of Chelsea’s players and performances.
