There is no contending the fact that John Mikel Obi can surely add goal scoring to his game. He has the talent and has showed amazing composure and mastery to do that. As I pointed out in the part one of this piece last week, his predecessor, Claude Makelele was not a prolific scorer – though he was a genius and a delight to watch in his heyday; he marshaled the central midfield with authority, precision and know-how; but with all his qualities and commanding presence, he scored just twice for Chelsea in his over five years solidarity in West London.
Yet, in spite of his goal drought, little or nothing was taken off the former Real Madrid strongman. His skills, steel and exceptional grasp of his position stood him out as one, if not the best holding midfielder to have played the beautiful game.
Little wonder that Mikel Obi rarely scores. The vastly gifted star had meticulously watched his time in the fringes of Mourinho’s expensively assembled squad. It is safe then to say that Mikel is a chip off the old block going by the way he ‘studied’ his predecessor and how he has slotted into that role with seamless precision. Nevertheless, despite his efforts and discipline to transit from an attack-minded midfielder to a defensive Trojan, some pundits and soccer enthusiast still find faults and lapses in his contributions. Many have criticized his inability to score and cannot himself initiate an attack forward even when it matters as his bane. There has been more scathing condemnation of his penchant of always passing the ball backwards and sideways even when under little or no pressure. He has also been roundly up braided for his lack of pace and hunger to get in the goals.
While the foregoing may not be totally out of order, it won’t be fitting and proper to take these points with a pinch of salt.
Much as I have no grouse with those who have pointed out Mikel’s shortcomings in the game, it is instructive that we take certain factors into cognizance. Firstly, we must accept the fact that he is a defensive midfielder whose sole duty is to provide adequate cover for the centre backs; but that does not mean that it will be a taboo if he scores. Sentiments aside please. In football, each player has a clearly defined duty. The goalkeeper stands between the sticks as the last line of defense. His duty is to ensure that the opponents do not score. He hardly ventures out of his area – he only does so on rare occasions mostly when his side is in dire straits.
Goalkeepers are not bared from taking free kicks and spot kicks if his team deems him fit or he is adept at dispatching them. In this respect, two goal fenders, Jose Luis Chilavert (now retired) of Paraguay and Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama readily comes to mind. The former was an astute free kick specialist so much that his club and country earmarked him for the role. He moves often than not stepped up to the fray with an air of éclat and aplomb. Our own Vincent Enyeama is also a spot kick specialist. He scored from the spot a couple of times for his then Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv. There are also the defenders whose sole duty is to prevent the opponents from penetrating the goal area.
The midfielders dictate the flow of the game and feed the front men with passes for them to nick in the goals.
In all these, football remains a team sport and no player is exempted from scoring or any other responsibility. No player will be scorched for scoring a goal. There are defenders who are gifted in the art of scoring – most of them score with their heads with exceptional regularity. John Terry of Chelsea is a good example. There are also litanies of prolific midfielders, needless to reel out their names.
In the holding role, former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira who was superb in his days also scored on some occasions. Man United had Roy Keane. Today, there is Sergio Busquet of Barcelona and Fernandinho of Manchester City – these are midfielders who blend goal scoring with their defensive role. Notably is the fact that two players can’t be totally similar irrespective of the role they play. Each player is uniquely gifted. There are players with the ability to shoot from a long range. There are others who are blessed with the ability to intercept and nullify opponents’ attacking forays. This is where Mikel aptly fits in. the 26 year old anchor man reads the game very well and mostly plays to his coaches instructions – little wonder he has become a mainstay in the Chelsea team even with the turnover of managers. Since his move to West London, the Plateau State born midfielder has played under eight managers i.e. if memory serves me right. He remained an ever present under each succeeding manager; growing in confidence and mastery of his role.
What he lacks in goal scoring, he makes up in his strength and agility matched with excellent timely tackles and wonderful control of the ball. It’s only a matter of time before he starts nicking in the goals. Let’s not allow the fact that he started out as an offensive midfielder to escape our memory. Hence, transiting from that role that saw him flourish admirably well will not come cheap. It requires time, hardwork and commitment. In the national team, he has been mostly deployed as an attacking midfielder.
At the confederations cup, he showed glimpses of the young and enterprising lad that bewitched soccer faithful with loads of skills and wizardry. He is still in his prime and plays consistently for his club, Chelsea. We want to see him get forward more. We want to see him charge forward and join the attack when necessary. With that, the Africa footballer of the year award is his for grasp in the nearest future.
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