Filed under: Chelsea, Claude Makélélé, EPL Football, Mikel John Obi | Tags: Chelsea, Claude Makélélé, EPL Football, Makélélé Role, Mikel John Obi, Mikel John Obi anchor of Chelsea, Mikel John Obi Makélélé Role
Mikel John Obi is a legend in the making and much of Chelsea’s success this season is owed to the powerful central defensive midfielder’s progression. The departure of Claude Makélélé for Paris Saint-Germain was like Thierry Henry was to Theo Walcott. Obi has embraced the challenge of fulfilling Chelsea’s pivotal position, what has now come to be called the “Makélélé Role.”
There are some strange coincidences regarding the the correlation between Obi & Makélélé. They were both captured by Chelsea at around £16 million. Makélélé arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2003, but was ineffective. Claudio Ranieri would be sacked and replaced by José Mourinho for the 2004-05 season and only then did Makélélé begin to shine, under his new manager. The Frenchman would be regarded as Chelsea’s player of the season, while Chelsea would go on to win a league title they hadn’t won in 50 years.
And now, Makélélé is gone and so is Avram Grant. Mikel John Obi looks to be having his most promising season under new manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari. The only question left to ask is whether they can win back the title from Manchester United and how much influence Obi has if this is to happen.
Chelsea looks most fluid and mature under the influence of Obi in the middle. He’s become the harness of Chelsea’s midfield & more of an enforcer than his predecessor. In his absence, there is a lack of smooth forward movement, as he’s become the one who’s most comfortable at being the anchor – the one who can hold the ball in the middle and slowly build the play. He allows the other midfield players to fulfill their roles and attack without any uncertainty or notion of having to retreat in order to defend.
The games against Tottenham & Wigan were both very rigid and unsatisfactory. Mickaël Essien and Juliano Belletti took turns at the central defensive midfield role with Obi injured. But the Chelsea midfield was dominated with Essien & Belletti both wanting to roam, while Florent Malouda & Joe Cole were forced to defend. And if you look at the matches since Obi’s return to the line-up – against Manchester City & FC Girondins de Bordeaux, the Chelsea midfield looks settled and organized. Obi’s dominance will play a key part if Chelsea is to win anything this season.
Filed under: England FA, London 2012 Football Team, London 2012 Olympics, Northern Ireland FA, Scottish FA, Sir Alex Ferguson, United Kingdom National Football Team, Wales FA | Tags: England FA, London 2012 Football Team, London 2012 Olympics, Northern Ireland FA, Scottish FA, Sir Alex Ferguson, United Kingdom National Football Team, United Kingdom National Football Team for the London 2012 Olympics, United Kingdom U23 Football Team, Wales FA
The stage seemed set for London 2012 with the English FAs recent proposal to field an all UK national football team receiving considerable amount of attention. However, the FAs of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales want nothing to do with it. One of the perceived dangers, according to SFA president George Peat, is that this team would signal the unification of all FAs into a Great Britain League.
The other issue is the presumption that the full squad will be dominated by an all-English roster & coaching staff, with the exception of the rumored Scottish manager, Alex Ferguson. It’s still too early to tell who will fill the U23 lineup as many unknown youth players are expected to emerge in the coming years.
While these non-English concerns are understandable, some facts may present a different reality. The Scottish Premier League’s newly found investment in youth programs has brought a surge of promising young talent. Scotland’s recent success and England’s failure at qualifying for the U20 World Cup in Canada gives the former a reasonable chance at filling the U23 squad. Even if the allowed “3 mature players” (over the age of 23) turn out to be English, the FA would not risk antagonizing support for this team around the UK by selecting an all-English squad.
It is also unlikely for an all-British League to be suddenly formed from this. An all-British national team is not a new occurrence, as they competed in the Olympic Games under this guise from 1900-72. George Peat wants people to believe there’s a conspiracy. But in spite of nationalistic sentiment, this should be seen as an attempt to restore an old footballing tradition by unifying the the remaining FA’s in the UK.
Filed under: Japan FA, Japan National Football Team, feelgood kits | Tags: feelgood kits, Japan National Football Team Away Kit, Japan National Football Team Home Kit
Japan National Football Team Home/Away Kit 08/10
