5 Things We Can Take from the Premier League’s Opening Weekend
By Alex Mosey
3. Is it time to replace John Obi Mikel ?
There is no denying John Obi Mikel’s cult status at the club, akin to Claude Makélélé in the goalscoring department. However, unlike the aforementioned Frenchman who essentially spearheaded the modern defensive midfield role, Mikel is raising questions with his performances.
Last season, John Obi Mikel was mainly used as a substitute, and the sight of him waiting to come on at the touchline was synonymous with the likely end of any goalscoring and rather ‘shutting up shop’.
As important a duty as closing down a game is, I can’t be the only one who was surprised by how much of a liability he was at Turf Moor when he came on to do just that. Entering the field with the best part of 10 minutes to go, Mikel lost areal duels and gave away possession rather sloppily a couple of times which lead to Burnley attacks. Perhaps it is harsh to judge after only the opening game, but I think it would be good for our collective blood pressure to have someone who is able to reliably retain possession as well as potentially start a counter-attacking move.