Stoke City manager Michael O’Neil insists the Potters have benefited immensely from John Mikel Obi’s vast experience this season, reports Completesports.com.
The former Chelsea midfielder linked up with the Potters on a free transfer this summer and has featured in every minute of their 12 Sky Bet Championship games.
The midfielder was nominated for the club’s player of the month for October.
Mikel played a key role in the side’s hard-fought 4-3 home win against Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
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“I think you need good experience in the team and good structure as well. John Obi is a big part of that, helping organise people around himself,” O’Neil declared.
“The most important thing is when you win it, is that the players you have can hurt the opposition and we have that in Campbell, Brown, Powell and Fletcher…”
Stoke City currently occupy seventh position on the table with 21 points from 12 matches, three points adrift of leaders Norwich City.
O’Neil’s side will host Norwich City at the bet365 Stadium on Tuesday.
By Adeboye Amosu
4 Comments
The only player I want to return to Super Eagle, such a calm and collective midfielder.
Incredible player. Nigerians & Nigerian media hurried & forced him to retire from SE prematurely. I hope he can be persuaded to return cause dude’s still a stalwart, a thorough professional that i feel could give us 3 to 4 more years of his quality and experience in midfield. I’m thinking towards the last 4 years of Andrea Pirlo’s influence in Juventus & the Italian national team. It would great to have him back.
How can he return, Nigerian fans don’t know the value of experience. Immediately they discover a new kid, they start screaming that the old experience once should go. Forgetting that you need both the energy of the young and the experience of the old to have a balanced team. When we saw Osimhen, we began to wish Ighalo was gone, we saw Ndidi, we wished Mikel was gone, now we are seeing Ejuke or Chukwueze, we want Musa gone. But forgetting that the highs and the lows the experience players has seen is what give them character and character to a team.
No wonder immediately Musa and balogun were taken out of the match against Sirielone in Benin, the game collapsed. Even Balogun said the result was do to lack of experience of most of the players.
Well done Mikel we know you still have it in you. Keep making us proud.
One of the reasons Mikel retired was because he was already being benched at national team. Now with the inclusion of aribo, asking him to return would be harder to justify.