Chris Maduewesi
Member
At the moment John Obi Mikel may not have many friends in the national team,but Flying Eagles assistant coach Nduka Ugbade believes that he is still relevant to the Super Eagles.
There has been a clamour for Mikel to be dropped from the national team,with many believing that he is not offering his best to the team.
However,Ugbade thinks that Mikel is one of Nigeria's best players at the moment and cannot be discarded like that.
“Mikel is still one of our best players and he deserves respect,”Ugbade told The Punch.
“If he is not good he won’t be at Chelsea. We shouldn’t blame a single player for our performance against Congo and South Africa.
“Football is a teamwork and an individual shouldn’t be blamed for any bad result.”
He further argued that to get the best out of Mikel,he should be played in a defensive midfield role.
“We can’t get the best out of Mikel unless we know how to use him. Mikel is a player who brings balance to a team. He’s not fast or rugged. At Chelsea he takes pressure off the defence because he reads the game well.
“But we tend to saddle him with much responsibilities while playing for the national team.”
There has been a clamour for Mikel to be dropped from the national team,with many believing that he is not offering his best to the team.
However,Ugbade thinks that Mikel is one of Nigeria's best players at the moment and cannot be discarded like that.
“Mikel is still one of our best players and he deserves respect,”Ugbade told The Punch.
“If he is not good he won’t be at Chelsea. We shouldn’t blame a single player for our performance against Congo and South Africa.
“Football is a teamwork and an individual shouldn’t be blamed for any bad result.”
He further argued that to get the best out of Mikel,he should be played in a defensive midfield role.
“We can’t get the best out of Mikel unless we know how to use him. Mikel is a player who brings balance to a team. He’s not fast or rugged. At Chelsea he takes pressure off the defence because he reads the game well.
“But we tend to saddle him with much responsibilities while playing for the national team.”