Mikel Obi now a more responsible Chelsea player
John Mikel Obi is enjoying the opportunity afforded him of regular first team action in the absence of injury victim Michael Essien.
Mikel chalked up his 100th Chelsea appearance in the defeat by Arsenal last Sunday.
"I thought about everything coming into this season - about how to improve my game, how to get myself in the team, and I thought about how to get the cards right," the Nigerian midfielder told the club's official website.
"This is a season where everything I thought about beforehand is happening.
"I am happy with myself, I am happy about not getting cards because before by this time in the season I would have had one or two reds. So far it has been going well."
Mikel now feels he has earned the full respect of his team-mates.
He recalled: "I made a speech before a game at Middlesbrough in the dressing room, and after I had finished, John Terry said 'now you are man'. If people like John Terry and Frank Lampard say I am now a man, I am a man."
Mikel believes regular football has helped his performances.
"I am really pleased with it and I just want to keep it going," he said, having made his 13th appearance out of 15 Barclays Premier League games last weekend.
"We will have to see what happens when Michael comes back.
"He is a great player, so I do not know if I am going to play, he is going to play, or we both play. It is up to the manager."
Join the conversation on 
Tribal Games
Tribalfootball Store
Results & Fixtures
Matches
| Home | Away | Score | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun May 13th | |||
| West Bromwich Albion | Arsenal | 2 - 3 | 14:00 |
| Everton | Newcastle United | 3 - 1 | 14:00 |
| Sunderland | Manchester United | - 1 | 14:00 |
| Wigan Athletic | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 - 2 | 14:00 |
| Manchester City | Queens Park Rangers | 3 - 2 | 14:00 |
| Swansea City | Liverpool | 14:00 | |
| Norwich City | Aston Villa | 14:00 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Fulham | 14:00 | |
| Chelsea | Blackburn Rovers | 2 - 1 | 14:00 |
| Stoke City | Bolton Wanderers | 2 - 2 | 14:00 |
Tables
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 64 | 89 |
| Manchester United | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 56 | 89 |
| Arsenal | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 25 | 70 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 25 | 69 |
| Newcastle United | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 65 |
| Chelsea | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 64 |
| Everton | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 56 |
| Liverpool | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
| Fulham | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | -3 | 52 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | -7 | 47 |
| Swansea City | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | -7 | 47 |
| Norwich City | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | -14 | 47 |
| Sunderland | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | -1 | 45 |
| Stoke City | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | -17 | 45 |
| Wigan Athletic | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | -20 | 43 |
| Aston Villa | 38 | 7 | 17 | 14 | -16 | 38 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | -23 | 37 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | -31 | 36 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 8 | 7 | 23 | -30 | 31 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | 5 | 10 | 23 | -42 | 25 |
Related Stories
-
May 23 Keown: Drogba made Terry and Lampard into Chelsea icons
-
May 16 Arsenal superkid Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chelsea's Terry make England Euros squad
-
May 21 Chelsea defender Cahill learning from the masters
-
May 21 Hodgson impressed by Chelsea's England players in Munich
-
May 20 Lampard hails Chelsea "determination" after amazing Champions League triumph
Popular Stories
-
May 28 Hazard tells Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City: I've made my decision
-
May 28 Chelsea move ahead of Man Utd in Hazard battle
-
May 28 Tottenham's Saha: Hazard will join Chelsea
-
May 28 Chelsea ahead of Man City as AC Milan decide to 'sacrifice' Ibrahimovic
-
May 27 Hazard wants Man Utd: Glamour over cash
Comments (7)
still a moron in my book!!
Mikel u are now a man but i want you to be creatives not only just defensive.up chelsea
Mikel u r my man even when essien is back i stil want to see u in dat holding midfield i can see u learnt alot frm makelele. Let essien play more attackg dan defendg cos he has d power, strenght and d zeal to deliver by scoring goals.
Post new comment