It’s cup glory or nothing for Mikel

Chelsea have the chance to still finish the season with two silverware. Kazeem Busari writes on how Mikel Obi stands to shine

Mikel Obi started the season with Chelsea with hopes of winning four titles – the English Premier League, Carling Cup, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. They had all they could hope for – a billionaire owner, an ambitious coach, a title-hungry team and fans that will never let them down. But just when it’s sunset in the European season, all the Blues can ever hope to win is the English FA Cup and the Champions League.

Both titles stand out as elite silverware in Europe. The FA Cup is the oldest in England while the Champions League is the most prestigious in Europe. 

For Mikel, there’s more to lose than just failing to lift the trophies this season. Chelsea failed to win the Carling Cup which they last won in 2007 and have also crashed out of the EPL top four for a Champions League spot next season. The former Plateau United midfielder, who has been criticised for his poor scoring form at the London club, cannot afford not to celebrate this season.

Since joining the club in 2006 from Lyn Oslo, Mikel has managed to score just two FA Cup goals for Chelsea. In fact, he’s the only defender in Chelsea’s first team yet to score a Premier League goal. He has only been able to celebrate goals from his teammates – a sharp contrast of what he was when he featured for Nigeria at the 2005 U-20 World Cup in Holland.

Back then, he was second Most Valuable Player in Holland after Argentina’s Lionel Messi. While Messi has grown to become a world football icon, Mikel instead has experienced a degree of deterioration in his lethal ability.

A league title, three FA Cup titles, one Carling Cup and a Community Shield title are all Mikel has in his archive, a far cry from what his contemporary, Messi, possesses in the same number of years.

For a player who has been named among the ‘mafia’ players in Chelsea that determine their coach’s success, he must prove a point by winning a trophy and convince their fans the problems are not always from the players.

Mikel accepts the Blues will have to win the Champions League to confirm their place in next season’s competition after Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.

They are now four points off the top four with just two games remaining and will only feature in Europe’s premier competition next season if they beat Bayern Munich on May 19.

“Now we have to concentrate. It’s difficult and everyone is going to say that the only chance we have (to qualify) is to win the Champions League final,” Mikel said, admitting Chelsea are no longer in the race for EPL top four finish.

“It is what everyone wants, what the fans want and what we really want. But we have to make sure we win the FA Cup final on Saturday and make sure that we don’t let it go past us.”

Mikel, once a quiet and shy player, has suddenly become outspoken, calling on UEFA to reconsider the ban on his teammates ahead of the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Germany and also urging his teammates to put in all they have as they clash with Liverpool in the FA Cup final on Saturday. This new posture could mean desperation on his part.

“The yellow cards should be cancelled going into a final and UEFA should look into that,” Mikel told the Evening Standard, referring to the ban on Ramires, Raul Meireles, John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic.

“When you get to the final everyone wants to see the best players and it’s a shame that JT, Ivanovic, Meireles and Ramires won’t play.”

Underneath Mikel’s frustration is the fact that he will not be playing with some of his most reliable teammates at the Chelsea backline.

The May 19 clash will be Chelsea’s second time of getting this close to the title. Back in 2008, they lost to Manchester United in the Moscow final via penalties, a game which Mikel was on the bench throughout.

If he wins the battle against Bayern Munich in a fortnight, he will be only the third Nigerian to win the most coveted club trophy in Europe after Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi George won it with Ajax in 1995.