IHEANACHO TO PLAY MIKEL ROLE - Owngoal.com

[oloye]

People still comparing U17 to full international.... There is a wide developmental gap, as wide as the sea separating africa from europe. No one comes close to replacing or replicating Mikel's role, not even Iwobi whose style is different

Oloye, I’m sorry but contextually, you’re wrong. Mikel is not any kind of a role player. He is a complete player with unique attributes that work very well for him wherever you decide to play him. When it comes to the specific role of a No. 10, in Mikel’s absence, Kelechi Ihenacho is as good as anyone else we’ve got... And if he could play that role at U17 then he can still do it now. Practice makes perfect


Cheers.

Oga TTK, i have my reasons for making the bold statement. Once again that he did it at U17 does not mean he would do it again....the context is different ditto what is required. Heck he could not even replocate it at U20. To start with the role of Mikel is central to everything we do in the CE, he is the glue that holds the team together, it is no brainer why the team tend to fall apart as soon as he goes off. Mikel keeps the ball and does not lose it carelessly even when harassed, and his passing range is way above what Kele can manage.

If i am coaching Poland and i see Kele trying for that role, from his current display ,i know what i will instruct my midfielders to do...harass the hell out of him and get the ball off him. The way Kele topples over...that should not be a difficult thing to accomplish.

I repeat no one comes close to doing and giving us what Mikel gives us. Heck the coach can try other ideas, but please let us not use the phrase 'Play Mikel role'....there is nothing like that....no one in that team can. There is a reason why Mikel at that stage of his career was an established name in the EPL....shoe get size abeg.

Count how many times Kele comes in contact with the ball in the games he has played this season. Heck even go back to his City days and count how many times he touches the ball in a game,then compare it to Mikel and tell me he can play Mikel's role. Mikel is central to everything we do, he is comfortable to have the ball at any where and any point or part of the field without losing it carelessly. Geez this is not about hyping Mikel, this is something simple stats thtows right in our face.

Iwobi or Moses are the people who come close, but both still lack the ability to change the rhythm and tempo of the game like Mikel. Iwobi is all action, always on the go with his one touch footballl. Moses has variation and the intelligence, but restricting him to that role takes away a lot from him and from the team. We need his ability to cause damage by his ability to run at the opponents from every part and anywhere he choses.

As a coach in the absence of Mikel, you simply think of a new and different approach, he has to think out of the box with the players available. In football when you lose players like Messi, Zidane, Ronaldo, Maradonna and yes our own Mikel...you dont look for someone to replicate their role...you simply tear up the script and look for a new tactical approach.

Oloye,

KPOM!!! People tend to underrate Mikel's ability and role. Even Moses and Iwobi that you mentioned don't even come close in ability to protect the ball when pressured and none of those two have the range of passes that Mikel has. Iwobi sure has vision and can pass but his passes are not Pirlo-like as Mikel can produce at times.

I do not think that Iheanacho is expected to play like Mikel. Not at all. Iheanacho is not similar to Mikel. Iheanacho, however, provides a deeper threat at scoring. He must really put in the work but he can be successful as he showed in previous games at that position under Rohr.

My dear esteemed forum associates Oloye and Enugu II, the hypothetical question here wasn’t “Can Nacho do a Mikel”? The answer to that question is NO obviously. No one can do a Mikel; not Matic, not N’Golo Kante and not even Makelele. The real question is can Nacho play the 10 role for Nigeria? Enugu II, you more or less answered that question in your closing paragraph. All things considered, the answer to that is YES; obviously


Cheers.

Oga TTK ,now you are trying to change the question which i responded to, which prompted you to respond to me You sure say nor be so you changed ya WAEC questions?
Biko look at the title of the thread again....that is what i responded to.

And as for playing the number 10 role, my answer remains the same ....an emphatic NO. Kele is a goal poacher, one who requires the system be tweaked to accomodate him even with his qualities. In any other role, he becomes almost a liability,hence the reason he is struggling at Leicester and why he was sold at City.

He is not a number 10,i have never seen a number who gets played just to score goals....that is more like a striker.

Kele's strength is not at number 10 , never was and never would be. I dont care whay he did at U17, Osondu and others were great at U17..heck we are still looking for Christansus, little Pele and the rest to set the world alight after what they did at U17. Kele's development and role in the game has since moved on from the U17 days.

If i am going to play Kele in my team, he would be a shadow striker , playing in the shadow of a donkey and workalholic striker who does a great deal of work wearing down defenders leaving Kele to sneak in like a shadow to score...that aint number 10, just a damn good support striker.