Mikel Signing Represents Realism, Not Idealism

After three years of exile in China, John Obi Mikel looks set to return to English football. This time, he runs out as a Championship player in the red of Middlesbrough, assuming of course there are no hiccups in the advanced stages of the deal.

Should Mikel be unveiled as a Middlesbrough player in the coming days, as expected, It will be a particularly surreal sight for those Chelsea fans who remember his best years. At his peak, he was a dominant yet calming influence in a midfield that won two Premier League titles during his stay at Stamford Bridge, and this undeniably makes him the ideal ‘Pulis’ player, despite his recent frustrations.

Over the course of 31 appearances for Chinese Super League side Tianjin TEDA, Mikel netted a modest total of just three league goals. Separated from his UK-resident wife and children, he battled homesickness and never quite made the impact anticipated. This was not necessarily by dint of aging or a waning of skills though. One man never makes a team, and Tianjin’s already-ailing squad battled relegation during the Nigerian’s two-year stay, notably avoiding it in 2018 by mere virtue of a superior head-to-head record against Changchun Yatai.

For many, Mikel’s Chinese odyssey was doomed from the start, and Mikel is something of a left-field pick from a practical standpoint, especially as Middlesbrough’s default starting XI has been a byword for defensive composure this season. However, Pulis’ famed preference for self-preservation has come at a price, and Middlesbrough are still vulnerable to the chasing pack below them, as the fight to finish in the Championship’s top six reaches its endgame.

Nobody can refute the fact that those who keep their place in the top six do so through at least one good winning run, but Boro will go into February having failed to win back-to-back league matches since November 2018. It is a distinct comedown from pre-season Sporting Index spreads, which listed Boro as a top candidate for promotion, but the presence of a strong leader with prior experience can often prove crucial to righting wrongs on the pitch. And so, while time may yet prove to have been unkind to 31 year-old Mikel, he still has ‘midfield general’ practically tattooed onto his very soul.

During his time at Chelsea, there was often a stark difference between the Blues’ performances when he was on the field versus off it. When Mikel was on the field, Chelsea performed like a unit. On the flipside, Chelsea were easy to exploit down the middle when he was absent. While this isn’t such an issue for Middlesbrough, the fact remains that a 46-game campaign is tough for even the best athletes. Thus, there is no guarantee that the defensive resilience which has characterised Boro this season will stay present.

With the Nigerian midfielder benefitting from a break after the end of the Chinese Super League season, this is as much of a tactical, long-term signing as it is a short-term attempt to add some Premier League quality to a midfield that occasionally lacks creativity. Thus, perhaps Mikel’s greatest asset is not what he brings to the pitch in terms of skill and movement, but how his natural fluidity in the centre enables him to play off a wide variety of teammates.

For instance, Mikel’s latter days at Chelsea often saw him act as the anchor to Ramires’ creativity, with the Brazilian acting as the typically energetic box-to-box midfielder, and specialised in the advancement of attacking moves. Fellow Brazilian Oscar was another option to partner Mikel, and represented a more conservative pick in light of his ability to provide precision passes, and dribble with expertise during phases of ball retention.

For that reason, Mikel’s deployment alongside Mohammed Besic or Adam Clayton – or even both, in a midfield three – would be a curious experiment. Completing an average of 0.379 passes per minute in the league this season, Besic only marginally outshines Clayton, meaning that Pulis has a difficult call to make if he is to stick with the current formation. Alternatively, Besic can drop back and sit in the holding role, but the forward drive – that might be the difference between 2nd and 7th – could still be somewhat lacking.

Under the latter formation, the attack-minded young midfielder Lewis Wing may be the person sacrificed against the more ruthless defences in the league, but needs must when facing a potential ‘month of death’. The first half of February will see Boro make two trips to promotion-chasing opposition (West Brom and Sheffield United), with those games sandwiching a home clash against Leeds that requires every ounce of composure possible.

A series of defensively-naive performances from Boro from here could see them make the difficult trip to Blackburn (17th February) winless in four league matches, and – almost certainly – out of the race to finish in the top six. With the final year of Middlesbrough’s relegation ‘parachute payments’ starting next season, and the potential departures of Rudy Gestede and Ashley Fletcher leaving Boro light in attack, Mikel is not the answer to Boro’s weaknesses...

...but he could show a promising young squad how to win football matches, and by hook or by crook, victories which ultimately yield promotion are all that history will ever acknowledge.

Author Bio: Tamhas Woods is a BJTC-accredited broadcast journalist with a M.A in Journalism from Staffordshire University

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