Mikel Obi Urges Chelsea Coach To Adopt Pep Guardiola’s Approach

Former Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has urged the Blues’ manager, Enzo Maresca, to take a page out of Pep Guardiola’s playbook to enhance the team’s performance by using a more adaptable tactical approach.

Mikel Obi expressed concern that Chelsea’s players have seemingly run out of creative solutions under Maresca’s current strategy, which he believes has become predictable and easily countered by other teams in the Premier League.

During a recent episode of his podcast, the former Super Eagles captain highlighted: “We’ve been figured out. In the Premier League, clubs meticulously analyze your style of play, and I’ve reiterated this repeatedly. They will quickly identify your strengths and work diligently to neutralize them.”

He urged the importance of tactical flexibility, saying, “To be successful, especially in this league, you must find alternative methods to approach games. Pep Guardiola has showcased this beautifully with Manchester City. They have evolved beyond relying on their trademark 20-pass sequences to progress the ball forward.”

Referencing a recent match against Newcastle, where City adopted a more direct style, Mikel Obi asserted, “You need to be innovative and discover new ways to clinch victories. Currently, we appear to be lacking that ingenuity and the players seem to be bereft of ideas.”

This critique comes in the wake of Chelsea’s disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brighton, a loss that has left Maresca’s side languishing in 6th place on the Premier League table after looking like a title contender before last Christmas.