Mikel Obi Blasts Pochettino, Marc Cucurella Over Chelsea’s Poor Run

Former Chelsea midfielder, Mikel Obi has blasted the club’s current coach, Mauricio Pochettino, for not pushing his players hard enough to do their jobs.

Mikel Obi who played the best of his football career at Chelsea, stressed that the club lacks leaders in the mode of Didier Drogba, John Terry, and Frank Lampard who would shout at players who were not playing well.

Under coach Pochettino, Chelsea have recorded five wins, four draws, and 7 defeats in 16 Premier League games so far this season despite having one of the most expensive squads in the world. They are currently sitting in the 12th spot with 19 points, 14 points away from 4th-placed Manchester City.

Hence, Mikel Obi has urged the Argentine coach to stop rebuilding and start winning games, adding that there is no longer time to continue rebuilding.

“Are we just going to sit on the fence and say we are still in a rebuilding process?” Mikel said during his Obi-One Podcast.

“There is no time for that. We need to start winning games. When I look at the team, it comes down to a lack of leaders.

“In the game against Everton, I looked around the pitch, there was not one single leader. There is no one to come out on the pitch to go at your colleagues and say, ‘Wake up, what are you doing?’ – this is what we had before.

“The likes of Didier Drogba, John Terry, and Frank Lampard, when you are having a s*** game, these guys would make you wake up.

“I look at the manager; I didn’t see him scream at one of the players to say, ‘Do your f****** job, wake up, make sure you run around and make sure we win the game.’”

Mikel Obi Blasts Cucurella

While urging coach Pochettino to do more for Chelsea, the retired Super Eagles of Nigeria player described the club’s left-back, Marc Cucurella, as a player below the club’s standard.

Recall that Chelsea bought the Spanish defender from Brighton for a transfer fee worth £62 million two summers ago and since then, he has struggled to establish himself in the team.

“He is not Chelsea standard,” Mikel said.

“When you look at the left-backs we have had, Ashley Cole, Cesar Azpilicueta, William Gallas, you are talking about these players who have stayed at the club for many years, played so many games, and the standard they have set for that position. For me, he’s not at Chelsea standard.”