Mikel says he is ready to play in another midfield position
- Mikel Obi says he is ready to sacrifice his role in the advanced midfield position
- The 31-year-old admits he is aware of how Nigerians felt after the loss to Croatia
- The Super Eagles will be facing Iceland in their second match on Friday, June 22
Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has stated he will sacrifice his offensive midfield role for any other position given to him.
The Tiajin Teda player was heavily criticized because he made little or no impact in midfield when the Nigerian team fell 2-0 to Croatia.
The former Chelsea star admitted he was aware the way Nigerians felt after the match stressing the team has trained hard and taken conscious notes of the areas that needed corrections.
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“I have played in this advanced role for close to two years now and people never complained until we lost this game to Croatia.
“Personally, I am ready to play anywhere the coach wants me to play. I am comfortable with any of the roles, whether in a more offensive or defensive role. The most important thing is for the team to get positive result,” observed the Nigerian captain at the team’s session with sports journalists in Essentuki yesterday.
Despite the poor pass-mark awarded him by his former boss Jose Mourinho, Mikel did not take offense but stressed he understands what the Portuguese coach was driving at.
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“I have worked with Mourinho for a long time and he knows me very well. I understand what he’s talking about,” he added.
The former Lyn Oslo man however remains positive that the Green and White will make it to the round of 16 with Iceland and Argentina as next opponents.
“We have not given up hope in spite of the disappointment of that loss (to Croatia). We are training hard to make it out of the group. Hopefully, things will work out fine for us on Friday.”
The 31-year-old said he would love the Eagles to continue to remain in the competition as they have loved the atmosphere in Russia.
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“We have enjoyed Russia so far. We have been able to work and train well.
“The training facilities, hotel and the people have been great.
"We hope to qualify and stay longer here so we can get to know more places in Russia,” concludes the Nigerian captain.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that ex-Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho faulted Gernot Rohr for fielding Mike Obi in an advanced position.
The Portuguese gaffer stressed that the former Chelsea player should have played in the defensive midfield position.
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Source: Legit.ng
