Mikel’s form key to Egypt tie – Adepoju, Fuludu

Former Nigeria internationals, Mutiu Adepoju and Edema Fuludu, have hailed the current form of Chelsea midfielder, Mikel Obi, saying he would be key to Nigeria’s pursuit of victory against Egypt in their Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Mikel, who is in his 10th season at Chelsea, has rediscovered his form since he returned to the starting line-up of the English League champions under interim coach Guus Hiddink. The 28-year-old scored his sixth Chelsea goal in his 358th appearance on Tuesday in a 2-1 loss to Paris St. Germain in the UEFA Champions League.

Nigeria will play Egypt on March 25 in Kaduna before playing the return leg in Cairo and the former Super Eagles players, who spoke with our correspondent in separate interviews, believe that Mikel has achieved a new level of confidence which would rub on his performance for the Eagles.

Adepoju said, “Mikel has achieved a new level of confidence in his game and it was what resulted in his ability to take the responsibility for the team against PSG. He saw himself as responsible for the opponent’s first goal and fought well to get one back for his team.

“This is a different player from the one he was under (Jose) Mourinho. This ‘new’ Mikel will be important in the Nations Cup qualifiers against Egypt. The Eagles can now count him among the players who are in form and will deliver the goodies for the country.

“What he needs more now is the creative edge he lost but he can still play well in the same defensive midfield position in the Eagles.”

For Fuludu, Mikel’s return to the Chelsea starting line-up will strike fear in the Eagles’ opponents.

“We all know what an in-form Mikel can do in a team. An example was what he showed on Tuesday. He may not be scoring the goals but he can create the chances and make timely tackles to dispossess the opponent of the ball,” he said.

“That is the kind of player that opponents are afraid of; a player who does the dirty jobs in the team and initiate attacks. Mikel is an example of what regular playing time can do to a player.”