Chelsea man who ‘needs to do more’ berated by legend in X-rated rant: ‘Be on the f***ing pitch!’
John Obi Mikel says Reece James “needs to do more” as Chelsea captain, starting “by being on the pitch, showing leadership”.
James has struggled massively to stay fit over the last three years, limiting himself to only 45 appearances for Chelsea since the start of 2022/23.
He is also without an England cap since playing five minutes against Italy in March 2023, which was his first Three Lions match for six months.
It has been one injury after another for the 25-year-old, who is clearly a very talented player and excellent right-back.
His poor injury record has hindered his ability to be an effective captain at Stamford Bridge, even with current head coach Enzo Maresca and previous boss Mauricio Pochettino managing the player’s fitness very carefully.
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James has been in seven Premier League matchday squads in a row, playing in the Blues last five.
Chelsea are going through a difficult spell under Maresca, with Champions League qualification at risk after only two wins from their previous nine league matches, seeing them drop to sixth below Manchester City and Bournemouth.
They have also been knocked out of the FA Cup in this time and the club’s former midfielder Mikel is not happy.
In an X-rated rant that included criticism of Maresca and Todd Boehly, as well as Jadon Sancho, the Nigerian also took aim at James for his inability to be a proper captain, which is something Maresca has also touched on this season.
Mikel said on the Obi One podcast: “Ah, f*** that, no, you think Reece James is going to speak to Enzo Fernandez? No, I don’t see that happening.
“Reece James needs to do more as a captain; you can only do more through your performances, by being on the pitch, showing leadership.
“He’s been injured for half of his career at Chelsea.
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“You can’t go and say to a player, ‘You know, you need to do more.’ No, you need to be on the f***ing pitch.”
Mikel then added that not qualifying for the Champions League would be a “massive disaster” and slammed the players and Maresca for taking it easy over the Christmas period, resulting in a loss of form.
“That’s a disaster if we fail to qualify for the Champions League,” he continued. “I will view this season as a massive, massive disaster.
“December is not a f***ing time to drink red wine and have turkey. You can enjoy your Christmas, but we knew back then that this is the test when you need to win the Premier League.
“It’s not a holiday period. It’s never a holiday period.
“So to win two out of ten since then is a huge, huge disappointment. I just hope we find our way back.
“Cole Palmer, his form has dipped a little bit, but the guy can’t do everything alone. The pressure should always be on the owners.”
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