Ex-Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel believes that Chelsea captain Reece James is miles away from establishing himself as a strong influence on Enzo Maresca’s side, Footynaija.com reports.
James, a regular visitor to the treatment table in recent years, came on from the substitute bench in Chelsea’s last Premier League game that saw them suffer a dreadful 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion.
After seeing his former club get battered at the AMEX Stadium, Mikel singled out the Blues skipper for criticism. The ex-Chelsea midfield star registered his doubts concerning James’ ability to strongly influence Maresca’s squad.
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Using his time at Stamford Bridge as an example, Mikel made comparisons between former Chelsea captain John Terry and James. He went ahead to highlight the difference in their influence within their various squads.
“The club needs you [Reece James] to do more,” the former Nigeria international said on his Obi One Podcast.
“Sometimes the manager even said to JT [John Terry], ‘Go speak to him [any player in the team at that time]. You are the f*cking captain, you [are] the leader, go speak to him.
“You think Reece James is going to speak to Enzo Fernandez? No, I don’t see that happening. That was why I said Reece James has to do more as a captain.
“You can only do more by your performances, by being on the pitch, showing leadership on the pitch. He has been injured for half of his career at Chelsea. So you can’t go meet your players because you [also] need to be on the pitch.”
While Mikel’s comments may seem somewhat harsh, there remains some elements of truth in them. Football clubs and managers typically expect their captains to lead by example on the pitch.
With only 21 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea since taking on the arm-band in 2023, James has hardly had the desired impact his leadership position within the squad requires of him.
Mikel spent eleven successful years at Stamford Bridge, making 354 appearances within that period. The former midfielder helped Chelsea to 2 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups and 1 Champions League and Europa League crowns each.
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