Super Eagles
midfielder Mikel Obi has admitted Chelsea are battling to regain their
winning mentality after stumbling against Blackburn Rovers on Sunday in
the race for the Premier League title.
The Blues, who were
knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan last week, were
hoping to step up their chase for the English league crown but El-Hadji
Diouf’s second half goal cancelled Didier Drogba’s early strike,
allowing Blackburn to share the spoils.
The result left
Chelsea four points adrift of leaders Manchester United and Mikel, who
was in action against Blackburn, bemoaned his team’s lack of desire to
put things right in the second half.
“We are very disappointed,’ Mikel told Chelsea website after the game.
We played well in
the first half and we knew that Blackburn are going to come out and
fight, which is exactly what we did in the first half.”
Losing control
Mikel said his side lost focus during the second half, leading to Blackburn’s equaliser.
“We know it is
always difficult to come to Blackburn but we fought for the second
balls and gained control of the game, but in the second half we did not
do enough defensively and that cost us. We didn’t keep the ball and we
didn’t fight as hard as we did in the first half and this is why we
drew the game. The pitch was not good but that is not an excuse,” he
said.
Chelsea had several
chances to blow Blackburn away in a commanding first half performance
after Drogba’s 6th minute goal but they failed to put the game to rest.
“If we had scored a second goal in the first half then I think it would
have killed the game but we didn’t and in the second half we lost
control of the game,” Mikel said. The former Lyn Oslo player however
believes his side can get back to winning ways when they travel to face
Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
Getting it right
To return to winning ways, Mikel believes the team will need the support of the fans and coaching staff.
“We are all
professionals and when things are not going well we mustn’t be down.
This is when we need everyone to show support and to be together; team,
fans and coaching staff, and hopefully we can put things right by the
end of the season,” he said.
“It has been
really, really difficult but the manager has been there for us and we
all are sticking together. We have a game against Portsmouth and we
have to go there and win.”
Mikel denied
reports that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had, at a meeting with the
team last week, voiced his frustration and threatened to sack some
players after their Champions League ouster.
“We know we have to
win something but the meeting wasn’t about that. Everybody came to show
their support; the owner came to show his support. That is what we need
at the moment and that is exactly what he did,” Mikel said.
“He came to cheer us up and tell us to keep going and although we
didn’t win the last two games we have a game on Wednesday and we have
to put things right.”
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