Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has launched a scathing attack on manager Enzo Maresca's recent comments about the club being "ahead of schedule," while also criticizing Jadon Sancho's performances.
Chelsea's form has significantly deteriorated since December, with the team securing only two victories in their last nine Premier League matches. Their latest setback came in a 3-0 defeat to Brighton, further highlighting their struggles.
In a January interview with Sky Sports, Maresca had claimed the club was exceeding expectations, stating, "The club asked to play Champions League in two years. If we are able to bring this club after one year, it will be fantastic. In the next five to 10 years, Chelsea will be one of the teams, or the team, that is going to dominate English football."
This statement has drawn fierce criticism from Mikel, who expressed his displeasure on The Obi One Podcast. "Who the fck has told them that? Are you fcking kidding me? This is Chelsea Football Club," Mikel exclaimed. "You can't be ahead of the fcking schedule, this is the fcking Chelsea Football Club, no disrespect to Leicester where he's coming from."
The former Nigerian international emphasized Chelsea's status as a Champions League club, stating he had "never watched a fcking game in the Conference League." He suggested that Maresca's comments about not being Premier League title contenders have negatively impacted the team's mentality, describing recent performances as "a fcking disaster."
Mikel also directed criticism toward Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho, particularly regarding his performance in recent matches against West Ham and Brighton. "There was no character, there was no intensity, there was no leaders on the pitch," Mikel stated. He accused Sancho of "deceiving" the club with a few good games before disappearing "off the grid," noting the player's diminished effectiveness in taking on opponents and creating chances.
Chelsea will look to reverse their fortunes when they face Aston Villa away from home in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday.
