Tianjin Teda of China midfielder, John Mikel Obi has won words of praise from the club’s coach, Uli Stielike, who acknowledged that the star’s height and experience made a world of difference for the squad in last weekend’s Chinese Super League fixture.
While Stielike admitted he was surprised that Mikel was able to play all 90 minutes of his side’s 1-1 home draw against Jiangsu Suning on Saturday, the German ex-international stressed that the Super Eagles’ captain put up a brilliant performance in the game.
Stielike also hinted that Mikel has been ruled out of the past six matches on account f injuries, but did not state categorically whether the former Chelsea star will begin to get regular starting spots henceforth.
This comes after Mikel was reinstated into the starting lineup after Brazilian striker, Jonathan failed a fitness test, and Stielike was delighted that the Nigerian ace played at a high level in his first game after recovering from a knee injury.
Stielike stated: ”I was very satisfied with Mikel, he didn’t play because of injuries. I didn’t expect him to play 90 minutes of a high-intensity game. His height was an advantage in grabbing the point, including his experience in midfield. His performance was very good.”
