Mikel upset by limited Chelsea role

Nigerias Mikel Obi is the latest player to be unsure of his future at Chelsea after being left out of starting line-up in Tuesdays crucial Champions League victory over Valencia which secured a place for the London club in the last 16 of the competition.Initially the focus was on Frank Lampard being dropped from the team for a match Chelsea had to win but Mikel is believed to have been upset about his omission especially with Oriol Romeus emergence having put his role in jeopardy. Major newspapers in England, especially The Telegraph, review of the match suggest that the Nigerian has dropped in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas acquired Romeu from Barcelona in the summer and has made no secret of the fact that he intended to play the 20-year-old Spaniard once he had settled in. It is why Romeu was afforded the key No 6 shirt, regarded as a statement by Villas-Boas.Mikel extended his contract at Stamford Bridge in 2009 and his current deal has three more years left to run but he may have to be content with a reduced first-team role as Villas-Boass revolution starts to take shape. The Super Eagles midfielder enjoyed more first team role with Jose Mourinho, who brought him to Stanford Bridge, and with the subsequent managers.On Tuesday, Romeu said that the 3-0 victory over Valencia was a good advert for what we are capable of and he has quickly become part of the core of a new Chelsea which also includes Juan Mata, Daniel Sturridge and Meireles.He said, I am happy that he trusts me to play. The manager gives us a lot of freedom to make our own choices, the chance to play in our own individual styles. He does not want us to play so direct, as they are used to in English football. I came here because there was more chance of playing and to be playing in games of this magnitude - against Valencia and against City - is a marvel.
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