Obi knocking on the door, Lawal warns Mikel

Joel Obi

Former Nigeria midfielder Garba Lawal has warned Chelsea’s Mikel Obi he could lose his regular place in the Super Eagles when Joel Obi establishes himself as a top-class ball-winner and user in the team.

Lawal is convinced Inter Milan’s Obi is destined to be Nigeria’s premier offensive and defensive midfielder for years, although the 19-year-old does not get plenty of playing minutes at his Italian Serie A club.

Obi, who made his international debut for Nigeria in a friendly game against Sierra Leone in Lagos on February 9, distinguished himself in the Eagles’ 4-0 defeat of Ethiopia in their 2012 Nations Cup qualifier in Abuja on March 27 and the 3-0 drubbing of Kenya in a friendly affair three days later.

Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone on Tuesday, Lawal, who won gold with the U-23 team at the Atlanta’ 96 Olympic Games and represented Nigeria at the France ’98 and 2002 Korea/Japan World Cups, said the Inter Milan player had been impressive in his three games for the country.

“We should give Joel Obi time to improve his game,” Lawal said.

“He’s still very young and we shouldn’t put him under pressure so that he does not fall by the wayside like others who showed promise in the past.

“I don’t know what’s happening to Mikel. He has not impressed me, though I don’t know the instructions given him by the coach when we played against Ethiopia and Kenya.

“He must watch it because other players are coming up, and Joel Obi is one of them.”

Although the versatile former Holland-based player was full of praise for coach Samson Siasia for guiding the Eagles to three successive wins after he took over the reins in December last year, Lawal insisted a lot of work needed to be done.

The Nigeria Football Federation Technical Department member said, “I’m not impressed with our defence because it’s fragile.

“There’s no understanding between Joseph Yobo and Efe Ambrose. Maybe it’s because they’ve not been playing together for long in the central defence.

“Taye Taiwo is not playing at his best and he must improve his game.”

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