John Obi Mikel interview: Mauricio Pochettino needs time at Chelsea but Roman Abramovich would have sacked him

John Obi Mikel believes Mauricio Pochettino deserves time at Chelsea, but he expects European qualification and improved performances.

The former Blues midfielder was at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool last week, as the Chelsea boss failed to win his first trophy in English football.

The 1-0 loss over 120 minutes to Liverpool, who ended the match with a host of academy players on the pitch, saw the Blues labelled “billion pound bottle jobs” by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.

Mikel had his own disappointment at the defeat in such circumstances and says although Pochettino should keep his job, patience is not limitless at Chelsea.

“Some of the criticism has been over the top, but we went through the same thing playing for Chelsea when we were not winning, getting criticised and watching managers losing their jobs,” the club legend, who won 10 major honours in his nine-year spell at Chelsea, told Standard Sport.

“This is Chelsea. You have to win. You have to win games and trophies. Yes, we’ve given them time, but they have had time to start gelling, coming together, and playing much better.

“I defend the players and coach. They have to be given time, but how much time? This is Chelsea FC.

“If this was the [Roman] Abramovich era, he would have lost his job, but I hope the new owners give Poch time. Let’s see where we finish at the end of the season.

“The final would have given him breathing space but now we need a run of winning games to see where we end up finishing. Then it will be up to the owners to make a decision.”

He admits that European qualification should be a minimum expectation, with the Blues 11th in the Premier League table and 13 matches left to go.

“Of course, top four is out of reach,” he added. “If we qualify for the Europa League, I would see that as a major improvement, but to get there, we have to improve and go on a run of winning games.

“The Europa League would be a massive achievement and we can build on that. The final was a massive disappointment.”

Chelsea beat Leeds in a midweek FA Cup match, which would offer a chance of silverware and a backdoor route into the Europa League. But Mikel also thinks Chelsea need more firepower and is personally trying to convince his compatriot Victor Osimhen to join the club.

“I keep sending him text messages, calling him and making sure he joins Chelsea,” he said.

“I know he loves Chelsea, but other clubs want to sign him at the end of the season. Didier [Drogba] is also speaking to him, sharing his ideas, and we’ve been telling him why we love the club.

“It’s a huge transfer fee, but it would be fantastic if we could get him. You saw in the final we lack someone who can finish and score goals. We don’t need someone who creates chances like Harry Kane.

“We need someone who takes chances like Erling Haaland. I believe there will be talks at the end of the season, and I hope he joins Chelsea FC.”

After leaving Chelsea, Mikel played in China, Turkey, and for both Middlesbrough and Stoke City in the Championship. He has now retired.

Mikel is running the Obi One Podcast, where he has spoken to Osimhen, Eden Hazard and Jose Mourinho during his first series.

“I am happy my team-mates keep answering my phone calls! After football, we try to look after each other, and I am really grateful for that,” he added.

“JT (John Terry) was first, naturally, and Eden (Hazard) was a real natural, told his story and spoke about Madrid and why he couldn’t perform.

“We came up with the idea of doing a podcast to connect with the fans and reconnect with our fans. We’ve rounded up season one and season two should start by the end of April.

“I wanted to challenge myself and do something different to other ex-players and not just be a pundit or coach. It’s limitless what we can do, the next season is not just football but all sports and artists and musicians.”