After disappointing debut, Mikel Says Eto’o will bounce back

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Sports News Sunday, September 15th, 2013

By Chinwe Ihejiofor,

Samuel Eto’o

Super Eagles and Chelsea Midfielder Jon Mikel Obi says Cameroonian international Samuel Eto’o will bounce back quickly after his disappointing first premier league match for Chelsea.

The Cameroonian striker missed several scoring chances as Chelsea lost to Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Eto’o, 32, was a ghost of his heyday in front of goal as he missed begging scoring changes, a performance that many football fans doubt if the highly experienced striker would quickly gel into the premier league.

Speaking after the match to Journalists, Nigerian born Mikel Obi who also played in the 1-0 loss, has a different opinion about Eto’o’s performance.

Hear him: “Let’s wait and see. The English league is very difficult to adapt to and this was the first game for him and he has done pretty well.

“Samuel is a great player, you could see the way he played, he created some fantastic chances. That is why the manager brought him in.

“Chelsea was my first real professional club and it took me six months to a year to adapt, but I think someone like Eto’o, who is well experienced and has played in so many leagues, won’t take very long. I think he looked a bit sharp, so it won’t take him long to get back into his fitness.

Mikel who described Eto’o as “a world-class player” added, “we just have to keep playing with him and helping him to adapt to the Premier League.”

Eto’o had a successful career with Barcelona scoring over 100 goals in 145 appearances. He later moved to Makhachkala FC scoring 25 goals in 53 appearances for the Russian club.