Nigeria captain John Mikel Obi says he will play anywhere on the pitch if that is what it takes to help the Super Eagles win.
Chatter in the media and among fans after the Croatia loss has been that Gernot Rohr wrongly deployed Mikel as an attacking rather than a defensive midfielder in the 2-0 defeat.
José Mourinho, who coached Mikel through his formative years and all the way to maturity while at Chelsea, added more fuel to the fire by saying that Nigeria “lost a great 6 to get a bad 10”.
In response to a question at Nigeria’s press conference on Wednesday, Mikel said the conversation was academic, but he would gladly play anywhere for the good of the team, starting with tomorrow’s game against Iceland.
“I feel comfortable playing in both positions. I would do anything possible and anything I can to make sure we win games. I am the captain of this team, I am the leader of this team. If I have to sacrifice for this team to progress, I will. If I have to sacrifice a position, go play wherever, I will do that for this team to win games,” he said.