"Step up or be sold!" Mikel Obi slams three Chelsea stars after poor display vs Flamengo.

 • Mikel Obi tears into three Chelsea stars after poor display vs Flamengo.  

• He tells one to "look at himself" after his performance in the game.  

Chelsea legend Mikel Obi has slammed three first-team Chelsea players following the Blues’ 3-1 defeat to Flamengo. The former Nigerian international did not hold back in his post-match reaction after Chelsea’s disappointing performance in Philadelphia.  

The Blues lost 3-1 to a relentless Flamengo side after Pedro Neto scored the opener. Nicolas Jackson picked up a red card in the game, stirring up anger among the Chelsea fanbase. 

Apart from Nicolas Jackson,  two other Chelsea stars did not impress former Blues midfielder, Mikel Obi. 

The club legend was on punditry duty for the Chelsea game. He told DAZN that what Jackson did was ‘stupid’, and cost his team in a game where a comeback was still a possibility: 

“Unbelievable. Stupid, stupid, stupid mistake. I don’t know what is going through his head.

"You come into the game with your side 2-1 down. Your team needs you and he does that. He did that in the league game against Newcastle, a very important game which we needed to get into the Champions League and he got a red card. Now he has done it again. You can’t keep making these mistakes.’

Asked if Jackson’s actions stemmed from frustration with not starting the game, Mikel said: ‘I don’t care what his frustration is, it is a massive football club. It is about competition.

‘If you’re angry, if you’re pissed off that Delap has come onto the club and he’s going to be the competition with you, you have to embrace it if you are a big player. Because the only way we win trophies is if the competition is there.’

Mikel also remarked that Jackson should not be with the Blues if he is afraid of competition. He wants the striker to embrace the battle with Delap or leave the club. He said (via Metro):

"Nicolas Jackson needs to have a word with himself on where he sees his Chelsea career going on from here,’ Mikel continued.

‘The manager has brought in a striker in Delap. If the manager starts to doubt you, thinking “do I still trust this guy” and he keeps making mistakes and letting the club down, he will think do I stick with the player I brought into the football club in Delap. So the manager has a decision to make because you can’t keep putting him in and letting the team down. If he doesn’t trust him then it is time for Delap to start the games.

‘He [Jackson] wants to be the only guy, playing every game. No, we need healthy competition to win trophies moving forward, challenging for titles. And if he is not ready for it then he should not be at Chelsea football club.’

Jackson is banned for the first Premier League game of the new season against Crystal Palace due to his red card against Newcastle at the end of last season.

Mikel Obi said he was concerned with Cole Palmer's performance as well. 

Palmer was not really impressive during Chelsea’s defeat against the Brazilian side and was replaced by Marc Guiu late in the second half.

Speaking about the England international, Obi Mikel told DAZN: “It is a bit worrying.

“Cole is a fantastic player, everything goes through him but sometimes he disappears in games where you don’t see him and that has happened again.

“But he needs to know that he is now a marked man.

“You will play against teams and they will know if you take out Cole Palmer, you can nullify the way they play.”

After a brilliant first season at Stamford Bridge, Palmer’s impact at the Blues dropped off during the 2024-25 campaign.

Palmer will now hope to perform better when Chelsea face Tunisia’s ES Tunis next week.

Lastly,  Mikel Obi also rammed into Robert Sanchez. He He urged Chelsea to sign a top goalkeeper as he once again criticised him following the defeat to Flamengo:

"I don’t think Robert Sanchez is the goalkeeper that can lead Chelsea to winning titles,” he told DAZN as quoted by BBC Sport.

“He is not that guy. They need to bring in a top, top goalkeeper this summer if they want to compete.”

No keeper made more errors leading to goals in the league than Sanchez last season, but with Djorjde Petrovic set to be sold despite excelling at Strasbourg it looks like the 27-year-old is set to be number one again.

Chelsea will need to put up a masterclass display against ES Tunis next week in order to progress from the group stage.