The football season is moving towards its closing stages now, and in England at least, the title race already appears to be pretty much over. No one really believes that Manchester City are going to peg back United, which leaves the issues of relegation and European places to be decided in the last couple of months of the season.

The end of the season leaves a bit of a void for anyone who loves the game, whether it is just spectating, or watching the game and betting on it, the one way of potentially filling that gap is football themed slots game like Soccer Safari.

Soccer Safari is certainly far removed from the drama of a Premier League season, being centred on a madcap bunch of animals playing a World Cup game in the African jungle, but in its own way it is just as exciting. The key aspect of the game is the quality of the video graphics, which really bring everything from the stadium to the animals – including lions, buffalo, rhinos and warthogs – to life.

John Obi Mikel has said that the Nigerian team will be able to make its way into the final 8 of the ongoing African Cup of Nations.

Nigeria is yet to win a match in the ongoing competition so far. The first couple of its preliminary matches have ended in the form of draws. The Nigerian team will take on Ethiopia in its final group match tomorrow. The Super eagles need to win that match to qualify for the quarter finals.

Talking to the reporters ahead of the match against Ethiopia, Mikel said, “We haven’t played up to our abilities in the tournament so far, but, tomorrow, we will have to make sure that we get three points and move into the quarterfinals. Hopefully, we will play our best tomorrow and will secure a win.”

When asked about the performance of the team in the last match against Zambia, Mikel said, “We played some really good football in the last match. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to get three points, but, our performance was not bad at all.”

“We created more opportunities than Zambia in that match, but, we couldn’t capitalize on those opportunities.”

“Some of our key players are slowly getting back to top form and it’s a good sign for us. If we play up to the potential that we have got, we can beat any team in this competition.”

In its first match against Burkina Faso, Nigeria was ahead by 1-0 till the 90th minute of the match. But, in the injury time, Alain Traore scored a goal for Burkina Faso and Nigeria had to share points. Similarly, in its second match against Zambia, Nigeria was again leading by 1-0 till the 85th minute. But, it was a penalty goal by Kennedy Mweene which levelled the scores and prevented Nigeria from winning the match.

The Chelsea midfielder John obi Mikel has suggested that the future of the defender David Luiz is not in the midfield. The Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez decided to utilise the 25-year-old Portuguese the defensive midfield position alongside Mikel in the recent match against the Mexican club Monterrey in the Club World Cup.

It was a move that made a great dividends as Chelsea manager to win the match comfortably 3-1, but the defensive midfielder John obi Mikel believes that Luiz is best when he plays a defender. David Luiz is regarded as one of the enigmatic defenders due to his unique style of defending, which often leaves him to numerous mistakes.

Benitez decided to use him as the defensive midfielder against Monterrey due to the number of injuries and suspensions faced by the squad in this area of the pitch. The club recently lost the services of the midfielder Romeu for the next six months, which meant that Mikel was the only recognised defensive midfielder in the squad. Benitez decided to use David Luiz as the defensive midfielder and asked John obi Mikel to perform an attacking role. Even though it was not great at times, there were certainly possibilities of this partnership shining, but the midfielder has said that Luiz is best at central defence.

"It was a bit of a shock to see David lining up there. I said to him as we got on to the pitch: "Where shall I play? He said he'd play the holding role and that I should go forward. I said OK but, when the game started, I looked up and he was already up their end of the pitch. David is a great player, but I don't know if this is going to be a long-term thing. I think he needs to play at the back," said Mikel.

The agent of the Nigerian midfielder John obi Mikel has said that his client will be signing a new contract with Chelsea soon. The Chelsea midfielder was extremely influential in helping the club win the FA Cup and the Champions League last season.

The 25-year-old has been one of the consistent performers for the team over the last couple of seasons. He was initially criticised for not being able to replicate the performances of Claude Makelele, who was one of the best players in his position. However, he has grown in stature in recent years and has excelled under the management of Roberto di Matteo.

Even though he is yet to score a Premier league goal even after more than six years of regular first-team football, John obi Mikel is one of the important players for Chelsea. His agent has revealed that John obi Mikel will be offered a new contract by the club that will see his wages increase in relation to the importance within the team. He has said that Mikel, who has only one more season after this left on his current contract, has not thought about leaving Chelsea and is extremely looking forward to signing a new deal.

“Mikel will soon sign a new five-year contract with an improved salary and we are just about finalising the details of it. Mikel is one of Chelsea’s most consistent performers and the club agrees with us he deserves a new and improved contract. He has a year left and Chelsea have decided to add four more years to it,” said his agent. Mikel was signed for a total outlay of £ 16 million back in 2006 from Lyn Oslo. He was one of the big young signings for the then manager José Mourinho, but he is starting to fulfil his potential now.

The midfielder of Chelsea, John Obi Mikel, has said that the manager of Chelsea, Roberto Di Matteo, did a fine job during the pre season transfer window by buying some fantastic players. Chelsea bought Oscar, Eden Hazard, Victor Moses and Marko Marin this summer.

As per Mikel, all the new signings have got enormous potential and they would play a vital role for the team in the 2012-13 season. Everybody knows about Hazard. He gave a number of brilliant performances during his tenure at Lille and the Chelsea fans are expecting a lot from him in the current season. But, apart from him, the three other new players are also quite good. Roberto Di Matteo invested the money strategically this summer and strengthened the Chelsea squad. Mikel hasn’t scored a goal for Chelsea in the last 5 years.

His last goal for the club was way back in 2007. On being asked about that, the Nigerian international said that he doesn’t play as an attacking midfielder. He plays in a defensive position which might be the reason why he is not scoring too many goals. But, he is a bit worried about this and he wants to score some goals. As per Mikel, no matter at which position you are playing, a goal always gives you a lot of confidence.

On being asked which midfielder in the world is toughest to compete against, Mikel said that he hasn’t seen a better midfielder than the Liverpool skipper, Steven Gerrard, in his career so far. He has got enormous respect for Gerrard in his heart. Gerrard is one of the greatest players that he has ever seen in his life. On being asked about the targets of Chelsea in the current season, Mikel said that winning the Premier League title is the main target of the team and the players are determined for that.

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The Chelsea midfielder John obi Mikel has said that the fans need not worry about the two defeats the club has suffered in the final two matches of the pre-season friendly tour of the United States.

Chelsea were playing in a total of four matches as part of their pre-season preparations in the United States, while their only pre-season friendly aside from this is the match against Brighton one week prior to the FA Community Shield match. After starting the first two matches of the pre-season friendlies in a better fashion, Chelsea suffered defeats in the last two matches against the MLS all-star and AC Milan.

And even more worrying trend for the Chelsea fans has been the lack of opportunities that side created in the match against the Italian club, who have recently lost a number of high profile players and are extremely weakened. Yet, the Chelsea defence midfielder John obi Mikel, who tasted success in the Champions League last season, has said that there is still a long way to go before the players returned to full fitness and that there is no need for worry from the Chelsea fans. It may seem indeed the case after a number of regular first-team players are there to return from international duty.

“I feel good, I think it was a good game for us. It was not the result we would have wanted but there are positives we can take and try to build on it. We didn't create many chances, but there were opportunities and maybe we were just one pass or one run short, so we are getting closer to how we want to be, and if we can keep doing what we are doing we will start to open teams up and improve our play," said Mikel.

Chelsea's defensive midfielder John obi Mikel has said that he wants to be a club legend in the future. The 25-year-old defensive midfielder is regarded as someone who does not have a great influence on the way Chelsea play, but that has changed in the last six months.

He has been one of the most impressive players for the club in the last six months, which has been the most productive after they have won the FA Cup and the Champions League titles. This is the fourth FA Cup title for the club in the last six years, while the Champions League title is the one they have been craving for the last decade or so.

Despite being only 25 years old, John obi Mikel has numerous games for Chelsea due to the fact that he was signed by the club as a teenager from Manchester United for a total of £ 16 million. He is slowly starting to repay the faith the club has had in him. Now, after winning the Champions League title, Mikel has said that he wants to become a club legend. He has recently seen Chelsea striker Fernando Torres attain the status after helping Chelsea win the Champions League title.

"For Chelsea I want to keep winning every season, but the next trophy I want now is FIFA Club World Cup." Mikel told the Chelsea news website.

"For my country, I want to win Africa Cup of Nations from the next edition and also win the World Cup. I congratulate Roberto Di Matteo on his appointment. He truly deserved it. I also commend the board (of Chelsea) for this decision which is very good and important for the team. He has been around for a while and he turned around the fortunes of the club when almost everyone," said John obi Mikel.

Chelsea midfielder John obi Mikel has said that it would be a great achievement for the club if they managed to win the Champions League this season. Chelsea will be facing Bayern Munich in the final of the Champions League, but unlike the previous seasons, they will be heading into the match as the underdogs.

Even though Chelsea have won the Premier league and FA Cup trophies on numerous occasions in recent seasons, the Champions League remains the ultimate trophy that they are yet to win as a club since the arrival of Russian owner Roman Abramovich. They came extremely close to winning it back in 2008, but were denied by the width of the post.
Chelsea will be having a number of important players missing for the final against Bayern Munich.

Captain John Terry will be amongst the many players missing for the final, but John obi Mikel reckons that the club has enough quality in the squad to be able to replace them seamlessly. He says that Chelsea should also win the trophy in order to ensure them Champions League football next season. It is estimated that clubs will generate around £ 25 million in revenue just by taking part in the group stages of the Champions League.

“I had only just come into the club but after that I could see what the Champions' League meant to the players. And now we have a chance to put things right. We are now one week away from the greatest win ever for this club and we want to make history and be legends for this club. Hopefully on the 19th if luck and God help us we will make that history. If we can pull off this win it'll be the greatest achievement ever for this club," said Mikel.

The future of John Mikel Obi at Chelsea has come under huge questions after the defensive midfielder was once again left out of the starting line-up against the Spanish club Valencia in the final group match of the Champions League.

This was a highly important match for Chelsea given the context of the game. There was a real chance that Chelsea could go out of the Champions League at the group stages itself if they did not win against Valencia. Despite being highly crucial, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas decided to go for the inexperience of Romeu in favour of the much more experienced John Mikel Obi.

It seems that Andre Villas-Boas has decided that John Mikel Obi is not good enough for Chelsea. The defensive midfielder has lost his place in the side since the 2-1 defeat against Liverpool at Stamford bridge. John Mikel Obi was at fault – by conceding possession far too easily – for the opening goal. He was substituted in the match at half-time itself and has not started a match since then. The 20-year-old Romeu – signed from Barcelona in the summer for just £ 4 million – has captured the attention of many since making the debut in the Carling cup. Now, it seems that he has convinced that manager Villas-Boas more than anybody else that he is the right man to replace John Mikel Obi.

“The manager gives us a lot of freedom to make our own choices, the chance to play in our own individual styles. He does not want us to play so direct, as they are used to in English football I came here because there was more chance of playing and to be playing in games of this magnitude - against Valencia and against City - is a marvel,” Romeu said after the Valencia match.