Not Mourinho: Mikel Obi tells Chelsea boss Maresca to learn from legendary manager

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has urged Blues manager Enzo Maresca to take a page out of Pep Guardiola's playbook and adapt his tactics to help Chelsea finish in the top four.

Mikel believes Chelsea's players have become predictable and have run out of ideas under Maresca's current approach, which has been exposed by other Premier League teams.

"We've been found out," Mikel said on his podcast.

"The Premier League is where clubs study you. I've said it many times. Clubs analyze how you play and quickly figure out how to stop you from doing what you do best."

Mikel pointed to Guardiola's flexibility as a key factor in Manchester City's success.

"You need to find a different way to win games. Look at City, they're not always playing 20 passes to get to where they want. Against Newcastle, they went direct. You need to be creative and adapt."

Chelsea's 3-0 defeat to Brighton over the weekend has left them in sixth place on the Premier League table, highlighting the need for Maresca to rethink his tactics.

"Right now, our players look like they're out of ideas," Mikel added.