when a team like Chelsea performs as inconsistently and just plain badly as they have this year, after the first 4-5 games of the season, the reasons for this go well beyond any single player on the team.
And Mikel is not a bad player by any means - he was a regular on the the good Chelsea teams under Mou, Grant, Hiddink and Carlo. Doubt all of them had no idea what they were doing or were starting him simply because they had no alternative, for several years in a row. If he is indeed that bad under AVB, well, considering Chelsea's results this year, I'd call that a pattern