During a slow summer in regards to transfers the Chelsea fans have much to celebrate as Michael Essien has finally returned to full fitness which is akin to a £30m signing as he has spent much of the last 18 months out injured.
The Ghanaian midfielder is the best player at the club and in my opinion the best all-round midfielder in world football, it is just a shame that the Blues have been robbed of his considerable talents over much of the past two seasons.
Essien’s injury problems began on September 5 2008 after sustaining anterior cruciate ligament damage whilst of international duty with Ghana which kept him out until March 2009. The midfielder received another injury last season, but still went to the African Cup of Nations where he re-injured himself once again and missed the rest of the season and the World Cup. Essien has only played 40 games for the club over the past two seasons and has missed many crucial games.
The 27-year-old was back with a bang in Chelsea’s opening preseason friendly against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win after linking up with Daniel Sturridge and the impressive youngster Josh McEachran to finish the best move of what was essentially a poor game. It was the first time he has played for Chelsea since the Champions League fixture against APOEL Nicosia in December 2009.
Chelsea still managed to win a Premier League and FA Cup double in Essien’s absence last season, but I cannot help but feel those victories may have been a little more comfortable if he was available and he was sorely missed as the Stamford Bridge outfit suffered an ‘early’ elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan side.
Essien is arguably the complete box-to-box midfielder, who offers as much in defence as he does going forward. However, many of Chelsea’s fans (myself included) share the opinion that the Accra-born man is wasted in the defensive position in either a familiar 433 or the diamond formation Ancelotti implemented in the first half of last season. He’s best suited at being allowed to join in more in attack. Now that Jon Obi Mikel has played in the ‘Makelele role’ with some success now may be the time we will see Essien in a more advanced role and may truly see the best of him.
Carlo Ancelotti has previously stated that he is happy with the strength of his squad amidst a host of rumours about high profile players joining the club such as Fernando Torres, Sergio Aguero and Kaka. Whilst most Blues fans are confident that the club’s squad is sufficient to retain the Premier League title some argue that extra star quality is needed to win the Champions League (the competition we’re told that Roman Abramovich craves above all others).
I believe Essien will be a key player at the club over the coming season and his fitness will the vital to the club’s fortunes. Even if the club do not make any high profile signings this summer then the fans will certainly feel as though they gained a superstar with Essien’s return and the player (known as the Bison) could be the man to take them onto the next level in the coming season.
Could Essien be the man to take Chelsea to the next step and end their European drought as well as putting them in a better position to hold onto their Premier League and FA Cup crowns?
A reminder of what Essien can do
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Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
