Sports Features of Tuesday, 11 September 2018
Source: Kevin Slater
Michael Essien was one of Ghana’s most successful footballers in modern times. The former Chelsea man made over 50 appearances for the national side whilst also plying his trade for Lyon, Real Madrid and AC Milan at club level. He might not have been the most creative of players but he was one of the most energetic midfielders to grace the Premier League.
A true box-to-box midfielder, Essien – nicknamed the Bison by some in the sport – ventured forward with menace on a regular basis but goals were rare. Essien featured in 168 Premier League matches during his nine-year stint at Stamford Bridge but the Ghanaian scored just 17 top-flight goals. That strike against Arsenal will live long in the memory with the Blues faithful though.
Chelsea’s current crop of midfielders are gifted but they are lacking physicality in the middle of the park. N’Golo Kante can run all day long but he is never going to win a physical battle against a Paul Pogba or Moussa Dembele type. Meanwhile, summer signing Jorginho is of a similar mould to Kante; technically brilliant but not necessarily a player you can rely on in an aggressive away fixture.
At his peak, Essien was sensational. Capable of acting as Chelsea’s driving force in the centre of midfield, the Ghanaian started many a counter-attack and he was a pivotal figure in the 2005/06 Premier League title success. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is probably the closest player to Essien in terms of skillset and style in the current Chelsea squad. For the time being, he remains an outcast under new Blues boss Maurizio Sarri.
Simply stunning from @MichaelEssien. You're welcome, @ChelseaFC fans... ????#GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/a6Ln5o53Du
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 27, 2016