The glory days of Michael Essien: Are they over?

By: Jack | February 12th, 2011

Glory days. They’ll pass you by. Have they skipped beyond our Bison?

essien2
Past it?

Claude Makelele left. I cried. Shortly thereafter, I granted Michael Essien personal favorite status – a rank reserved for only a select few. Be humbled, Mike.

Lately, however, as the Ghanaian’s formed has waned so too has the love affair.

I think many of us expected Essien, fresh from a long layoff due to injury, to restore the roar to our midfield this season. The Ghanaian has, instead, underperformed on a grand scale. Certainly he is not alone in this regard. I guess we could add at least five more players to the list of substandard. But, considering the amount of time Frank Lampard has spent sidelined with injury this season and the purchase of Ramires, I believe Essien’s regression is far more astonishing. And impactful.

It’s fair to say Essien has been a shadow of his former self since returning from a serious knee injury suffered in preparation for the 2010 African Cup of Nations – his second such injury whilst on international duty. Two significant knee injuries (ACL and MCL) in two years? Not exactly good.

The latest injury has clearly robbed Essien of his greatest strengths: energy, drive, dynamism. Remember when this cat used to haul us forward all by his lonesome with an unmatched box-to-box game? He was, for me, the most dynamic midfielder in the world two years ago. Yet by stripping him of his strengths, what the injuries have really done is amplify his deficiencies. Essien’s shooting has been woeful, his distribution even worse. He’s never been known as a technical player so when you remove those attributes that have been a staple of his game he looks, as much as it pains me to say it, pretty run of the mill.

So, I ask: Are Michael Essien’s finest days in a Chelsea shirt behind him? It’s a brutal question, I know.

What we must take into account when coming to a conclusion is his injury history and his overall impact on the club.

MichaelEssienGETTY_468x392
The turning point?

If, like me, you are holding out for better days, you believe this is an extended blight similar to the one Petr Cech experienced after having his head caved in by the classy Stephen Hunt in 2006. Cech struggled mightily in the immediate wake of that incident, only really returning to his previous world-class form last season. These type of serious injuries have a profound effect on not only your ability but your mentality. Essien very well could be apprehensive in his approach to the game these days, in an attempt to avoid doing further damage to himself – though that lunge against Fulham in which he was sent off goes some way in debunking that theory. Still, if he is even the slightest bit apprehensive, well, that pretty much ruins his entire approach to the sport. No bulldozing, no Michael Essien.

There have also been hints that Essien is carrying an injury Suggestions that a toe problem has hindered him for some time seem all the more likely when you watch him in recent matches. There’s no way this man, this lumberjack of a player who once was chopping down opponents left and right, is putting in shite performances without some sort of knock. Plus, he’s only 28 years old. Far too young to give up on, at least in the short term.

Then there are those who are leery of a return to form. That camp would point to the knee injuries, something so very difficult to recover fully from. If these injuries have indeed snatched away his pace and energy, then the Essien we used to know won’t likely ever surface again. And, without those qualities, what kind of player are we left with? If that is indeed the case, is it worth cutting ties now while some of that massive transfer fee can still be recouped? Sour thoughts, yes, but I guess you have to entertain the idea.

What is to come of his participation at the international level? A return to the national team after this self-imposed hiatus could be a breaking point for a player with this kind of injury history. Worrying to say the least.

What side of this debate do you come down on?

Me? Like I said, I’m holding out hope for the Essien of old. Further, I think it’s too early to tell what lies ahead for him. It’s also unfair to write the Ghanaian off considering what he’s contributed to the club in recent years. Perhaps an extended rest – with the rapidly improving Ramires coming in – is just what the doctor ordered. We’ll just have to wait and see.

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Category: Analysis, Chelsea Team News, Player News

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Slapstickskeptic

The problem is he's NOT "only 28 years old." African players are known to scale back their ages by anything from 5 to 10 years. He's probably 35 and going through what is known in football circles as "water knee." He's done for. Sell him and buy another African midfield powerhouse who can last us for a few years before he too succumbs to his falsified age.
Keith

Racist comment that's way off. Some African and Asian (and Eastern European) players lie about their age but no way is it 5 to 10 years! That's absurd. 1. We have no proof or idea that Essien did this and 2. If he did it'd be by a year or two at the most.
brenton

As much as he's struggled over the past while, the bigger problem (as I see it, from a non-Chelsea fan's perspective) is the lack of midfield cohesion and the lack of a replacement for the Makelele and Lampard partnership/system. Mikel has shown that he shouldn't be relied on for much.
ph0bolus

Sturridge has scored AGAIN...
Max

I think next season Sturridge has a very good chance of dislodging one of our strikers from the squad. He's scored 3 goals in 3 games! He's hitting a run of form, showing more confidence, and he's is willing to run at defenders any chance he can get. I can't say how happy I was when I saw we shipped him off to Bolton for the rest of the season. He's showing Carlo what he can do, and I think next season he will be putting in some really impressive performances in a Chelsea jersey!
Jack

Yeah. And it's not as if we're having problems in front of goal or anything.
龍爺

Is this why we're now being linked with Fellaini? How many more guys with big hair is out there for us to sign? I kind of think of Essien as the Gattuso our squad and Ancelotti should know a thing or two about that. Ramires can surely get some starts in and let Essien get conditioned. Gonna be a freaking busy final third of the season.
Oromian Hastla

the simplest solution is to get Mourinho back.
Aj

dont think he will ever come back after the way he was treated at the club, and seems like a huge rebuilding job is on the cards, basically the golden generation he built (as well as ranieri who should take some credit) is coming to an end. If he stayed then im sure chelsea would have won euro cup by now. Why o Why would you guys get rid of the best coach in the world and replace him with hapless avram grant then the totally useless scolari. sheer stupidity on the clubs part. Ancelotti is probably the next best coach chelsea ever had but im afraid you will lose him too at end of the season. Rebuilding a team is not easy, get it wrong then you could end up like liverpool struggling to make CL and not winning anything for years and years. during these golden years chelsea definitely should have won more than they did without mourinho in charge over last few years but i can see arsenal,man u and even man city challenging more than chelsea over the next few years. Im still angry with the fact chelsea got rid of Mou, he could have been the alex ferguson or wenger for chelsea.
arn00b

The problem is with Chelsea itself. Essien is going through a difficult patch and what he needs is someone to sit down with him, show him the prozone reports, his charts, heat, passing and tackle maps, and the dvd of his match highlights and tell him what his problems are, what his weak points are and how he needs to improve, doing which exercises, which techniques and so on.

It's a multi-disciplinary approach, combining football coaching, physiotherapy and psychology.

Chelsea has such staff, but they need to set up a program of dealing with players even when there seems to be no real problem. It seems that the entire staff is just there for damage control and crisis management, but not preventative and ameliorative programs.

Essien's problem is not the same as Torres', nor is it the same as Kalou's, Anelka's, Lampard's or Drogba's.

They all need individual training programs, tailored to their individual issues, needs and concerns - Essien for getting back to his old self without fear of injury while still balancing the carefulness that he has acquired.
Lampard is surely following a physical program for his (permanent) injury, but he needs to follow a tactical program for positioning, interceptions, angles to increase his performances giving the circumstances.
Anelka needs a crash course on how to be a midfielder. Kalou needs a striking coach full-time. Drogba too. They need individualized programs.

To use a military analogy, Ancelotti is a general, but these guys need some Lieutenants.

Ancelotti directs the team, but someone needs to direct each individual player as well. You won't win a war if your men don't know how to properly drive a tank of fly a plane.

Ancelotti doesn't have the time to spend hours with Kalou and show him the difference between the goal and the side netting and how to score.

He should, however, identify who is in most need of an individualized program and delegate it to one of the coaches. Unfortunately, that is not happening.

They come, they do their group training for 2 - 3 hours, passing the ball around, playing a practice match and that's it. There's problems with almost all the players and the problems need fixing.

The problem is that Chelsea is less about fixing and more about quick fixes. If you have a problem, Chelsea don't want you, even if you'll be great later on. Chelsea want the finished product, the guy who is already one of the best 5 - 10 strikers in the world, the guy who looks like the best defender in the world, ready-made. That's why we always go for the Theo Walcotts of the world and not the Messis, because Walcott was great and undamaged and Messi was GH-def and short.

People called Berbatov a flop and thought he was finished not so long ago. Drogba was a late bloomer. Everyone is different. Sadly, I'm sure that soon the club will see that a few of the players are excess to requirement and offload them to replace them with newer, more expensive, undamaged players. Bosingwa is on the damaged list too.

By the way, the reason why (dirty) Dani Alves is being stubborn with his contract is because he knows something we don't. Maybe he knows of a less racist league out there, of other rich clubs, of a Lusophillic club that needs a RB, one that has an amazing Portuguese translator who can also fill in as RB. Just maybe.
Aj

Wilkins used to spend time with players on a one-on-one basis and probably do most of above what youve mentioned, thats why he is missed.
Jack

Well put. And this goes back to Gourlay and, to an extent, Carlo. A proper coaching staff is a must, not a simple promotion for a man who knows little of the business of assisting a top manager (Emenalo) or a promising but unproven prospect (Clement).
steven.

2 years ago, Essien was the only Chelsea player i would have payed in blood to have.
now, i wouldn't trade a half eaten Big Mac....
zach

yeah, good joke...
steven.

well, he's been pants.....and a man has to eat.
Mndabre

I think we messed up by even thinking that Essien needed to be further up the pitch, what made him special was that he could force the ball up from Mikels position all the way up the pitch and nobody could push him of the ball, you lose that when you put him further up the pitch, the man is a bulldozing, all conquering CDM, its hard to do all that when you have to worry about making yourself available for passes left, right and behind as a RCM. In him preferred position every play was happening in front of him, he could see the spaces to run into with the ball, alas he's no Iniesta, and he cant do it further up the pitch, he also has to deal with more of the play happening BEHIND him as opposed to IN FRONT of him. Not his style, Put him back at CDM for a good run of matches, and hell be blazing in no time. Damn y'all got me typing lol
Keith

He's not a CDM! He's a box-to-box MF.
agiamba

Mentally, there's no doubt he could be mindful of tearing his ACL again. That's a really bad injury, one I've had the displeasure of encountering. I don't know how he tore it with Ghana, but it very often happens from a quick turn, something dynamic midfielders do all the time. You might not see the mental change in say, refraining from slide-tackling, but being a bit slower to change direction, and that's a much harder thing to observe than if he was holding back from tackles.

Haven't watched much Chelsea this season so I can't say one way or another, but that's my two cents.
Jack

I also have torn an ACL, and can agree that it has an effect on your lateral movement and explosiveness for a period of time. I can, however, say that proper exercise can help you recover that to a good degree. After doing CrossFit for over a year now, my knee is significantly stronger than it probably was even before the injury.
Aj

he is affected psycologically. you make notice he doesnt go for 50-50 tackles anymore or even have that dynamism box to box, because hes afraid he may get injured again. 2 major ones in 2 years is in the back of his mind and doesnt want another one. i think if he stays away from injury this year ,next year you can guarantee he will go back to his best.
Susan

There are cycles in every footballer's career. I don't believe that it is all over for our Ess yet! He'll be making opposition players shit their pants once again, don't you worry! Plus who are we going to sell him to? City? No thanks!
Jack

I hope so, Susan.
Sir Cecil

Perhaps he's being asked to function differently. Perhaps he has been asked to be more disciplined and less cavalier in his movement, for tactical and team-shape reasons. Perhaps he is doing what he is told and not what comes naturally to him. Can you say this is not the case? Or is it easier just to say he's no good any more?
Jack

Yes, I can say that is not the case. Mikel has occupied the holding position for most of the season. Essien has been allowed to push on as he has in previous years, only to fail to make anywhere near the same impact. Have you even watched him this term?

That you interpreted this post as me suggesting "he's no good" anymore only cements the fact that you either didn't read it or didn't understand it.
Too $hort

actually this year Essien's responsibilities have increased exponentially. THe loss of Ballack and Deco have forced Essien to work even harder during matches . He expends far too much energy when either Anelka ,Lampard, or even Malouda are on the field because neither one of them support the team defensively. Drogba used to sit up top by himself and didn't need much support . Now he loses the ball too frequently and forces Essien to track back to cover counterattacks . Chelsea needs another workhorse in that midfield. Ballack was perfect in this role. Chelsea and Essien are missing his experience and fighting spirit tremendously. By the way , Essien has to cover more often than not for Mikel's mistakes as well . Lampard, Anelka and Malouda have to go ... The team needs more balance defensively.
Jack

Disagree. Essien's role hasn't changed at all. I don't see how either Ballack of Deco have had an effect on that role - Ballack was influential during Essien's injury, while Deco is hardly an industrious midfielder. If anything, Mikel shielding the back four should lighten the load for Essien. But, of course, we want to slight Mikel. Sure, he's made mistakes and is not playing at the same level as he was earlier in the season, yet the subtle work he does in front of the back four is ridiculously overlooked.

But, if we want to entertain your point, let's take a look at Ramires. Ramires has played that position on several occasions this season, and done it incredibly well. In fact, over the last 5-6 games he's played in, Ramires has been giving us what Essien used to - that dynamic ability to win the ball back and drive us forward. Now, if he's not having problems with this so-called increased responsibility then why is Essien?

You speak of balance, which is a pressing concern. We don't need another workhouse, though - especially if Essien regains some sort of form. A creative fulcrum is of the utmost priority.
Kwei

we need to take into consideration the fact that drodga , anelka and malouda arent the most mobile of players, to have in attack,this therefore places more pressure on an already weak midfeild with the likes of mikel and half fit lampard you certainly do not expect ess to do all the running in the MF
Ges

Wtf