Chel$ki underpaid for Eissen

[Sir X]

They have a defender , midfielder and attacker in one .he was all over the place.

[Lazie]

Re: Chel$ki underpaid for Eissen

Essien is a darn fool! He went to the wrong club. He would have been better paid.

[Karl]

Re: Chel$ki underpaid for Eissen

Live - Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea



By Nathan Mercer




1755: FULL-TIME: Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea

1754: Emmanuel Eboue whacks an effort against the bar as Arsenal break. It looks to be all over for Chelsea now.

1752: Pulsating climax to the game as both sides push forward with tactics completely thrown out of the window. Chances at either end as both teams break on the counter but the critical finishing touch is lacking.

1750: What a chance for Salomon Kalou! The ball falls to him on the edge of the box with only Jens Lehmann to beat but he couldn't keep his effort down and Lehmann tips over the bar.

1748: The Chelsea fans still believe heading into the final few minutes. Chelsea have responded superbly this half and with Arsenal wasting their chances, the visitors are searching desperately for a crucial winner.

1746: Cracking Frank Lampard drive dips and swerves in front of Jens Lehmann forcing the German into a low save. It's all Chelsea now with Arsenal camped in their own half.

1745: John Terry connects with a deep Paulo Ferreira free-kick but it was always dropping over the bar and Jens Lehmann watches it drop on to his net.

1742: The home side look to have folded and can't re-assert themselves on the game. Arsenal fans have been here many times before this season and you sense Chelsea have a winner in them.

1740: Arsenal are struggling here and Michael Essien almost punishes the Gunners defence for failing to clear a corner. The Ghana midfielder lashes his shot over the bar from close range as Chelsea press for a winner.

1738: Interesting switch for Chelsea as Scott Sinclair comes on for the final 10 minutes. It's the first time the youngster has played in the Premiership and he replaces Shaun Wright-Phillips.

1735: Joe Cole crashes a left-foot drive into the back of the net but as he wheels away in celebration, he realises the linesman has his flag raised for offside.

1733: Chelsea are buzzing now and sense an unlikely turn-around. Lassana Diarra comes on for Jon Obi Mikel to freshen things up in midfield as Arsenal look stunned.

1730: GOAL: Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea
Shaun Wright-Phillips at last gets beyond his marker and delivers a perfect cross for Michael Essien who glances his low header past Jens Lehmann.

1728: Pure Arsenal. Why have a shot when you can take three more passes? Inevitably Cesc Fabregas' flick fails to find Emmanuel Adebayor and Chelsea clear.

1725: Two corners in quick succession for the Gunners. Jon Obi Mikel blocks Kolo Toure's header for the first and William Gallas somehow heads the second over when it was easier to score.

Five yards out, the goal at his mercy and the Frenchman fluffs his lines to hammer the final nail in Chelsea's coffin.

1722: Arsenal are starting to enjoy themselves now, and why not? They look fresher and more confident and are spraying the ball around with zest and ease. Chelsea are hanging in there and aren't done yet.

1720: Alexander Hleb comes on for the Brazilian who is led down the tunnel on a stretcher.

1717: Denilson is in alot of trouble as he rolls of the pitch in
agony. If you're a fan of his work as I am, you'll be concerned to hear that he's clutching his foot which could well be a metatarsal injury. Don't hold me to that, though.

1715: A roar breaks out around the Emirates as Frank Lampard blasts a free-kick into row Z. Chelsea need to make the most of threatening positions like those if they're to have any chance of testing Jens Lehmann.

1713: Chelsea have been purposeful in their attacks and are getting numbers forward when they come forward. But it's leaving them open at the back and Cesc Fabregas and co are enjoying far more time on the ball.

1711: Arsenal start well and with their numerical advantage, they force Chelsea to chase the game all over the pitch.

1709: Minutes after missing his chance Emmanuel Adebayor goes into the referee's book with a late challenge on Paulo Ferreira. He left his boot in and with Alan Wiley in this mood, it's a certain booking.

1707: First chance of the second half falls to Arsenal as Emmanuel Adebayor flashes a volley inches wide with Petr Cech beaten all ends up. Chelsea failed to clear their lines from a corner and were almost punished.

1705: Here we go then. Arsenal get the game back under way.
1701: Manchester United fans are primed and ready to break open the champers across London and Manchester. But Chelsea aren't done yet, they've made a habit of clawing results out of hopeless causes this season and I for one won't count them out just yet.
1651: John Terry leads the Player Rater standings with 7.77 out of 10 for the first half. Joe Cole isn't too far behind, while Cesc Fabregas is your most impressive Arsenal player. The Cannibal unsurprisingly brings up the rear with a pityful 4 out of 10 rating.

[Sir X]

Re: Chel$ki underpaid for Eissen

Michael Essien

Full name Michael Essien
Date of birth December 3, 1982 (1982-12-03) (age 24)
Place of birth Accra, Ghana
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Defensive/Central/Right midfielder
Right Back/Center Back
Club information
Current club Chelsea
Number 5
2005–present Sporting Club de Bastia
Olympique Lyonnais
Chelsea 065 (11)
068 0(8)
059 0(3)
National team2
2002–present Ghana 025 0(5)
1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 19:22, 2 March 2007 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of February 11, 2006.
* Appearances (Goals)

Michael Essien (born December 3, 1982 in Accra) is a Ghanaian International footballer. He currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League. He is a central midfielder and occasionally central defender for Chelsea. He plays as a deep-lying playmaker for the Black Stars, the Ghana national football team.



Club career
Born in Accra, Essien began his career in a local club in his native Ghana, called Liberty Professionals FC. He broke through when he played in the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand.[1] This led to considerable attention from European scouts.


SC Bastia
In July 1999, French club SC Bastia signed Essien. At Bastia, he did not command a regular place in the team, playing at right back, left back and in central defense. Then because of an injury to one of his teammates, he was given a temporary opportunity to play in central midfield. Essien flourished in this new role. Soon he was compared to Frenchman Patrick Vieira because of his ability to go from box to box. In 2002/2003 season he helped Bastia qualify for the UEFA Cup. He scored six goals that season. He became physically stronger and a harder tackler. Soon Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille made offers for him. He was not only popular in France, but also in England. Both major Merseyside teams, Liverpool and Everton, made offers for him.


Olympique Lyonnais
PSG made the best offer and Bastia accepted it,[2] but Essien rejected the contract, and instead agreed terms with Lyon.[3] At Lyon, Essien played a more defensive midfield role, featuring regularly in the Lyon team that won the third and fourth of their current string of six consecutive Ligue 1 titles. He was also voted the 2005 Player of the Year by France's National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP).[4]

In August 2005, Essien declared that he would "go on strike" against Lyon because of the club's refusal to accept a transfer bid for him from English Premiership champions Chelsea. It was announced on 14 August that Lyon and Chelsea had agreed a £26m fee for the Ghanaian, finally ending one of the longest running transfer sagas in recent English football history. Essien is now Chelsea's second most expensive signing after the club signed Ukraine forward and captain Andriy Shevchenko from A.C. Milan on 22 May 2006.


Chelsea
The transfer went through on 19 August, purportedly for a slightly reduced fee of £24.4m nevertheless breaking Chelsea's previous record transfer fee[5], which they achieved the previous season by paying £24m for Olympique Marseille's Didier Drogba. He made his debut against Arsenal F.C. on August 21, wearing the number 5 on his shirt. He soon cemented his place in José Mourinho's side, starting the majority of the league games since his debut. He made an assist in his full debut against West Bromwich Albion F.C., and he replaced the injured Claude Makélélé in the defensive midfield role against Sunderland A.F.C. in the 2-0 win on September 10, 2005. The Chelsea midfield looks to have been strengthened by the powerful, athletic Essien, who could well form part of the Chelsea midfield with Frank Lampard for years to come.

On 15 December, he was handed a 2-match ban by UEFA for a controversial tackle on Dietmar Hamann, which resulted in his suspension from Chelsea's UEFA Champions League second round tie with eventual European champions F.C. Barcelona. Chelsea lost the two-legged tie, 3-2 on aggregate. Essien apologised to Hamann for the challenge (Hamann publicly accepted the apology) and insists that while he desires to be perceived as a player who 'unsettles' opponents, he is not a malicious or unsporting player. In January 2006, Essien was himself stretchered off the field, the victim of a poor challenge from West Ham United captain Nigel Reo-Coker, which sidelined him for three weeks.

Essien scored his first goal for Chelsea in March 2006, in a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. His second goal came on 17 April 2006 against Everton with a powerful strike after an assertive burst through the defensive line. Essien ended his debut season in England with two goals, both in the Premier League. However, the arrival of midfielders Michael Ballack from Bayern München and John Obi Mikel from Lyn Oslo brought stiffer competition for places at Chelsea.

On September 12 2006, Essien scored his first UEFA Champions League goal for Chelsea in a 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen of Germany. Undeniably his most memorable strike for Chelsea was the powerful, curling equalizer against Arsenal on December 10, 2006 from approximately 35 yards. The spectacular strike sent the home crowd into uproar. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Essien receiving the Man of the Match. Later in the same season Essien scored an equally dramatic late winner in the Champions League quarter-final against Valencia at the Mestalla. Running down the wing from his position at right-back he smashed an effort past Santiago Cañizares' at his near post to send Chelsea through to the semi-finals with a 1-2 victory on the night, and 2-3 win on aggregate.[6] It was his first match back in the team after several weeks out with a knee injury.

Essien was nominated for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Award on October 12, 2006. One week later, he was nominated for the 2006 Ballon d'Or. He was also nominated for the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year Award as well. He placed 22nd in 2005 and 22nd in 2006 in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards. He was voted as the 3rd Best African Footballer of the Year in 2006[7], a feat he achieved in 2005 as well.[8] He won the 2006 BBC African footballer of the year award.[9] Essien recently renewed his contract with Chelsea until 2012.[10]


International career
In 2001, even though he was one of the youngest players in the tournament, he took part in the World Youth Championship in Argentina, and performed exceptionally well. He made his Ghana senior debut in the 2002 African Nations Cup against Morocco on 21 January, 2002.[11]

On 16 May, 2006, Essien was selected to be part of the team that represented Ghana at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He played in midfield with team captain Stephen Appiah of Fenerbahçe and Sulley Ali Muntari of Udinese. Essien played in Ghana's 0-2 defeat to Italy, their 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic, and the 2-1 victory over the United States, and helped Ghana become the only African team to reach the second round of the 2006 World Cup. However, Essien was suspended for Ghana's second round match against Brazil and could only watch as Ghana lost 0-3.

Upon the team's return to Ghana, Essien said that the team had gained invaluable experience and will be aiming to make the next finals, which will be held in Africa for the first time in the tournament's history at South Africa 2010.


Honours
French Cup with SC Bastia Runner-up: 2002
French Ligue 1 with Olympique Lyon Winner: 2003/04, 2004/05
FA Premier League with Chelsea F.C Winner: 2006
English League Cup with Chelsea F.C Winner: 2007
National team
1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship 3rd Place: 1999
FIFA World Youth Championship Runner-up: 2001
Individual
FIFA World Player of the Year - 22nd 2005, 22nd 2006
Ballon d'Or - 22nd 2005, 27th 2006
African Footballer of the Year - 3rd 2005, 3rd 2006
2005 French Player of the Year
2006 BBC African Footballer of the Year - Winner
11th Best CAF African Player of All-Time
CAF's Africa Top 50 Best Players of All-Time - Nomination
FIFA Player of the Game: 2006 Fifa World Cup Ghana vs. Czech Republic
The Most Expensive Summer Transfer of 2005 [from Lyon to Chelsea]
The Most Expensive African Footballer of all-time [€38M]
FIFA All-Star Midfielder
On the Cover of FIFA Magazine May 2006
2006 BBC African Footballer of the Year award - Winner
2006 CAF African All-Star Midfielder

] Quotes
"We are much better than Manchester United. The difference in points in the Premiership is just a coincidence. It is just a matter of days before we are the leaders...I have done the calculations and we will finish at least five points clear of United at the top of the table." - Michael Essien, Sky Sports News, December 06
"The first things that people see about Michael is his energy and tackling, and they classify him as a holding midfielder, a destroyer type of player. What they don't often realise is that he can also be very dangerous going forward. His positioning to receive the ball is very good, and he knows when and where to place a pass." - Former Olympique Lyon manager Paul Le Guen on his former player.
"Essien is a great player. He can play every position in midfield. Where he is perfect in choices. In football, the most difficult thing is to choose well, and in every situation he chooses well. He presses, stays in position, passes long, passes short, first touch, two touches. He controls the pace of the game, fast or slow. He is midfield multifunctional, he is dynamic and strong. The boy has incredible physical power, he is super resistant with great speed and unending tactical abilities." - Chelsea F.C Coach José Mourinho on his midfielder in May 2006 FIFA Magazine

[Paul Marin]

Re: Chel$ki underpaid for Eissen - Agreed!!!

X - not only is he an amazing all-rounder, he is amazingly durable. He has not missed any games due to injury in god knows how long. I can't think of another player in any league that come close to him as a total package. Fantastic.