Essien backs Filippo Inzaghi to succeed

Ghana international midfielder Michael Essien is confident that Filippo Inzaghi has what it takes to succeed as Milan’s head coach.

Milan fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw at Empoli on Tuesday, leaving them with seven points from their opening four Serie A matches.

The San Siro outfit are looking to banish memories of a disappointing campaign last time out which yielded only an eighth-place finish.

And Essien has backed 41-year-old former striker Inzaghi, who took the reins in June, to deliver. “He’s a good person first and foremost and is doing a good job as a coach, too,” the 31-year-old midfielder told FIFA.com “He’s relatively young as a full-time Serie A coach but I have no doubt he’ll do well if he carries on in this way.

“It’s not easy to coach and manage football clubs, let alone a great club like Milan, so I have a lot of respect for him for taking up the challenge and he is giving it everything he has.”

Essien, who is currently out injured, also believes that the club’s absence from European competition will prove beneficial.

“I’m sure it will help us although we still would like to have been in Europe,” he said. “We have to look ahead but we mustn’t forget we need to work hard to be able to do well in Serie A.

“Not being in Europe doesn’t automatically mean you’ll do well. It means fewer games and good recovery times compared to those in Europe but we still have to work hard and take our opportunities as they come throughout the season.”

Fernando Torres, a former team-mate of Essien’s at Chelsea, has re-united with the Ghanaian in Italy after joining Milan on loan and opened his account for the club against Empoli.

Essien described the Spain international as a “top striker” and added: “I am convinced we’ll see lots of goals from Fernando.”