Look at it this way: The New Michael Essien

Chelsea fought so hard a year ago to sign him from Lyon, and he cost a club record fee, upping Didier Drogba?s price, although that was topped by Andriy Shevchenko?s signing this summer.

Michael did well enough, but not anything special. Soon after he arrived Chelsea won 4-1 at Liverpool and it felt like the midfield had moved up a notch. He had a fantastic game at home to Real Betis as Chelsea won 4-0, but somehow the world class player didn?t emerge and the midfield continued to motor through games rather than flourish.


Then came controversy. His challenges on Ben Haim in the 5-1 Premiership win over Bolton and Dietmar Hamann in the 0-0 Champions League draw with Liverpool led to newspaper headlines and television replays? and replays and replays.


Just after New Year he was the victim of a bad challenge, carried off after West Ham?s Nigel Reo-Coker had caught him, and he was sidelined for a month.


When he came back his aggression and momentum seemed to have diluted, perhaps due to a mixture of the publicity and the injury. True, he finally got his first goal, but that was a scuffed effort against Tottenham. His subsequent rising drive for his second goal, against Everton, was more impressive.


He finished the season a champion again, an English one, as he had been a French one in the previous two seasons with Lyon, but his contribution had been honest rather than inspired. Statistically, he had scored twice and managed five assists in 37 starts and five substitute appearances. Nothing special.

Then at the World Cup we saw a different Michael Essien. For Ghana he dominated midfield, passed with vision and impressive range, got forward and created chances. He was a world class player on a world class stage.


So back he came to Chelsea, and actually reported for training a day early in order to get going for this new season.


And in all the England-captain-Ashley-Cole-William-Gallas-defeat-at-Middlesbrough-Andriy-Shevchenko-Michael-Ballack headlines, his subsequent contribution has been overlooked.


First of all, his involvement in every game has been greater than last season. Secondly he is top of the assists. Thirdly, as last season, he is top of the abused.


He has been getting forward much more, his passing is like in the World Cup, and he is fulfilling the fee which Chelsea forked out for him.

In the opening Premiership game at home to Manchester City he provided the pass, after good control to beat Joey Barton, for Frank Lampard to score the second goal. At Middlesbrough he weighted perfectly a pass inside Andrew Davies for Wayne Bridge to run on to and cross for Andriy Shevchenko to open the scoring. And yesterday at Blackburn it was his pass, first-time, for Didier Drogba to give him a one-on-one run with Andr? Ooijer for the second goal.


That?s three different types of assists: beating a man in a tight space before providing the short pass; measured weighting; one-touch swiftness. The latter was a great move, Ballack forward to Shevchenko, one-touch square to Essien, one-touch into Drogba?s path, then the power and the glory from the centre-forward.


Four players have also been cautioned for fouls on Essien. He is far more the abused than the abuser. First there was Alonso in the Community Shield. Then Dabo chopped him down for Manchester City before Corradi did the same thing and got sent off. Finally Savage yesterday bounced off him and was injured before he saw yellow. Michael has suffered just one booking himself, for his retaliation on Corradi.


Last season he was more abused than the skilful players who take opponents on, more than Joe Cole, Arjen Robben and all the others. He is always in the thick of things.


But this season, he is emerging from the thick of things to assert his game. Against Manchester City he played the anchor midfield role, the ?Makelele? role. Against Middlesbrough he was on the right of a midfield three, and yesterday at Blackburn he pulled wide on the right of a diamond. We will have to wait to see what his best position is for us but, after one year, Michael Essien finally seems to have arrived.

CHELSEA ON RECORD


Assists this season 8


Assists are judged not for last touch but by the subjective view of the author for a crucial part played in the goal Essien 3, Bridge 2, Robben 2, Lampard 1, Terry 1.


Abused this season 10


Incidents suffered leading to an opponent being booked or sent off. Essien 4, Drogba 1, Ferreira 1, Kalou 1, Lampard 1, Terry 1. General 1. Most in one game: Man City (h) 4. Fewest: Liverpool (CS) 1.

Abused last season 101


Incidents suffered leading to an opponent being booked or sent off. Essien 11, J Cole 9, Drogba 9, Robben 7, Gudjohnsen 6, Lampard 5, Makelele 5, Wright-Phillips 5, Del Horno 3, Carvalho 3, Duff 2, Gallas 2, Johnson 2, Crespo 1, Diarra 1. General 30. Most in one game: Blackburn (h), Newcastle (FAC h & PL a), Portsmouth (a), Real Betis (h&a) 5. Fewest: Birmingham (h&a), Charlton (a), Colchester (FAC h), Everton (FAC a), Middlesbrough (h&a), Sunderland (h), Tottenham (h) 0.