Michael Essien: I'm Ready

MICHAEL Essien has expressed his hunger to get Chelsea's title back, and insists there is still more to come from him on a personal level. Essien believes there is a desire throughout the squad to regain the Barclays Premier League crown from Manchester United, and he will be doing his utmost to make it happen. “It's one of the main trophies we have to win, we're going to work really hard,' said the Ghanaian midfielder. I think last season we did our best with the injuries, we couldn't make it. It's gone now; we've got a new season here and new players. We're looking forward to winning the title back and we'll see what happens.'

Indeed last season, Essien was one of the main reasons The Blues campaign remained a success, his versatility proving vital as he played in a number of roles while others were left in the treatment room. This year though, Essien hopes he won't have to make such sacrifices to his own game, and can excel in his favoured position in the middle of the park. “I would love to play in the midfield but you never know what incidents happen during the game, for me it's not a problem. I think what I'm doing is to help the team win more games. I'm always ready anywhere the boss asks me to play. He knows I can do the job, it's not a new thing to me.”

Despite being the Chelsea's player of the year for 2006/7, Essien is clearly not an individualist, and in his own words his aims for this season are “to do well for the team. I play for the team, not for myself. If the team wins then I am happy.” Winning is exactly what the fans have come to expect since José Mourinho took over, and there is no doubting Essien has been a central figure in the manager's success at Stamford Bridge since recruiting him from Lyon in 2005. Mourinho is still to lose a home league game at the Bridge and it's something all the players are conscious of. “I think it's always good to win at home, the fans are behind us and we always have to do everything we can to change the situation. It's important to keep your home record” Essien said.

Helping Chelsea this season will be the collection of new players Mourinho has added to his already world class squad and Essien believes the club has been particularly shrewd with its acquisitions. “I think they are very good players, they fit in very well. They can give something else for the team” said Essien, who knows the squad will be stretched when he and the other African players go to the Cup of Nations in January. “The Nations Cup is coming and I won't have time to think about it. I'll do my best for the team before I leave,” Essien said.

The prospect of moving the tournament to fit in with the global footballing calendar has oft been discussed, and Essien would have no problem if this were the case, allowing him to continue his Chelsea career uninterrupted. “Well if they can change it, it would be good for us, and good for the clubs. It does cause problems because you have to leave in January, and it's a difficult month here. If they can change it, it would be good.”

In that period, Chelsea are likely to be missing not just Essien but also team mates Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and John Mikel Obi. While it is a drag for Chelsea on the pitch, it has helped their appeal to a growing African audience, something Essien saw first hand when he returned to Ghana as part of the club's commitment with charity “Right to Play” in the close season. “Everybody in Ghana supports Chelsea now which is really good, and in the Ivory Coast too,” he says, while also marking out Mikel as a future African star. “When we go back to the national team it's different because Nigeria is one of our rival nations. You can feel the atmosphere but now we are like brothers. We're like a family here. When we play for our countries we are no more brothers. Mikel is a fantastic player, and can be one of the best players in the world.”