Massive blow to Chelsea's title ambitions
Chelsea's title ambitions have today been been dealt a severe blow after it was revealed that Michael Essien will face several months on the sidelines due to a serious knee injury. The Ghana international is to have an operation on his anterior cruciate ligament after injuring it in his country's World Cup qualifier against Libya on Friday.
The 25-year old moved to Stamford Bridge back in 2005 when Jose Mourinho was at the helm. Since then he has become a vital part of the Chelsea starting eleven and there is no doubt that the side will be worse off without the former Lyon midfielder.
A Chelsea statement read: "Michael has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will undergo an operation as soon as the majority of the swelling has subsided. We expect this to happen in a week's time. "In the meantime, Michael has started rehab in the aqua therapy centre at Cobham which will improve the condition of the knee prior to surgery. A return to full fitness is not expected for several months."
Obviously this is a massive blow for Luiz Felipe Scolari's men. Essien is a major part of the Chelsea side and I feel they will struggle to find someone to perform as well as Essien does in his holding midfield role. I am sure Scolari will not be too pleased about the fact Essien was injured whilst on international duty.