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.
