Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho dished out praise for Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien's who has shown exceptional form so early in the season. "Everything is perfect defensively," Mourinho said as reported by Sky Sports. "Offensively he has more qualities and scored his goal (against Werder Bremen)." The Ghanian international scored the winner for Chelsea against Bremen in their UEFA Champions League opener, overshadowing teammates Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack. Essien has been one of Chelsea's best players so far this season, riding on the wake of an excellent display with Ghana in the World Cup finals this summer. The Portuguese praised the 23-year-old for his combative style fair play and excellent disciplinary record. "This is because everything is about the strength of his body not about bad fouling or actions in the game." Mourinho's comments may have extra sting for Ballack, who is serving a suspension for a red card obtained during Chelsea's Liverpool game.
Mourinho The German captain's arrival at Stamford Bridge led to heavy contestation for the prime positions in Mourinho's game plan. But, Essien claims the competition is not a problem for him. "If you play at a club like Chelsea, there will always be competition," Essien said. "For me it's not a problem. I'm very happy here. You have to expect this kind of thing. And it makes you a better player." For Essien, playing on a top notch team like Chelsea is less about the prestige and more about the personal opportunity to improve. "Last season was my first in the Premiership and I think I've developed a lot since then and gained lots of valuable experience," he said. "The more you play, the more you keep developing and improving."
