Fit and focused Michael Essien ready to lead Chelsea's title charge

The close-season was a time for belt-tightening at Chelsea yet one player was immune to the cuts. As the Double winners moved on 10 players, including a clutch of high-profile and high-earning stars, the owner Roman Abramovich was not prepared to risk anything on the man who is arguably the pillar of his team. Michael Essien had not played all year because of a second serious injury in two seasons to his left knee. The midfielder has now spoken for the first time about how he feared that the damage was career-threatening. Essien, moreover, had three years to run on his contract but Abramovich was undeterred. Whether mindful or not of the offers that Essien had from rival clubs, the Russian acted to give him a two-year contract extension on improved terms. If the player were to see out the deal, he would have completed 10 years of service at Stamford Bridge. "I've never seen that before," Essien said, "where a player is given a new contract when he has been out for six months. That means that they have good confidence in me; that when I'm fit, I can go out and help the team. I was delighted with that and I have to pay the club back with my performances. If we can win something this year, that will be good." Essien has started the season in characteristically powerful vein, impressing once again in Sunday's 2-0 home win against Arsenal. Yet there were times last season when the notion of him being back in the Chelsea team felt like a pipe dream. After tearing his hamstring in early December against Apoel Nicosia in the Champions League, he went to the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana in January and injured the knee in a training session. In September 2008, he had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament on international duty to be ruled out for six months while this time, the problem was to do with the cartilage and meniscus. Essien suffered setback after setback, there seemed to be difficulties in the diagnosis and what had, somewhat hopefully, been billed as a six week lay-off took out the remainder of the season and his World Cup, too. The 27-year-old, though, had deeper concerns. "Those kind of injuries can easily end your career," he said. "I'm lucky to be back and I thank God for making it possible to be back. I've put everything behind me now and I'm enjoying my football. I can go forward." Essien enjoyed a full pre-season – he featured in all five of the friendly fixtures – and since the real business started he has enjoyed 910 minutes of action, more than anyone else at the club. With the £18.2m summer signing Ramires catching the eye against Arsenal, and Mikel John Obi also in good form, Chelsea have made light of the absence of Frank Lampard. The England midfielder has been out for five weeks because of a groin problem. "It's been a long wait for me but I'm happy to be back," Essien said. "It was difficult last season, but injuries are part of the game and you have to accept it." Essien has taken the decision to opt out of playing for Ghana for a period as he concentrates on getting his fitness "back on track". There is the lingering suspicion that he has not been entirely happy with the treatment he has received on international duty, where he suffered both of the knee injuries. Essien said in an interview in August that the Ghana team doctor had misdiagnosed the problem in January. "I knew it wasn't the same injury as before, but when the doctor came he quite scared me because he said I'd done the same thing again," he said. "I told him, 'No, no, no'. I knew it wasn't the same, it wasn't the same pain, but he insisted. I got angry and in the end I told him to leave the room and let me relax. I came back to England, had another scan and they said it was the cartilage and meniscus, like I thought." Taking the rest was not an easy decision. Essien is the Ghana team's driving force. But he felt that he had to "look after myself and my fitness," and he said that to the manager Milovan Rajevac, who has since quit the post to take over at the Saudi club Al-Ahli. Essien will train at Chelsea's Cobham HQ during the current break from the domestic game, together with the club's injured internationals - Lampard, Yossi Benayoun and Salomon Kalou. It is unclear, meanwhile, whether Alex will join up with Brazil. The centre-half had a scan this afternoon on the thigh that he hurt against Arsenal and he must wait for the results. "It's unfortunate that the manager [Rajevac] left but we will see who comes in," Essien said. "I will go back to play for Ghana again." Ghana's loss is Chelsea's gain and Essien's focus is dominated by the race for the Premier League title. After the weekend's matches, his team sit four points clear of Manchester City at the top. The gap to Manchester United is five points and to Arsenal it is seven. "Arsenal are hard to play," Essien said. "They press the ball and move very well. It's hard to defend against them, but we did a great job. I don't know if it's a result to win the title. We just have to keep playing like that. "Man City have made good signings. I don't know if they will have the stamina but they've got the players to do the job and the rest are there, too. We led from the front last season but this is a new season. It's up to us to get as many points as we can."