Forum

xml	No replies possible in the archive

Author: apw
Date: 17-08-2005, 17:59
Edited by: apw
at: 17-08-2005, 18:00

A question to all fans of French football ?

How good is Micheal Essien ?

Gerard Houllier says he is better than Steven Gerrard although most English fans would find this hard to believe as Gerrard plays in the Premier league which is harder the French league & Playing for England pits you against the Top nations of the world , whereas Essien Plays for Ghana.

All Chelsea fans would love to believe what Houllier says , but most will seem sceptical that it is sour grapes.

As Chelsea have been forced ??? to pay more than what would be perceived a fair price for an untested at the highest level 22 year old , will they get value for money ?

Author: EFC
Date: 17-08-2005, 18:43

I don't think the fact he has only played in the French league has much to do with it, if he is indeed top quality then knowledgable coaches can tell that, they take the quality of the opposition into consideration. There is an element of how well a player used to the French league will cope in England because of the vastly different styles of play though.

However maybe Houllier is not such a good judge of a player, he called numerous obscure signings he made for Liverpool from French clubs 'new Patrick Vieras' and that hardly turned out. One would expect Mourinho to be a good judge of potential though. We shall just have to wait and see on Essien. If Chelsea want to splash out the Russian's money on unproven youngsters then it is their business.

Author: Lyonnais
Date: 17-08-2005, 19:11

apw, players like Henry, Pires, Gallas, Makelele and earlier Cantona or Ginola for example all started to play in the French League before going to the Premier League. It seems that they finally caught up to be able to play at the "highest" level.

Coming back to Essien, what to say other that he has been elected best player of the French League (i know that it does not mean anything for English fans, but it is an award) and that Chelsea and Mourinho were ready to spend almost 40 million Euro cash to buy him.

I believe that he has all the qualities to succeed in England, but we all know that a career depends on a lot of things, including luck or bad luck. I wish good luck to Michael in the Premier League.
I just hope that he will not be too much disappointed when we send Chelsea back home in the Champions League.

Author: EFC
Date: 17-08-2005, 19:19

I suppose you could further back with Platini - Juventus did not worry about the fact he had only played in the French league when they signed him! Actually I think the French league is quite strong - the English, Spanish and Italian leagues are obviously the three strongest, but France is probably in the second tier if you like, along with Germany, stronger than the Dutch or Portugeuse leagues. I think it's not so much the quality of the league more the very different styles of play between England and France - some French league players can struggle to adapt when they come here while others seem to have no real problem or they take a little time to adjust but then make the grade.

Author: Lyonnais
Date: 17-08-2005, 19:46

The French League lost about 200 of its best players after the Bosman act (about 50 players left the League every year between 1996 and 2000). This League that used to be second in UEFA rankings in the 90s then came back to its "normal" ranking (i.e. around 5th position).

It nowadays seems to recover because of 2 main factors: more money in the domestic area (Canal+ contract - 600 ME) and ... less money in the other leagues, namely in Italy that bought a numerous amount of players in the 90s.
However, this slight recovery is still to be confirmed. 2 years ago, the League lost its 3 best players (Drogba to Chelsea, Giuly to Barca and Dhorasso to Milan) and this year the best player was sold to Chelsea (while Dhorasso is back to France - Paris).

Coming back to the Premier League, you are right to underline that some players might struggle to adjust to the Premier League football. However, it seems to me that Essien really has all skills to succeed there all the more that he is a native English-speaker which should help him adapt to the country.
The only issue maybe is to know whether he will be given enough time to demonstrate his potential. He's starting in a new team and a new country while joining late in the season (while starting a new life with all tabloids scrutinizing every aspect of his life). That will not help namely in such a competitive squad a Chelsea, but I presume that Chelsea did not pay 40 ME to leave somebody on the bench all season long.
Good luck Michael and thanks for everything.

Author: apw
Date: 17-08-2005, 19:58

Sorry if i was misunderstood , i never meant to disrespect Ligue 1 , and if it were weak then surely Players such as Henry, Pires, Zidane, Desailly etc would not have emerged.
But for every French Success in England there have been many failures also, Chelsea fans will remember Deschamps not adapting to the English game , as there was also Bernard Lambourde.
I merely was trying to gauge how good Essien Is or can become.

Author: EFC
Date: 18-08-2005, 01:51

If your read the English press they are often puzzled as to why France does not have as strong a league as England and Spain when you look at the quality of their national team, the size and attractiveness of the country, and the number of prestigous clubs. They say domestic football did not really take off in France as much as in other nations although I don't know if that is true. If I were a major footballer, if France had a stronger league I would be quite keen on earning my trade in France, especially the South. I remember in the late 80s and early to mid-90s the French league seemed like one the most major leagues, 2nd as you say in the rankings and with Marseille, Monaco and then PSG building strong teams. Major English players like Trevor Steven and Chris Waddle actually went to play in France rather than play in England. Perhaps as you say the Bosman ruling led to some decline, perhaps also the Marseille scandal. Amazing to think no French club won a European trophy until Marseille in 1993 and only one since. One strange thing about French football is that no city seems to host more than one major club. Only one top flight team from Paris? That is kind of unusual. Still, I think the French league is stronger than is sometimes suggested and it produces so many great players, if those players all agreed to stay in France then it would have a very strong league.

Re: How good is Micheal Essien ?
Author: Lio Date: 18-08-2005, 12:10	I have the explanation because english press think about the superiority about england league : they only interrested about england league. I think if essian keep going play as a violent way and agressive action he would have no problem in england.

Re: How good is Micheal Essien ?
Author: Osirius Date: 27-08-2005, 14:53	We have a joke on the questions like that. He is very good at bed )