Michael Essien has a raw physicality

When Jean-Michel Aulas, the rent-a-quote president of Lyons, told Chelsea this summer that Michael Essien was worth more than the ?32 million they had agreed to pay for Steven Gerrard, it appeared to be nothing more than a crude negotiating tactic, although with the benefit of hindsight he may have had a point.

Like the Liverpool captain, Essien is two players combined, a strong defensive bulwark who can drive forward to score goals, but the evidence from the start of this season suggests that Chelsea have signed the better one.

Perhaps Arsene Wenger was right to claim that Chelsea have all the luck because, not for the first time, having failed to secure silver they have unwittingly struck gold.

Essien’s first visit to Liverpool on Wednesday provides a good opportunity to compare, with apologies to Frank Lampard, the two most complete midfield players in the Premiership.

Gerard Houllier, the Lyons manager who gave Gerrard his debut a fortnight after taking sole charge at Anfield seven years ago, cannot split them, so it could be quite a night.

“I’m in a position to say that because I’ve worked with Steven Gerrard and they are in the same class, albeit with differences of emphasis,” Houllier said. “You don’t have many players who can go from a defensive position to the opposition’s box and score.

“Essien scored nine goals last season, five in the Champions League, without taking penalties or free kicks. I’d compare him to Roy Keane at his peak, or Michael Ballack or Frank Lampard ? and all of their teams have won the big prizes.

“Gerrard, who is a prime example of that type of player, has just won the Champions League. So they are a rare and precious breed. There are only five or, at the most, ten of them in the whole of Europe.”

Essien and Gerrard are similar players with different qualities that stand out, although there is no doubt who approaches Wednesday’ game in better form.

While Gerrard’s stuttering start to the season and lack of match fitness have mirrored Liverpool’s infuriating inconsistency, Essien has come to epitomise the almost superhuman element of Mourinho’s machine.

Essien boasts a raw physicality that Gerrard could never hope to replicate, cramming the features of a heavyweight boxer and Olympic sprinter into one compact frame.

The 22-year-old’s nickname at Lyons of “The Bison” has followed him to England, although it is less well-known that he earned the soubriquet for dragging a truck across the club’s training ground.

When added to a naturally diligent attitude, Essien’s physical gifts lead to a work-rate that is simply extraordinary, as the statistics show.

In six Premiership matches this season, Essien has made 277 passes, 35 runs with the ball and completed 31 tackles, all significantly higher than Gerrard, making him the ultimate midfield enforcer.

As Claudio Cacapa, his former captain at Lyons, put it: “It’s impossible to beat Michael, you can’t get past him. He frightens everybody.”