Hargreaves, as has been noted, has a long list of injury issues . Also Owen just ;isn’t a driving force, abetting our attack. He’s really a “manchester terrier”, who harries opponents , furiously nipping at their heels, and breaking up the opposition’s attack.

If there’s any player in the game today who bears a resemblance to Hargreaves then it’s my favourite, Gennaro Gattuso. A few years ago, the Dutch pit bull, Edgar Davids, was this same kind of player.

However, comparing Essien with these guys is just an injustice – Essien brings much, much more to the game. Indeed, just imagine a midfield with Essien and either Scholes or Anderson !

as for essien, how i wish he had come over or we had made an effort to keep him when he was young. anyways, no use crying over spilt milk – cos our own midfield holds its own against any other in the BPL and europe – we have a very good blend of speed, movement and ball winning. really begins to remind me of the late 80′s and 90′s. robbo, guvnor, giggsy, keano – we are starting to play with commitment and understanding! seriously even though we are not as fluid as arsenal, we are truly more effective.

that is why, even without essien, iwe are still good! SAF is great at making players work together and he has done something right this time – carrick and hargreaves can be used for different roles, different opponents along with anderson or scholes! brilliant mix!

so no essien, sad but no worries! we cant have them all anyways

Put simply, if they don’t want to play for us, stuff ‘em.