Audio By Carbonatix
Ex-Ghana international Michael Essien has revealed that football is "changing" with much more focus on tactics compared to his playing days.
Essien, who retired in 2020 after a 22-year career, described the sport as "quite physical" during his time, with less emphasis on instructions.
The 41-year-old played for clubs including Chelsea, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Lyon.
"Football is changing and now the No.10 position is disappearing so it's two No.8s and a No.6 [in midfield] and those two No.8s can become the No.10s so it depends how you want to play," He said in exclusive interview with JoySports.
"Sometimes you move your full-backs high and wingers in, to create some overload to have some players in the pocket."
"Our time is different. It was quite physical and fans like players going on tackles."
The former Chelsea star won two Premier League titles and the 2012 Champions League with the Blues.
Essien made 59 appearances for Ghana's Black Stars, scoring nine goals.
He is currently part of the coaching staff at Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland.
Latest Stories
-
FosCel founder calls for integration of sickle cell education into Ghana’s school curriculum
4 minutes -
GCB Bank rewards first 10 winners in ‘Pa To Pa Promo’
7 minutes -
GIPC hosts business forum with 54-member Japanese delegation following presidential state visit to Japan
14 minutes -
FosCel announces National Sickle Cell Fun Fair on Valentine’s Day
14 minutes -
Passengers tell of terror, screams and darkness after Spain train crash
33 minutes -
Transport unions form joint task force to curb indiscipline, ease Accra commuter woes
36 minutes -
At least 39 dead in Spain after two high-speed trains collide
41 minutes -
Hindsight: Will Ghana win the AFCON again?
45 minutes -
Power supply has been stable since June 2025 – Ashanti Regional Minister commends ECG
46 minutes -
No school will be under trees at Akatsi North by end of year – Nortsu-Kotoe
49 minutes -
Student arraigned over alleged GH¢24,849 ATM card fraud in Accra
60 minutes -
“Gold in the ground is not dead wealth”, Ghana’s proven gold reserves estimated at US$146bn – CPS
60 minutes -
Accra doesn’t have a transport problem, it has a reliability problem
1 hour -
Accra commuters endure long queues despite transport reforms
1 hour -
“In the midst of abundant gold, we are a liquidity trap” — Prof. Alagidede
1 hour