Essien eyeing injury-free season

Michael Essien is hoping to put two injury-plagued seasons behind him by helping Chelsea retain their Barclays Premier League title.The Ghana midfielder missed the majority of the last campaign after tearing the medial ligament in his left knee while training with Ghana prior to the Africa Cup of Nations in January.It came after a cruciate knee ligament injury restricted him to 19 appearances the previous season when Chelsea struggled to third place in the league.The 27-year-old, who has played all five of Chelsea's pre-season games, is now hoping for an injury-free season to allow him to make a big contribution to what will undoubtedly be a long and hard campaign."It is good to have a pre-season under my belt, personally I think I have done well and I keep getting fitter the more games I play," he told Chelsea's website. "I feel like I am ready for the season and I am looking forward to it so much."I think this season could be a big one. The last two seasons I didn't take too big a part in, I didn't start in one but finished it, then I started okay last season but didn't finish it, so this year has to be a good one and hopefully I will stay injury-free and help Chelsea win some trophies."