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Chelsea's Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien says they've put behind their home ground blues this season.

Essien believes Carlo Ancelotti's side have shown the improvement they have made from last term under Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Scolari's side dropped 16 points out of 39 at the Bridge before the Brazilian was sacked in February, whereas this term Chelsea have won all eight home games in all competitions and scored 19 unanswered goals since conceding to Hull's Stephen Hunt on the opening day.

Essien said: “I don't think we are having problems at home like we were last season. It's not the same problem.

“Some teams have come to Stamford Bridge just to frustrate us by putting bodies behind the ball but we have been able to find the solution to that.

“We have shown we can overcome that. This season we have been playing the ball a bit faster, which has really helped us to break teams down.

“What was also important was that we showed the right reaction to what happened at Aston Villa, when we were very disappointed because we weren't focused enough for the set-pieces.”

Burnley owner Brendan Flood has revealed the club failed to sign up a young Michael Essien as club policy prevented them paying his £60-a-week wages.

Chelsea midfielder Essien, 26, is currently rated as one of the best midfielders in the game and cost the club around £26m when he joined from Lyon four years ago.

But Flood, who arrived at Turf Moor as director in 2007, has now revealed that The Clarets could have signed up the Ghana international free of charge if they had been willing to pay a minimal wage.

"I discovered Michael Essien had been on trial here for a few days," he said in The People.

"One of the best players in the World Cup - and we hadn't signed him.

"The club policy meant we wouldn't pay an apprentice more than 60 quid a week.

"It smacked me in the face that the problem was a lack of communication within the club that stopped our youth guys making an exception to the rule."

Michael Essien insists new boss Carlo Ancelotti can help Chelsea achieve their Champions League ambitions.

Chelsea have reached five semi-finals and one final in the last six years and are desperate to win European football's top trophy. Essien believes the Italian coach, who won two Champions League titles with AC Milan, has all the credentials to lead the Blues to glory in Europe.

"We are already enjoying his company and methods," said Essien. "Everyone knows we have been in five Champions League semi-finals in six years and one final. We are desperate to win the biggest trophy in club football and I strongly believe our new boss can help us do it."

The Ghana midfielder added: "He has been there, done it and got the shirt for it and we are already getting the vibe from him. The squad has been together for a long time and we are all yearning and hungry for more trophies."

Chelsea begin their Barclays Premier League campaign under Ancelotti against Hull at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien believes he is now mentally tougher after his injury-hit campaign last season.

The Ghana star was sidelined for more than half a year because of torn knee ligaments sustained while on international duty last September.

But Essien was back with a bang in the closing stages of 2008/09 as he played an influential role in helping Chelsea to FA Cup glory and the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

The 26-year-old admits he found it difficult to cope with his time on the sidelines, but he feels he has become a better player as a result.

"The injury has actually helped me a lot. I had to be strong to cope with the rehab and all the hard work. I have come back stronger than I was before," he said in the London Evening Standard.

"After coming back from an injury like that I am now tougher mentally. You have to be in order to cope with it.

"I don't worry about the injury now because I'm the kind of person that when I'm on the pitch I forget about everything and just get on with my football.

Chelsea's powerful midfielder Michael Essien is enjoying being back with his team-mates as the Blues undergo their pre-season preparations for the new season, and the player is hoping to carry the momentum of last season's FA Cup triumph into the coming campaign.

"I have had a fantastic break and I am looking forward to the new season already," he told his official personal website.

"I am still buzzing from the FA Cup win and Ghana's back-to-back wins in the World cup qualifiers. 'They were tough games but we came through very well and I am hoping to carry the same form into the new season starting in the US."

As for how the midfielder had spent his summer break, Essien revealed that the time in his homeland had been used to rest and recuperate, ensuring that he would be fresh and ready to step straight back into the serious business of the Premier League.

"It's been good. You cant beat being at home amongst your friends and family. I enjoyed mum's cooking and loved seeing some old pals," he added.

"I slept a lot too as usual so I am fresh and ready to go. I am looking forward to meeting the 'boss' and my team-mates.

Michael Essien's agent, Fabian Piveteau, has been accused of engineering a new contract for his Ghanaian client. This is after he claimed that the Chelsea midfielder would be willing to consider a summer switch away from Stamford Bridge this summer.

While there has been hundreds of column inches dedicated to transfer gossip and hearsay so far this season, the name of Michael Essien, or 'The Bison' as he has been nicknamed, has been a notable exception as he is known to be settled in West London.

However, despite the Ghanaian powerhouse giving no indication that he is harbouring hopes of a move, his representative has claimed there are clubs interested in luring the 26-year-old away from the Blues. He has hinted that Essien would be prepared to listen to offers should an interesting proposition present itself.

"Some clubs are interested in Michael," he said. "He likes Chelsea very much, but football is football and if Real Madrid, Barcelona or some other club make an offer he needs to sit down and discuss what is best for him."

Battling Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien is open to offers from Spanish powerhouse clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid, according to the player's agent, Fabian Piveteau, who declared today that should either the treble-winning history-makers or the nine-time European Cup winners come calling, then a move may become too tempting.

Piveteau was also quick to stress that Essien likes Chelsea, but then ominously warned that "football is football".

"Some clubs are interested in Michael," Piveteau told Kick Off Ghana.

"He likes Chelsea very much, but football is football and if Real Madrid, Barcelona or some other club make an offer, he needs to sit down and discuss what is best for him."

Essien has been one of Chelsea's most influential players of late, and what he offers the first-team was noticeable as his return from injury during the last campaign seemed to grant the side a fresh lease of life.

Michael Essien has been declared Chelsea's Player of the Month for April, decided by the fans' votes. The Ghanaian midfielder was on top form throughout April, not showing signs on a return from an injury-induced absence.

Essien helped the Blues to several emphatic wins, including the 3-1 thumping of Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-final at Anfield.

His outstanding performances have been made all the more spectacular following a long absence from football after a cruciate injury earlier in the season, from which he returned in March.

He was also instrumental in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, helping Chelsea book our place against Everton on Saturday 30 May at Wembley.