COBHAM, England (Reuters) - Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien say his
reputation as a dirty player is unjustified but does admit he is now being more
careful going into tackles.
The Ghana international Essien has enjoyed a solid first season in England
following a move from Olympique Lyon but he has also been involved in
controversy over his aggressive style of tackling.
He was suspended for two matches by UEFA for one over-the-top challenge on
Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann in the Champions League and also heavily criticised
for a foul on Bolton Wanderers' Tal Ben Haim in the English Premiership.
"I'm careful now when I'm going for contact. I'm more careful," he told a
news conference on Tuesday.
"I feel bad about the tackle on Hamann, I didn't mean to do it, I called him
and apologised. It was my decision to call him and he was nice to me on the
phone, he accepted my apology."
Essien believes the pace of the game in England caught him out when he first
arrived in London but he does not want to make wholesale changes to his style of
play.
"I don't mean to hurt anybody, what happened has happened," he said.
"I'm still adjusting to the English game. It's very fast. The players move
very fast and you have to be careful. It's more physical here than in France.
"I'm always strong on the pitch but I don't think I have a bad reputation.
Sometimes you go for the ball and the opponent gets the ball before you. But I
don't think I've done anything wrong, contact is in the game and I don't want to
stop it.
"I have to keep playing my game, being strong on the pitch and win my
tackles, but do it fair."
Essien believes neither he nor Chelsea have a problem with ill discipline,
despite William Gallas becoming their fourth red card of the season when he was
sent off in Sunday's 1-0 Premier League defeat against Fulham.