The greatest Chelsea XI of all time

Defensive Midfielders

Michael Essien

Essien faced one of the longest-running transfer sagas before joining the Blues

Michael Essien is arguably the greatest midfielder Ghana has ever produced. Chelsea had toiled extremely hard in getting the Ghanian's signature while he was at Lyon. Needless to say, after ten glorious seasons, the Bison didn't disappoint.

Being one of the first acquisitions of the Abramovich-Mourinho era, Michael Essien exceeded expectations, as the Portuguese gaffer challenged Sir Alex Ferguson's supremacy in the league. While the Blues won their first ever Premier League title and another one the following year, he was the revving engine of their midfield.

Initially, Lampard and Makelele had very good seasons before Essien's arrival. Yet, Chelsea's prayers for a typical box-to-box midfielder with good defensive and decision-making abilities were answered when the sturdy midfielder joined the club, giving Mourinho the much required tactical flexibility.

He was a typical Mourinho player; strong and well-built and blessed with good defensive attributes. So much so that the Special One didn't hesitate in teaming up with the Ghanian at Real Madrid, albeit for a single season.

Claude Makelele

Claude Makelele was underrated at Real Madrid

Essien's partner-in-crime in the middle is Claude Makelele. Although he was underrated at the Bernabeu, Makelele proved Florentino Perez wrong when he redefined the defensive midfield role that we see today

Following his exploits in that position, the Chelsea fans have lovingly renamed it as the 'Makelele role' in honour of the dynamic Frenchman.

With a stocky build, Claude Makelele ruled games from the heart of the midfield, dictating the tempo with his positional sense, tactical intelligence, and ball-winning attributes. The midfielder was well-versed in pulling out perfectly timed challenges and breaking up plays with great anticipation. Also, Makelele was well-known for holding the ball against physically stronger opponents and awareness at the centre of the park.

His link-up play between the defence and attack helped the Blues attackers win games like never before. He can certainly make it as one of the best players ever coached by the Special One. Makelele was perhaps the best parting gift from Claudio Ranieri to not only the Blues but the Premier League as well.