Now I Understand Why Jose Mourinho Got Angry Assistant Coach Michael Essien Opens Up

Former Ghana midfielder Michael Essien has shared insights into his transition from playing to coaching football.

The 41-year-old, who lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy with Chelsea in 2012, currently serves as an assistant coach at Danish club FC Nordsjaelland.

Essien joined the club's coaching staff for the 2020acirc;euro;“21 season, a move officially announced on September 9, 2020.

In an interview with BBC Africa, Essien explained the motivation behind his decision to pursue coaching.

“I just woke up one day and thought, acirc;euro;tilde;Let me start doing something,'” Essien tells BBC Sport.

“I started coaching so I could learn how it is to be a coach. Now I talk to a few of [my former managers]. Just normal talk“ nothing tactical.

Essien reflected on his experiences working under top managers during his career, including JosAtilde;copy; Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti.

“I had some great, great managers that I was lucky to work under. I learned a few things from Jose and from Ancelotti;  his calmness and how he manages his players, the way he tried to put his arms around his players.

“Now I understand a bit more why Jose would get angry,” he added.

Before his coaching role, Essien had an illustrious playing career that included stints at clubs like Liberty Professionals, Bastia, Lyon, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Panathinaikos, Persib Bandung, and Sabail.

For Ghana’s national team, he earned 59 caps and scored nine goals.Ghanasoccernet