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🇷🇺 Yuri Zhirkov


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I wanted Bayern but was sold to Chelsea - Zhirkov

http://football.uk.r...3B.php?rpc=401

Zhirkov, 28, said that no matter how well he had been playing, the then Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti would always prefer England midfielder Frank Lampard.

"Psychologically I also feel much better in Russia because at Chelsea I had problems," he said. "For example, I would play 10 matches in a row, then Lampard would return from an injury and right away I would find myself seating on the bench.

"If you played well or badly it made no difference. It's not that I was offended but I just wanted to know why this was happening."

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  • 1 month later...

Looking back I can't help but blame Carlo for Yuri never becoming a Chelsea great here despite being a classy winger. Carlo never seem to have any trust in him for no reason. And would only play him at LB or CM just so Malouda could play at LW. I can understand in the double winning season when Malouda was on top form. But the next season when he was shit for long periods, Carlo decided that Malouda would be in his group of players who must never been dropped no matter how crap they play (I think Malouda started every PL game), even though Zhirkov easily could have replaced him. In my mind Carlo is the reason he never hit the ground running (with the exception of injury), I remember when he got over the knee injury and was available since October, Carlo did not give him his PL debut until bloody December!

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Looking back I can't help but blame Carlo for Yuri never becoming a Chelsea great here despite being a classy winger. Carlo never seem to have any trust in him for no reason. And would only play him at LB or CM just so Malouda could play at LW. I can understand in the double winning season when Malouda was on top form. But the next season when he was shit for long periods, Carlo decided that Malouda would be in his group of players who must never been dropped no matter how crap they play (I think Malouda started every PL game), even though Zhirkov easily could have replaced him. In my mind Carlo is the reason he never hit the ground running (with the exception of injury), I remember when he got over the knee injury and was available since October, Carlo did not give him his PL debut until bloody December!

Don't forget Zhirkov played w/out his family being able to come over. I think this had a major effect on the Yuri.

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Looking back I can't help but blame Carlo for Yuri never becoming a Chelsea great here despite being a classy winger. Carlo never seem to have any trust in him for no reason. And would only play him at LB or CM just so Malouda could play at LW. I can understand in the double winning season when Malouda was on top form. But the next season when he was shit for long periods, Carlo decided that Malouda would be in his group of players who must never been dropped no matter how crap they play (I think Malouda started every PL game), even though Zhirkov easily could have replaced him. In my mind Carlo is the reason he never hit the ground running (with the exception of injury), I remember when he got over the knee injury and was available since October, Carlo did not give him his PL debut until bloody December!

Definitely. It was incredibly frustrating to see him anywhere but LB, especially because Malouda was more of a CM than Zhirkov. We paid a lot for Yuri and he could've actually been a decent winger for us, didn't see him as an exceptional player, but definitely would've been a better option to Malouda. He was a pure winger, and the lack of one now is costing us quite a bit.

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I could never, and still can't, understand why carlo moved him to CM, his dribbling skills were very impressive. Unfortunately for Yuri his stay at Chelsea coincided with Malouda's best two years, and his injuries didn't help either, otherwise he would've been great for us. His goal in the CL against CSKA Moscow (?) still lives in memory.

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I could never, and still can't, understand why carlo moved him to CM, his dribbling skills were very impressive. Unfortunately for Yuri his stay at Chelsea coincided with Malouda's best two years, and his injuries didn't help either, otherwise he would've been great for us. His goal in the CL against CSKA Moscow (?) still lives in memory.

Spartak.

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As the season goes on, I'm really even more disappointed that we let him go as I was already during the summer...

Keeping him would have allow to put Mata in a central position sooner than now. And for me Malouda has a future as a left central midfielder, we should have kept both but there wasn't enough spots in the 25 man list.

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  • 1 month later...

I can't believe you sold him to be honest, he looked a great little player. + that goal he scored in the champions league!

He couldn't deal with England. It was too hard for him. No the football or anything but the culture and language.

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