Yuri Zhirkov

[AlexSM 3]

About Zhirkov, Russia and Serbia

http://themoscownews.com/sports/20110810/188915858.html

Zhirkov faces further fan fury

http://themoscownews.com/sports/20110811/188917183.html

[Ramox 246]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnXeN5pCN8o&feature=player_embedded#!

Nice assist for Eto'o. Theese russian defenders are funny : DD

[xPetrCechx 13,570]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ushvFs96JNk&feature=player_embedded

[Bacika 188]

This is just Russian league...defenders just can't compare to PL...so he can dribble in the Russia, but not in England like that...

[Fernando 6,585]

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."

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Can't say he's not right though..

[Sheva. 5,373]

I didn't have a problem with selling him, but in hindsight, we should have kept him and sold Malouda!

[zolayes 14,489]

we never played him often enough in the right position ,,and that was on the left wing

[termninja 5,290]

Crazy...we actually sold the only player who could send a cross and kept SloMo and Kalou...well at least we didn't lose much money on him...

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I'd have loved to have seen a front three of Yury, Mata and Sturridge...

[Rubber bullets 1,183]

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!

[robdog 2,084]

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.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

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.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

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.

[Madmax 9,219]

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.