RSS
ATOM
advertisement
English Angle: Chelsea’s First Major Signing, But Was Yuri Zhirkov A Major Requirement?
Goal.com's Alan Dawson asks if the Zhirkov money would have been better spent elsewhere...
06-Jul-2009 6:45:37 PM
Chelsea's sixth manager under wealthy Russian sponsor Roman Abramovich, Carlo Ancelotti, announced his arrival in the Premier League with the club's acquisition of CSKA Moscow winger Yuri Zhirkov.
The 25-year-old will no doubt have come highly recommended by former Blues trainer and current Russian national team coach Guus Hiddink, who enjoyed a successful temporary tenure with the Stamford Bridge outfit.
How pressing, though, is the need to recruit a left-sided player? As versatile as the man dubbed the 'Russian Ronaldinho' is, as rightly penned by the BBC earlier today, he could find himself hard-pressed to break through the ranks right away. Last season Ashley Cole began to show the form that prompted Jose Mourinho to approach the roaming full-back in 2005, while Florent Malouda also began to blossom, enjoying his most productive season in an all-Blue shirt to date.
If Zhirkov bragged an impressive strike-rate from the wide areas then the decision to recruit the former UEFA Cup winner could be justified, but his 15 goal return from 139 games indicates otherwise. He is perhaps not prolific from the flank, however, as seen by both his club and country performances, his direct style could quite easily enhance the scoring ratio of Didier Drogba or Nicolas Anelka, neither of whom can be considered to be consistently prolific, despite the latter's status as Premier League Golden Boot winner.
Zhirkov possesses good dribbling ability, has a wise footballing brain, a penchant for the audacious, is composed on the ball and in front of goal, and knows when, where and how to play for an assist. He will unquestionably provide Chelsea's midfield with a good burst of pace, will add an extra dimension to the team's attacking impetus and has been deployed as a left-sided defender previously, so will be well aware of his defensive duties.
On paper, the purchase is a good one, but will be made perplexing should the club's spending cease after today, especially after the underwhelming obtainments of Ross Turnbull, who was relegated from the Premier League with Middlesbrough, and promising forward Daniel Sturridge, whose compensation package is yet to be arranged by a tribunal.
How much more spending are Chelsea going to do this summer? If the answer is a great deal, then the omens bode well for followers of the west London clique, but if last season's speculation that Abramovich would be ploughing less moolah into a body he has already invested over £500,000,000 into, then a club advisor should have opened his/her mouth and suggested that the right-wing and the forward line are in need suitable bolstering instead.
Chelsea still lack a striker who can break 30 goals every season. Didier Drogba has reached that feat just once in his five years at Stamford Bridge, competing in 60 games in order to bulge nets 33 times in a single campaign. Meanwhile, Nicolas Anelka is yet to crack that achievement in the entirety of his journeyed career.
The conjecture surrounding Abramovich's declining interest in all affairs Chelsea was indeed an interesting notion, but became rendered redundant with his mid-season decision to axe out-of-sorts coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, together with the employment of Hiddink - a man who left the club boasting a win percentage of 71. Both administrative choices personally cost Abramovich over £10m. And that is without even mentioning how much it took to lure Ancelotti to England's capital city.
His love for the club is still apparent. He still has a regular presence. He still walks into the dressing room like it's his home. And, crucially, the players still respond to him. Perhaps, then, this could be an indication that Zhirkov is the first of a few much-needed recruits, and if that is the case, then all the major requirements will surely be ticked.
Alan Dawson, Goal.com
The 25-year-old will no doubt have come highly recommended by former Blues trainer and current Russian national team coach Guus Hiddink, who enjoyed a successful temporary tenure with the Stamford Bridge outfit.
How pressing, though, is the need to recruit a left-sided player? As versatile as the man dubbed the 'Russian Ronaldinho' is, as rightly penned by the BBC earlier today, he could find himself hard-pressed to break through the ranks right away. Last season Ashley Cole began to show the form that prompted Jose Mourinho to approach the roaming full-back in 2005, while Florent Malouda also began to blossom, enjoying his most productive season in an all-Blue shirt to date.
If Zhirkov bragged an impressive strike-rate from the wide areas then the decision to recruit the former UEFA Cup winner could be justified, but his 15 goal return from 139 games indicates otherwise. He is perhaps not prolific from the flank, however, as seen by both his club and country performances, his direct style could quite easily enhance the scoring ratio of Didier Drogba or Nicolas Anelka, neither of whom can be considered to be consistently prolific, despite the latter's status as Premier League Golden Boot winner.
Zhirkov possesses good dribbling ability, has a wise footballing brain, a penchant for the audacious, is composed on the ball and in front of goal, and knows when, where and how to play for an assist. He will unquestionably provide Chelsea's midfield with a good burst of pace, will add an extra dimension to the team's attacking impetus and has been deployed as a left-sided defender previously, so will be well aware of his defensive duties.
On paper, the purchase is a good one, but will be made perplexing should the club's spending cease after today, especially after the underwhelming obtainments of Ross Turnbull, who was relegated from the Premier League with Middlesbrough, and promising forward Daniel Sturridge, whose compensation package is yet to be arranged by a tribunal.
How much more spending are Chelsea going to do this summer? If the answer is a great deal, then the omens bode well for followers of the west London clique, but if last season's speculation that Abramovich would be ploughing less moolah into a body he has already invested over £500,000,000 into, then a club advisor should have opened his/her mouth and suggested that the right-wing and the forward line are in need suitable bolstering instead.
Chelsea still lack a striker who can break 30 goals every season. Didier Drogba has reached that feat just once in his five years at Stamford Bridge, competing in 60 games in order to bulge nets 33 times in a single campaign. Meanwhile, Nicolas Anelka is yet to crack that achievement in the entirety of his journeyed career.
The conjecture surrounding Abramovich's declining interest in all affairs Chelsea was indeed an interesting notion, but became rendered redundant with his mid-season decision to axe out-of-sorts coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, together with the employment of Hiddink - a man who left the club boasting a win percentage of 71. Both administrative choices personally cost Abramovich over £10m. And that is without even mentioning how much it took to lure Ancelotti to England's capital city.
His love for the club is still apparent. He still has a regular presence. He still walks into the dressing room like it's his home. And, crucially, the players still respond to him. Perhaps, then, this could be an indication that Zhirkov is the first of a few much-needed recruits, and if that is the case, then all the major requirements will surely be ticked.
Alan Dawson, Goal.com
Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
1 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
Liverpool's Midfield Is Equally At Fault As Their Forward Line
Though the attention tends to lean on their misfiring forwards, Liverpool's midfielders are as much at fault for their team's current position...
-
Media shy, silently arrogant & irrationally stubborn: 5 reasons why Abramovich should not be a cry baby
Calm from the outside, cranky from the inside. Goal.com's Sarthak Dubey gives a few tips to Roman Abramovich on how to handle the club's sensitive confidence levels...
-
Can Luis Suarez repeat Eric Cantona's grand comeback when Liverpool face Manchester United?
The divisive Uruguayan can look to history when he starts against United on Saturday for the first time since receiving an eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra
-
Beware, Inter & Arsenal - Schalke's rise up Deloitte's Money League proves the financial importance of the CL
The Ruhr side's remarkable run in Europe's elite tournament saw their revenue unexpectedly soar last season, but some teams are structured to depend on such results to survive
-
This Week That Year - The Munich Tragedy that shocked the world of football
In yet another edition of This Week That Year, we look into all the historic footballing events in the first full week of February....
Advertisement
Advertisement