Zhirkov backs Guus Hiddink

At the beginning of 2016, Guus Hiddink started to take control of Chelsea as he replaced Jose Mourinho who was sacked due to a string of poor results. Upon his arrival to Stamford Bridge, Hiddink has a huge mountain to climb as Chelsea was in shambles.

During the last few months of Mourinho in charge of Chelsea, the team was performing disastrously with successive disappointing results and they were even in danger of getting relegated as Chelsea was dangerously slipping down the bottom spots of the Premier League.

When Guus Hiddink arrived to Stamford Bridge, there were doubts if the Dutch manager could repair the state of the squad as they were just discouraged and looked like a completely different squad than the one which won the Premier League title in the previous season but Guus Hiddink has managed to spark life to the English club.

The Dutch coach has managed to keep Chelsea in the middle section of the Premier League standings and despite all of the obstacles that he had to overcome after being selected as the coach of Chelsea, Yuri Zhirkov always had his support from the start.

Speaking to a football ticketing website he spoke of his adulation for Hiddink, and why he thought he had done such a good job at Stamford Bridge.

“I know Hiddink and I have no doubt that once he took over, the atmosphere at Chelsea became so much better and more relaxed than it had been before. The reason for the recent poor run is psychological. A year ago, Chelsea won the championship and this has had a bearing on the next season. When you win the title, it is also difficult to defend it and to play at the highest level. I think with Guus, Chelsea will ride out the crisis and next season will be back at the top of the table.”

This was the statement released by Dinamo Moscow’s Yuri Zhirkov back on January of the ongoing year as the Russian defender outlined his confidence towards Guus Hiddink and Zhirkov was correct in his prediction as things did indeed turn out well for the Dutch coach.

Yuri Zhirkov set to leave Dynamo Moscow

The former Chelsea player, Yuri Zhirkov is set to leave Dynamo Moscow and join FC Zenit Saint Petersburg on a two-year contract.

The player who was playing with Dynamo Moscow for three seasons was set to join Zenit on a free transfer at the end of his contract, but the two clubs managed to find a transfer agreement that will allow Zhirkov to make the move before the contract expire.

The left-sided midfielder will be a wonderful addition to FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, who looks to strengthen their team to become more competitive not only in Russia but also on the European side.

Yuri Zhirkov has been quite successful with Dynamo Moscow. After having made 48 appearances with the Premier League club Chelsea, the Russian player moved back to his home country where he signed for FC Anzhi Makhachkala. During his team in England, the midfielder managed to score only one goal with England. In terms of trophies, he won the Premier League as well as the FA Cup for the London team.

Once back to Russia in 2011, he made 50 appearances with Anzhi where he managed three goals. In his last game with Anzhi, he played in the Russian Cup final where his team, unfortunately, lost to CSKA Moscow.

Following Anzhi financial problems, Yuri Zhirkov left the team and made the switch to Dynamo Moscow where he played 14 league matches for his first season. He would score three goals during his debut season. He stayed two more seasons with Dynamo Moscow where he managed another 53 more appearances for the Moscow team. He will score two more goals during this period. Both goals came in the Europa League. In total, he will make 67 appearances for Dynamo Moscow and scored five goals in all.

Axel Witsel has once again reiterated to Leave Zenit St Petersburg

Axel Witsel has once again reiterated his desire to leave Zenit St Petersburg in the summer.

The former Benfica midfielder is one of the stars in the Russian Premier League. However, he has been unhappy with life at Zenit St Petersburg for quite a while. He moved to the Russian club in 2012 amidst several offers from top European clubs. He chose to enjoy the riches of Zenit St Petersburg, who recently signed Yuri Zhirkov, rather than the possibility of playing at a club where winning the Champions League is a possibility. The 27-year-old has finally admitted that he would like to play in a league where there is prominence.

Juventus and Manchester United have been previously linked with his services, but it remains to be seen if they will come in with a concrete offer given that he is almost about to enter into his 30s.Witsel has the chance to impress potential suitors by performing well for Belgium at the upcoming Euro 2016. Since his debut for the national team in 2008,Witsel has been a key figure and has made more than 60 appearances. Aware that securing a move at this time in his career will be difficult,Witsel also claimed that he is not 100% sure about his departure from the club.

“I still have a contract for one more year come June and the club know how I feel. I would like to play in a bigger league.I cannot say that I will 100 percent leave, but we have not held talks over a new deal and my intention is to leave this summer. I want to focus on finishing the season on a high, then there’s the Euros and then we will see what happens.I spoke to a number of clubs last summer, but it was not about money for Zenit. They wanted to keep me because of the Champions League,” said Witsel.