Zhirkov – It's not easy to get a chance with Malouda and Cole in brilliant form

The Russian wing-back Yuri Zhirkov is an obviously great talent, but since he has arrived at Chelsea, both Florent Malouda and Ashley Cole have been playing brilliantly, so he is finding it hard to get a game on the left flank. He is sure that he will get a chance to fight for his place this season.

“I’ll certainly get a chance in the next few months and I’ll try to use it completely,” he said.

“Then, in the winter, everything will probably depend on whether I got this chance and how I used it.

“We are currently in brilliant form and getting past Malouda and Cole is problematic. Everyone understands about the competition: once you are on the bench you can be there for a long time. But I will definitely get a chance.

“The thoughts when you are watching your team play are always the same: you support, worry and your soul wants to be on the pitch to help.”

It is great for the Blues to have such an excellent player on the bench in case of some unforseen accident, but it must be frustrating for him as well.