Guus Hiddink Calls Up Chelsea's Crocked Winger Yuri Zhirkov
For Russia
The former Blues boss is not being discouraged
by the player's ongoing knee problem...
Yuri Zhirkov Photo goal.com
Chelsea wide man Yuri Zhirkov yesterday played down fears
that he was going to require surgery on a knee problem that is preventing
him taking a full part with the Blues, after his £18 million summer
switch from CSKA Moscow.
Nevertheless, there are concerns over the injury, and Chelsea fans will
not be pleased to hear that Russia's national coach, Guus Hiddink, has
called the player up to his country's colours for the World Cup qualifiers
against Liechtenstein on September 5 and Wales four days later.
The Daily Mail reports that Hiddink is unlikely to excuse the player from
international duty, and has included him in a party that also lists Arsenal's
Andrey Arshavin and Tottenham Hotspur's Roman Pavlyuchenko amongst its
number.
Russia currently lie second in their qualifying group, four points behind
Germany with a game in hand.
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Dinamo Moscow),
Vyacheslav Malafeev (Zenit St. Petersburg).
Defenders: Aleksandr Anyukov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Aleksei Berezutsky
(CSKA Moscow), Vasili Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA
Moscow), Denis Kolodin (Dinamo Moscow), Renat Yanbaev (Lokomotiv Moscow).
Midfielders: Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea), Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow), Sergei
Semak (Rubin Kazan), Igor Semshov (Dinamo Moscow), Diniar Bilyateldinov
(Lokomotiv Moscow), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Igor Denisov
(Zenit St. Petersburg), Vladimir Bystrov (Spartak Moscow), Alexei Rebko
(FC Moscow).
Strikers: Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Stuttgart), Roman
Pavlyuchenko (Tottenham), Alexander Bukharov (Rubin Kazan), Alexander
Kerzhakov (Dinamo Moscow).
