Oh dear reader, it's been a very quiet week as far as Chelsea go. Even tabloid stories of our players' raunchy exploits have only adorned the front page of this nations' fine papers two or three times this week!

I'm even finding it particularly hard not to re-iterate the importance of every game, a boring phrase I'm getting sick of writing - yet will no doubt apply for every match for the remainder of the season.

There's no such thing as an easy match, yet previous results from the previous three Premier League fixtures leave us as having a 15-2 aggregate against Saturday's hosts, Wolves.

Now that isn't saying that it will be an easy ride on the weekend, but if past records are to remain true we should be expecting to bring all three points back down the M6, if not it is nothing short of disastrous.

Injury problems affect every team at this stage of the season, but we are yet to see how Zhirkov will face up to his responsibility as left back lynchpin - as Ashley Cole had been such a superior force up until his untimely ankle break.

Personally I think Yuri is more than up for the challenge, he has over 30 caps for his nation, won the league 4 times with his previous club (CSKA Moscow) as well as lifting the UEFA Cup in 2005. So this is a man far from lacking in experience.

Zhirkov has big boots to fill in these coming months ©ESPN Soccernet

His appearances for the club, somewhat limited thus far as aforementioned, have shown that he is very well equipped to handle the pace of the league - he is after all known as the Russian Ronaldinho (not famous for being a left back of course!) - but he is yet to have faced any real challenges on the defensive part of his game.

So lets hope in the remaining games of the season he shows us that he wasnt just an expensive defensive frailty and more that he was purchased as £18m of all round majesty.

Over to you Yuri.