Serbia still enjoying Branislav Ivanovic’s passion as Chelsea once did
One of Chelsea’s greatest defenders became Serbia’s most capped player in Sunday’s World Cup win against Costa Rica. Currently playing for Zenit St. Petersburg, Branislav Ivanovic’s 104th appearance for his national side eclipsed Dejan Stankovic.
During his nine seasons with Chelsea, Branislav Ivanovic turned from a bit-part player to a cult hero and beyond. The Serb had a difficult start in SW6, though. Looking back, his arrival in January 2008 for a fee of around £10 million mirrored a lot of Chelsea’s recent transfer acquisitions.
He joined the club with Avram Grant in temporary charge following Jose Mourinho’s ‘mutual consent’ departure the previous September. Signing from Lokomotiv Moscow, Ivanovic arrived short on match fitness. To be fair, this was no surprise as Lokomotiv’s season concluded well before the January window closed. As it was, he was deemed so unfit that he played no part in the 2007/08 season at all. It was a difficult period for the Serb.
"When I arrived it was difficult for a lot of reasons. I had come from the Russian league when there was a break between seasons. I was not ready to play. I needed time to be able to get used to the training, the play and everything about the club. But after that, I picked up an injury and when I returned it was near the end of the season and every game for Chelsea at that stage was important. – The Guardian"
In Ivanovic’s first full season, new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari gave Ivanovic his debut, a League Cup tie against Portsmouth on 24 September 2008. Featuring as both right-back and centre-back, Ivanovic was still not making regular starts, though. In a familiar tale, that led the media to speculate on his future at Stamford Bridge.
A poor run of results brought the axe on Scolari in February 2009. Guus Hiddink filled in until the season’s end. Still, Ivanovic struggled to make the starting XI. Despite that, he earned his Chelsea stripes in this period. Two goals in the Champions League quarter-final away against Liverpool elevated him to new highs. Those goals crucially helped give Chelsea a 3-1 victory, leading to a 7-5 win on aggregate.
From that point on, Chelsea’s support would forever love Ivanovic. There can be no better way of ingratiating oneself with a football fan than by scoring a goal against your bitterest of rivals. Yet Ivanovic still found himself left out in the cold to a degree. He missed out on a start in the season finale FA Cup final, a game Chelsea won 2-1 against Everton.
Another season and another manager, the Serb’s fourth in 18 months, saw Carlo Ancelotti at the helm. Ivanovic’s appearance stats improved as he finally began to make inroads into the first team. Ivanovic’s ability to play across the back four gave Ancelotti options, which his predecessors had failed to exercise.
After that breakthrough 2009/10 season, Ivanovic’s stock increased. As a player, he went from strength to strength. On the pitch he was a warrior and he never looked back. He became a regular part of a Chelsea team that experienced the most successful period in the club’s history.
For a defender, Ivanovic’s offensive stats were commendable. His 377 appearances for Chelsea resulted in 34 goals and 34 assists. In 2011 he signed a new contract to remain until 2016. He would extend for a further year before he joined Zenit St Petersburg in February 2017.
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Branislav Ivanovic will certainly be fondly remembered by Chelsea supporters. He epitomised all a footballer should be: Passion, energy and fight. As fans, we can ask for no more.