Significant changes are planned.
Injuries have marred Rodrigao’s final seasons.
Zenit made a mistake by releasing the injured Brazilian central defender. We had to take care of the player. There was a relapse, the player was afraid of a third injury. In the fall, he rated his readiness as high, but Semak allowed Rodrigao to play two matches. When the Brazilian started against Akron, he conceded two goals per half to Loncar and Dziuba. The defender was sent off the field at half-time, along with another Brazilian, Claudinho.
Semak is often unhappy with the form and attitude of players this season. The reshuffles may concern not only the positions in the center of the defense, but also the flanks. Mantua is considered too offensive a player to defend, so a replacement is actively being sought for the winger who provided insurance for the injured Volkov. But after Rodrigao leaves, the puzzle will be solved without any problem. Zenit has Vanja Drkusic under contract. The young defender of the Slovenian national team came from Sochi.
The St. Petersburg team signed a contract, but sent him on loan to Red Star. Bad decision for the player, Vanya did not gain a foothold in the team. He only appeared once in the Champions League. Drkusic is definitely ready to return to St. Petersburg early if Rodrigao finds a new team. There is absolutely no point in leaving the Brazilian if Semak, the physical trainer and the doctors do not believe that the player will quickly get back into shape. Another former Sochi defender did not last long.
But the bet is on the guys from the club, who have not gained a foothold in the group of leaders in RPL and took off, shows Zenit’s limited market. They have Nino, but this Brazilian failed to break into the elite leagues, so he went to Semak. There was also Renan. The Brazilian was first loaned to his native country, then transported to Saudi Arabia. Robert plays for the Al-Shabab club, and before Zenit, Real Madrid scouts were interested in him.
Drkusic – defender with leadership qualities
Vanja performed well at Euro 2024 in the Slovenian national team alongside Bijol, a former footballer CSKA. His Udinese teammate could be promoted. It is unlikely that he will be able to become Inter champion this winter, but Yaka will wait until the summer. Drkusic hasn’t created a reputation for himself in the western leagues, so he needs to return to Zenit first. If Bijol was retrained to play in the center of defense, then Drkusic worked more often in defense than in the center of the field.
After the sale of Rodrigao, Semak will want to know the great Slovenian better. The player is young, he has a long contract of four more years. Zenit could return versatile Adamov, who plays for Akhmat as a right-back, from loan following Todorovic’s move to the left flank. They could have considered Renan, but the coaching staff didn’t like the young Brazilian, probably because of his attitude towards work. There remain the juniors or Vanja Drkusic, proven in Sochi.
The Slovenian risks it if he returns in winter. I didn’t play Red Star right away. But the team did not show itself in the Champions League so that the player was interested in the top 5 clubs and repeated the path of Bijol. But they rarely leave Zenit for promotion. And if we add the competitors – Nino, Erakovic and Alip, it doesn’t matter how Drkusic ends up becoming another Chistyakov. Dmitry lost many valuable years of his career when he agreed to represent Zenit. And before him, there were other central defenders written off by Semak.
The coach’s attitude towards the players can hardly be called fatherly. Rather, it is the world of consumption that wins. They shuffle the models and players until one of them draws. This is what happened to goalkeepers when they dreamed of replacing old Kerzhakov with Lantratov or Safonov. As a result, through Adamov they arrived in Latyshonko. Have you calmed down? It depends on Eugene’s shape. Zenit does not even favor those who were previously in the starting lineup, like Rodrigao. Another example is right-back Karavaev. They have been looking for a replacement for Vyacheslav for several years.
Zenit have problems with combined play
They have a lot of possession of the ball. But attacking through goalkeeper and captain Douglas Santos from the left flank doesn’t always work. Rodrigao played well in passing before the injury, while Drkusic has more of an average player approach. He plays hard, is nervous and can scare the opposition with his crazy runs with the ball. But a subtle save and a clever pass in the style of Argentina’s Garay are not his thing. Competently choosing the top five for Zenit’s defense is more difficult than choosing a pope from a corrupt official, a racist and a mysterious cardinal.
Semak’s football sanctity has been called into question for the second year in a row. “Krasnodar” and “Dynamo” tickled the coach’s nerves last season. Stankovic and Musaeva want to face their opponent in the spring of 2025. Zenit does not have a defensive leader. Douglas Santos had a lot of work to do, but his crosses ultimately became useless. Supporter Barrios had fun moving forward. Claudinho suffered because he was locked too low. Erakovic was wrong, the Serb was ultimately left out of the team.
Alip was useful last year, but the Kazakh can hardly be called an outstanding defender. In his homeland, rumors circulate from time to time about Nuraly’s transfer to Manchester City or Real Madrid. It’s a fiction, Zenit currently does not have a defender for clubs of this caliber. They are looking for a right back and Rodrigao can be swapped for Drkusic. Vanya has no playing experience for Semak and will become a newcomer. If he shows up at training camp and pleasantly surprises, the coach will even find him a place in the starting lineup.
And if Nino and Alip turn out to be the best, then Vanya will regret signing a long-term contract. Entrance is generously paid, but exit from the maze is not guaranteed. You can ask midfielder Wendel: he doesn’t want to come back. When Zenit rolls the ball easily, the speed of attacks increases. But even last season, they relied on Cassierra’s perfect score rather than playing head and shoulders above the other teams. Not everything is going well for Semak, but the multiple champion always has an answer to a hundred problems: transfers.
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