We took a look at the unusual striker.
Claithon like a fairytale hero
St. Petersburg has found a potential newcomer in the Portuguese club Riu Ave. Claiton fits the description of a hero named Ilya or Alyosha, only the smiling Fernandez Silva without the sword and beard. At 184 centimeters tall, center forward Kleiton weighs less than 90 kilograms. In his case, we’re talking about broad bones, no jokes about being overweight. The forward is a big man, he often uses his body in combat. The striker knows how to hand off defenders and confuse smaller opponents.
During his time, it’s difficult to be incredibly fast, but Claithon isn’t difficult. Sometimes he goes on the attack, not running. It’s confusing that the striker remembers Aleerrando’s style of play, which is still pale in comparison to CSKA. But remember Semak’s tastes. In addition to Daku, Zenit representatives were actively interested in Sergeev’s return. Agent Gurtskaya said that Spartak and Zenit had tried to kill Dynamo. Sergeev went to Karpin and Zenit in an active search.
St. Petersburg received 80 million rubles after Ivan’s transfer to Dynamo, but they need a big striker in the reserves, not money. Or not necessary? Initially, the desire to attract Rubin’s DAC was served as a cover for Sobolev or Casriera’s departure. Will the Russian and Colombian’s desire change the club? The two are now competing for Zenit’s place with Argentinian Gonda, who coach Semak doesn’t see as the main strikers at the center of the attack. Already an impressive group of players.
How bad was Semak in the game between Sobolev, Casriera, and Gonda, that the coach wanted a few stronger strikers for one position? It’s surprising. We know for sure about the negotiations with Daku. Zenit chairman Medvedev confirmed that the transfer was discussed, but the agreement fell through. Mirlind extended Rubin’s contract. The scandalous Albanian won’t become a new Dziuba for Zenit. But is it worth looking for a striker? Will there be a healthy atmosphere in the team when there are four experienced players for one position?
The Brazilian has an obvious trump card.
Casriera perfectly executed the moments of last season and didn’t play him in the spring. The other day, I scored against Rostov, but Mateo wasn’t the best on the pitch. IN RPL There’s a stronger Colombian striker from Krasnodar’s Cordoba. John tried to lure him to Zenit a year ago. Again, coach Semak’s interest in high-flying strikers returns. Zabolotny and Sergeev played in St. Petersburg, as did Dziuba. Claiton is noticeably inferior to Artyom, but the Brazilian easily wins the battle. He also has an undeniable trump card.
Claiton doesn’t like to run much, but he plays a position perfectly. It’s unusual to see a 26-year-old player with the approach of a veteran who prefers to wait for the pass rather than catch the ball, but he has such a manner. The reason is easy to understand. Before joining Vaska Da Gama, Claithon was a striker for provincial clubs. The footballer made a name for himself at Kas Pia, a Portuguese team that finished ninth in the league. The club where Claithon was hired, Riu Ave, finished eleventh.
The Portuguese bought the striker’s contract for a modest €3 million, and Zenit scouts are trying to dig for a treasure trove In a place where others aren’t looking. Claiton has excellent statistics for a striker from the Portuguese middle class: 17 goals and 4 assists in 37 matches in various tournaments. Striker Riu Ave scored mainly in the Portuguese league. There were only stars above Claiton: the Swede Diekeresh of Sporting, the Spaniard Samu of Porto, and the Greek Pavlidis of Benfica. The Brazilian became the best marksman for Servoak clubs.
He scored fourteen goals with powerful shots from his right foot, including a penalty. Riu Ave more often entered counterattacks, which used standard and positional attacks. Claiton is like a young Zapolotny, if you draw an understandable parallel. Only Anton has a school CSKA Behind, Stankovich trusted him at Spartak. And with the Brazilian, with whom Zenit is negotiating, only the club from the Brazilian fourth division. But that’s the strength of the Claiton striker – he’s a child of provincial football.
At Zenit, they fear unexpected losses.
Havbek Wendel wants to leave. Botafogo has abandoned the Brazilian, and Turkish clubs don’t want to overpay. Defender Renan is requesting a transfer. At Zenit, they confirmed that Robert is looking for a new club. In addition to those who have collected suitcases, football players are disappointed with working with coach Semak. For example, Mantoin could strengthen the Flengo roster. The former Zenit newcomer sends Wesley’s defensive end to Roma. Mandetuan is not very popular in the coaching seat of Semak, who is still looking for a replacement.
At the same time, Volkova was loaned to Sochi, and Karavaev was injured and won’t return until the fall, as Semak says. The calculation is based on the mantoin. But if the Brazilian leaves, it’s urgent to sign the right defender. Leo de Vega (a newcomer from Argentina) won’t play on someone else’s flank. And you can’t spend the entire season with the nominal center back on the right. In the attack above, Luis Enrique needs a competent partner behind him. So the questions aren’t just about the club’s strategy when searching for strikers.
Zenit was terrified of players in different positions. They’ll even remember goalkeeper Adamov if his rival Latvonok makes a few more mistakes like Rostov. Evgeny unsuccessfully carried the ball and hit Golenkov’s striker, after which the guests scored the first goal of the new season. Zenit had to secure a decisive victory, but Semak didn’t implement the original game plan. Now, Sergey Bogdanovich needs a collection of four central strikers, as there’s no ligament to work with.
Glushenkov isn’t an ideal partner for any of Zenit’s strikers. And Gonda can play in the back four in the Maxim position. They can also switch to three in midfield. If Seson, Barrios, and Santos play, then Glushenkov isn’t based. In this position, they usually remember the limit. It’s possible that Zenit will have to find the right defender with a Russian passport. They looked at Sililova, the Lokomotiv player who played on two flanks. It’s easier to assemble an updated base with Alexander.
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