The main task is to win trophies.
The Legionnaires’ team has motivational issues—the norm.
Forward Dziuba said two years ago that he didn’t want to return to Zenit because his old team had become a club from Rio de Janeiro or San Paulo. Jokes about Zenit Rio de Janeiro have become popular. Semak’s main lineup featured five Brazilians against Rostov, and Seison seemed to be a substitute. In addition to the Brazilians, Semak has Argentines and Colombians. It’s ironic that Rostov is based on Prokhin and Chistyakov, as both have experience playing at Zenit. The opponent had nine Russians, and Semak assisted the Latvian, Glushenkov, and Santos with the limit, even though Douglas is a Brazilian with a Russian Federation passport. Is it too surprising that Spanish coach Alba’s wards held the first half in a clearly high pressure, while Zenit struggled with their command movement and structure? Everyone has seen the advantages and disadvantages of Brazilian teams in the Club Championship. Zenit plays a similar style of football—technical, explosive, and with a gamble on the ball. But there’s one difference: Brazilians play harder at home. Young players hope to join big clubs in Europe. Zenit, only with Pedro, Vega, Enrique, and Gonda, has remained confident in transferring to Champions League clubs. Many of Semak’s legionnaires at such an age have long been reconciled: they will not be based at Manchester City, Atletico, or Inter. It is logical that a team with many legionnaires always has motivation problems. Zenit’s main bet is on individual qualities.
They fight, like Enrique against Rostov, but this fight isn’t about the desire to jump over the top. It’s about playing on class. If you summarize Semak’s complaints in 2025, the reason for the mistakes boils down to mood. Zenit first creates problems for itself, then tries to solve them. Sometimes it doesn’t succeed, like against Acropolis in the Russian Premier League and CSKA in the Russian Cup. And sometimes it works out, like with Rostov. Semak complains that the players think for too long, that they’re under pressure, and that they lose the fight. Of course, Semak is to blame for not choosing the main pair of central defenders. The coach didn’t work with the attackers. He didn’t introduce the sensible striker Gonda. Semak doesn’t believe in Sobolev, releasing him only as a substitute. Kassierra has a Rostov goal, but this striker, like Glushenkov, hasn’t shown any class. Maxim has fallen out of Semak’s traditional patterns, and a new model without a midfield, with cast-ins and flanking, hasn’t yet been fully developed. Zenit has won a hundred times, but is limping along.Newcomers Gereson and Vega have left a positive impression.
Zenit’s coaching staff made some logical moves. Santos was moved to midfield, as Opornik’s barrios couldn’t cope alone. Glushenkov isn’t a master of pure selections, and Jail hasn’t yet been based. Vega’s arrival on the left freshened up Zenit’s attacking wing. The technical Argentine found himself on the doorstep, like Mantoin on the right. Semak, who wore a jacket and tie in the first game of the season, removed his tie from his neck until the end of the match, and after the first half, he had to change his game plan.
Zenit’s ball looked good if two pressing lines passed. But the Petersburgers didn’t create any pure moments. The idea of two strikers (Glushenkov was on the same line as Casrierera), as well as a strong emphasis on the flanks, didn’t immediately help Zenit. Only the emergence of the smartest defender, a Brazilian national team player, solved several problems. The tough midfielder took the ball and added a chip from the elite team menu: diagonal gears in the results, mainly on Enrique. In the future, Semak will help the team’s depth. The visor will become a Trumpian. The Brazilian immediately showed he’s a top-class player. Wingers Pedro and Luis Enrique made controversial decisions, but the youngsters will face the protection of rivals weaker than Rostov. We understand that many Zenit fans want to see a different kind of football, but the question remains: why? Semak doesn’t need Zenit’s wild progress; the coach needs a string of trophies. Cups don’t pay for a good game. Let’s assume Zenit plays perfectly. The team will talk about all the money, with every euro that sponsors players transferred to the players’ accounts. What’s next? Above first place in the Russian Premier League Don’t jump. There are no more goals or dreams of the Champions League semi-finals. Reality cannot be ignored. The changes in Zenit football and the successive failures in player motivation are not surprising. They have recruited and lost the form of Wendel, Glushenkov, Karavaev, Mostovoy, Claudino, and Cascierara, that is, not just legionnaires. Goalkeeper Latvonok started brilliantly last season, and in this, he can play weaker. Zenit fans have the right to criticize Semak and individual players. But the coach and the team agreed that the game would be forgotten, and the result would remain. In the spring, they stole
Army’s central sports club
CSKA
and Krasnodar. I don’t care about the number of XG
Russian Premier League
RPL
If the cups are in the wrong hands. Rostov was good in the first half, and who took three points? Talk of Rio de Janeiro’s Zenit lights up if Semak returns the titles.
Zenit football players
Zenit football players
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