Zenith went to Kazan in the status of a favorite. Not only the match for the Super Cup against CSKA, but also the Russian championship starting in a week. However, after five victories in a row and the second star on the emblem, it will be difficult for the team to keep the won positions.
The dominance of the St. The biggest budget, strong players, a stable coaching staff, a minimum of hints of scandals and contradictions. However, a fairly high-quality, at first glance, transfer policy may lead to slight turbulence.
Paradoxically, there is no sports director in the St. Petersburg club after the departure of Javier Ribalta. Although the specialist responsible for transfers and the work of the youth department is a key figure in any team. «. All transfers are coordinated taking into account the opinion of the scouting service, head coach, chairman of the board Alexander Medvedev and his deputy Andrey Arshavin. Only after that, the candidates are submitted to the board of directors, and then the «simple fan» Alexey Miller delivers his verdict.
It's no secret that it is the head of Gazprom who makes key decisions and keeps his finger on the pulse on all issues at Zenith. Of course, a huge plus for the club is that Medvedev constantly communicates with Miller. The two top managers continue to work together in the structures of Gazprom, they also meet at the meetings of the International Business Congress.The leaders of «Zenith» assure that they closely monitor many markets. Although in practice the roll is made towards South America. In the application of “Zenith” two Colombians and eight Brazilians. The ninth, striker Pedro, should join later, when he celebrates his 18th birthday. Management considers this approach a huge plus. Even the warm-ups of the team sometimes take place under Latin American rhythms.
Only the Brazilians are an unpredictable people. Of course, it's good to have a professional like Douglas Santos in the cage. Copes with the role of captain and assures that he feels at home in St. Petersburg. All this without a Russian passport! And the rest?
Russian Football Super Cup
July 15, 2023 • Start at 17:00
End (L)
ZenitRussia
1 : 05:4 
CSKARussia
121' • Malkom (P)
121' • Alexey Sutormin (P)
121' • Andrey Mostovoy (P)
121' • Zelimkhan Bakaev (P)
121' • Robert Renan (P)
br>121' • Fedor Chalov (P)
121' • Adolfo Gaich (P)
121' • Kirill Nababkin (P)
121’ • Anton Zabolotny (P)
See all goals
The first wake-up call came from Wendel. The midfielder did not return to the club at the appointed time. Quite an important football player of “Zenith” in recent seasons. It was said that the Brazilian was given the opportunity to look for a new team. Unfortunately, no one was willing to buy the player for 20 million euros.Later, Wendel was ordered to return to Zenit. Medvedev assured that the midfielder would soon appear at the base. At the same time, the Brazilian press wrote that the football player was delayed in Rio de Janeiro for family reasons. And if he does get to St. Petersburg, how will the coaching staff cope with him and the shaken microclimate? to search for a new club, then for how long? I think that each player should perform his duties professionally.
Situation for «Zenith» new and potentially explosive. The club is very carefully monitoring the information inside. After all, any leak can negatively affect the image. In Russia, it is almost impossible to find out the inner cuisine of Petersburgers. Unfortunately, even the top managers of Gazprom cannot control the Brazilian media.For example, Malcolm honestly admitted in an interview with Onze Mondial that during negotiations on a new contract, Medvedev asked him to think about a Russian passport. And in the well-known publication Globo, an article appeared about the pressure of leaders on Claudinho and the same Malcolm before the Champions League match with Chelsea. They were then recalled from the national team under the threat of breaking contracts. That is why both were not considered as candidates for participation in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
However, Malcolm had already made his debut for the national team in a friendly match. Claudinho insistently calls out Flamengo. “Zenith” while rejecting offers that have reached 15 million euros. Although the patriotic Brazilians are quite capable of redeeming the Olympic champion from the Russian «captivity».
Causes anxiety and interest in Malcolm «Al-Hilal». The forward is allegedly offered a salary of 10-12 million euros per year. As compensation, the sheikhs may well give Zenit about 50 million. Until now, the managers of “Zenith” managed to brilliantly turn deals with the Brazilians.
Having released striker Yuri Alberto, who quickly yearned in St. Petersburg, the “blue-white-blues” got Renan's defender, midfielder Gustavo Mantua, who was bought out in the summer after a short-term loan, and the rights to Pedro. However, the question remains: are Renan and Pedro more likely to strengthen the team in RPL matches or were they bought with the aim of reselling them to European top clubs? It is obvious that such a question would not have arisen if Zenit played in the Champions League, but the dates for the return of Russian clubs there have not been determined. >An unpleasant signal was the departure of Daler Kuzyaev to Gavr. The most highly paid Russian football player of the club decided that he had earned enough. And I don't want to lose the best years in my career. The midfielder left as a free agent for a noticeable pay cut.
After the start of the season, the contracts of Daniil Krugovoy, Andrey Mostovoy and Alexander Erokhin expire. Until the summer of 2025, Zelimkhan Bakaev, Ivan Sergeev and Alexei Sutormin have agreements. Interest in the latter from several RPL clubs has been talked about for a long time. Will Kuzyaev, who escaped from the “golden cage”, become an example for them?
Semak always skillfully entered into the tactical schemes of the players at his disposal. Remember how Artem Dziuba revealed himself in recent seasons at Zenit. In the current realities, it will be very difficult for a coach to solve such big tasks.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors