The reaction of Maksimenko, the reliability of Barrios, the class of Dziuba and Schurrle: what to expect from the match of the 8th round of the Spartak - Zenit RPL

Goalkeepers

Alexander Maksimenko vs Andrey Lunev

At the start of the season, the game Maksimenko earned high marks from many experts. The young guard of the gates of Spartak was ripe for years, practically made no productive mistakes, but at the same time repeatedly saved his team. It’s enough to recall his brilliant saves in a derby with CSKA in the moment with a strike by Fedor Chalov in the first half and in the last minute in the game with “Wings of the Soviets”.

Lunev in the first rounds did not look very confident, which made the Zenit leadership initiate the search for a new goalkeeper. To maintain competition, the pupil Alexander Vasyutin was returned, which gave motivation to the main goalkeeper. Andrew in the shortest possible time began to play much more confidently, as a result of which he lost only three goals in seven rounds.

Bottom line: Despite the more attractive statistics and the challenge to the Russian team, in the first seven rounds Maksimenko looked more impressive. Unlike Lunev, he had no serious recessions, and seven goals conceded were the result of a lack of consistency in the actions of the team.

Central defenders

George Dzhikia and Samuel Zhigot vs Branislav Ivanovich and Yaroslav Rakitsky

The Spartak Defense Center is rightfully considered one of the best in the RPL. Despite the problems in the team’s game, the defenders continue to demonstrate their high class and often remain the only representatives of the red and white to whom no complaints can be made. As for Gigot, the Frenchman managed to score three goals, and two of them came to the most important meeting with CSKA. His connection to the attack is already considered a visiting card of the team and helped him become the leader of the league among defenders rated WhoScored (7.72 points). It is noteworthy that Jikia was also in the top ten strongest (ninth place, 7.2 points).

The pair Ivanovich - Rakitsky was a real discovery of the second half of last season and played a crucial role in winning gold medals. The Serb habitually showed his highest level, and the Ukrainian famously launched attacks and meticulously executed free-kicks, which helped Petersburgers to get the most important points in the confrontations with Lokomotiv and Krasnodar. In the current championship they continue to act rather harmoniously at their gates, but in front they obviously do not look so useful.

Bottom line: Jikia and Gigot are at least as good as their colleagues. On the defensive, they are no less coherent, and Samuel’s ability to be useful in attack allows them to get ahead a little. At the same time, Rakitsky and Ivanovich remain an elite pair of defenders and are able to restore their reputation during the championship. In addition, Jordan Osorio rented from Porto can help.

Flank Defenders

Ayrton and Andrei Yeshchenko vs Yuri Zhirkov and Douglas Santos

Last season, defense flanks were one of the main problems of both Spartak and Zenit. As part of the red and white, these positions were closed by Dmitry Kombarov and Andrei Yeshchenko, and then Nikolai Rasskazov and Ayrton, who regularly received a huge dose of criticism. The blue-white-blue ones were left to Zhirkov and Smolnikov. Unfortunately, the veteran was regularly injured, as a result of which Sergei Semak had to release spare ones. But neither Yevgeny Chernov nor Elmir Nabiullin were able to take advantage of their chances and eventually left St. Petersburg.

It was necessary to solve problems, but only Zenit did it. Petersburgers bought Santos, which immediately became one of the brightest flank defenders of the championship, and Spartak got rid of Kombarov, not finding him a worthy replacement. As a result, Ayrton and Yeshchenko continue to play at a not very high level, but if Oleg Kononov has no alternative on the left flank, then Nikolai Rasskazov can play on the right. True, the long-range defense will not become stronger from this.

Bottom line: Flank defenders of “Zenith” look preferable to their counterparts and fully claim the title of strongest in the RPL. Georgy Schennikov and Mario Fernandez could argue with them, but the first for a long time they were worried about injuries. Yeshenko, due to his age, is not able to be productive both at his own and at other people's gates, and Ayrton, although he regularly connects to attacks, often does not have time in defense. As an example, a missed goal in the first match against Braga.

Defensive midfielders

Roman Zobnin and Ayaz Guliyev vs. Wilmar Barrios and Magomed Ozdoev

For a long time, Zobnin was considered one of the most talented Russian midfielders and one of the main contenders for a possible departure to Europe. But injuries seriously knocked him out of his rut ​​and limited the player’s productivity. Guliev, although he is trying, is still not nearly demonstrating what he showed under the direction of Valery Karpin in Rostov.

At the same time, it cannot be said that Zenit midfielders are head and shoulders superior to their rivals. Yes, in the end of the last championship Barrios acted beyond all praise, and Ozdoev took full advantage of the absence of Daler Kuzyaev and entrenched in the base. But at the current level, only the Russian continues to play at his level, while the Colombian’s productivity has fallen dramatically. So, at the moment he takes only 12th place in terms of the number of selections among midfielders (14), and in terms of interceptions he is at all 14th (11).

Bottom line: At the start of the season, none of the pairs of defensive midfielders looks too confident, but the Petersburgers are more played and make significantly fewer mistakes. Only three goals conceded in the first seven rounds are largely the result of their work. As for Zobnin and Guliyev, it was their flaws that caused two goals in the return match with Braga, which put an end to the prospects for red and white in the Europa League.

Flank midfielders

Zelimkhan Bakaev and Jordan Larsson vs Alexander Erokhin and Emiliano Rigoni

In the first segment of the championship, Bakayev is one of the bright spots in the Spartak team. In the offseason, the pupil of the team returned from the Tula Arsenal and immediately became the leader of the red and white. At the moment, he is the best in the team in terms of the number of effective actions (five goals and two assists) and the second option in the attack. As for Larsson, the Swede continues to learn in a new environment and is already making some progress. In the match with Wings of the Soviets, he marked his first goal and generally looked more organically.

“Zenith” could well have made “Spartacus” serious competition in this position, if not for the injuries of leading players. Malcolm and Sebastian Dryussi simultaneously suffered injuries in a meeting with Dynamo and provoked a serious recession among the current champions. The absence of Hispanics forced Semak to hastily develop Plan B, but so far he has not succeeded. In the last two matches, blue-white-blue scored just one point and have never disappointed the goalkeeper of the opponents.

Bottom line: Erokhin and Rigoni missed too much time and so far can not become a full replacement for Malkoy and Dryussi. Both are qualified footballers, but are very different from their functional partners. In light of this, Semak has to re-integrate both into a tactical scheme, which so far is difficult. Bakaev and Larsson look stronger and will certainly cause problems for the Zenit flank defenders.

Attack line

Andre Schurrle and Gus Til vs Artyom Dziuba and Serdar Azmun

Despite the fact that neither Schurrle nor Thiel are pure forwards, they are now the main striking force of Spartak. The German has already managed to gain a foothold in the status of one of the best RPL players, and the Dutchman continues to justify the advances issued by Leonid Slutsky. It was the mentor of “Vitessa” who advised the red-white breeders to buy an athlete, who managed to repay with a goal and four assists in three matches.

Their counterparts are in no way inferior to them. At the end of last season, Dziuba and Azmun clearly became the best bunch of attackers in the RPL, and this does not intend to slow down. Considering the meeting for the Russian Super Cup, the players scored 14 scoring points for two and are the best duet of the league forwards.

Bottom line: Until the sixth round, Dziuba and Azmun did not give reason to doubt themselves, but in the last two matches they could not print the gates of Akhmat and Ufa. In light of this, it is difficult to name a clear winner in their duel with Schürrle and Thiel. Swing the scales in the direction of “Spartacus” can slow the defenders of “Zenith”, which will be difficult to keep up with their opponents in the course of counterattacks.

Head coaches

Oleg Kononov vs Sergey Semak

Mentor red-white tightly holds the first place among the most criticized in the RPL. He quickly attracted the attention of fans, promising to build the game in four months, but in the end he lost to CSKA in the fight for fourth place and missed a direct ticket to the Europa League, flew out of the Russian Cup, and in the new season from LE. As a result, the media began a discussion of the allegedly possible resignation of the coach. This state of affairs motivates Kononov to work extremely productively. Perhaps in the confrontation with Zenit, one should expect from him any new tactical decisions, in particular, the appearance of Soltmurad Bakayev or Esekiel Ponce at the base, who will be able to enter the field for the first time after being disqualified for an attack by Anton Shunin.

Not without a headache, Semak is also approaching this meeting. Problems with the composition took him by surprise, as can be seen from the results of the last two matches. Given the shape of competitors and a quick start in the Champions League, the mentor needs to get Zenit out of the crisis as soon as possible, and the upcoming game is a great chance to regain self-confidence. It is possible that in the battle with Spartak he would risk making some rebuilds. So, Igor Smolnikov may appear on the right flank of the defense, and Daler Kuzyaev in the supporting zone. The place of Rigoni on the right may be taken by Alexei Sutormin, who has repeatedly appeared at the start this season.

Bottom line: Semak is significantly superior to Kononov in status and level of trust from the fans and the leadership. Even failures in the games with “Akhmat” and “Ufa” did not force the fans to turn away from the mentor, as a result of which he approaches the Sunday meeting in a more relaxed state. For Oleg Kononov, on the contrary, the match against Zenit could be decisive. A major defeat from a direct competitor immediately after relegation from the Europa League can become a sufficient reason for Leonid Fedun to end his patience.