What does the purchase of Kritsyuk mean?
The goalkeeper's position on the eve of the start in the Champions League caused the greatest concern among Zenit fans.
In the summer, Andrei Lunev left the team, and the Petersburgers were left with only one experienced goalkeeper - Mikhail Kerzhakov.
With all due respect, it was difficult to take 18-year-old Daniil Odoyevsky into account, although Sergei Semak admitted that he could become the "first number" in the future.
One way or another, it is still difficult to imagine a young footballer in the main European Cup.
Kerzhakov, although he played a lot, is not as reliable as we would like.
He missed 13 goals in six Champions League games last season and has never played to zero.
Although Mikhail alone was certainly enough for solving internal problems.
Nevertheless, he needed a seasoned competitor - at least in case of injury.
And in the person of Kritsyuk the club got it. Stanislav is quite experienced, played in European competitions and even was called up to the national team. Yes, in Krasnodar he gave way to young Matvey Safonov at the base, but then returned to the Portuguese championship and spent a strong season as part of the modest Belenenses (11 clean sheets), where he almost single-handedly saved the team a place in the elite. The goalkeeper started this season at Zhil Vicente - and it was also quite good: he managed to get two steering wheels, and in the match lost to Benfica he saved his team's goal for more than 80 minutes.
The fact that it was he who entered the field from the first minutes in the confrontation with “Akhmat” indicates that the main goalkeeper now, apparently, will be a newcomer, not Kerzhakov.
Moreover, Kritsyuk looked quite decent and made five saves, and the blame for the only conceded ball lies more with the central defenders, and not with him.
Why would Azmun's decision not to leave benefit?
The retention of Serdar Azmun in the team, who could easily leave Russia in the summer, was also a great success.
According to the Iranian, he received offers from Lyon, Bayer, Roma and Tottenham, but Zenit rejected them.
You can understand Petersburgers, because before the start in European competitions they could not afford to stay with one striker, and even an age one - Artyom Dzyuba.
One way or another, now the coaching staff will be able to vary the scheme.
Dziuba and Azmun can traditionally go out in pairs, if necessary, to hack someone else's defense.
A textured Russian in such a situation perfectly knows how to cling to balls, and this quality will come in handy, for example, in fights with Malmö.
But in the matches with Chelsea and Juventus, the blue-white-blue will have to defend by and large, and it would be logical to bet on one Iranian at the forefront.
A fast forward who knows how to competently break into free zones, as no one is suitable for a counterattacking game.
Dziuba, on the other hand, may prefer one more person to the center of the field.
At the same time, an experienced performer is quite capable of replacing 20-30 minutes before the final whistle in order to increase the pressure on the tired defenders of the opponent.
Artyom has repeatedly proved how effective it is when it is necessary to organize a bulk, and the intensity in the match decreases.
And in the duel with "Akhmat" the veteran showed that he is slowly coming to his senses after the unsuccessful Euro - he gave two assists.
In this regard, not being called up to the national team only went to his advantage and provided time to recover, both physically and psychologically.
What will change with the arrival of Claudinho?
The acquisition of Claudinho was another major help.
The young midfielder had only three matches for Zenit, and it is too early to draw far-reaching conclusions about his game.
The lack of experience of performances in Europe does not add optimism.
This means that it will take time to adapt.
Nevertheless, it is obvious that in the person of the Latin American, the Russian champion received a universal footballer who is able to play in several positions in the attacking line.
So, in a meeting with "Ufa" he appeared on the left flank, and with CSKA and "Akhmat" played the second striker.
He was especially successful in the match with the army team, in which he completed 47 assists, almost 90% of which turned out to be accurate - an excellent indicator for a performer of this formation.
On the eve of the Champions League, it is important that Semak has formed a powerful attacking fist.
In the main European Cup, the coach got the opportunity to use ahead of all his foreign stars, even if necessary, to use two defensive midfielders in the confrontation with Chelsea or Juventus - Daler Kuzyaev and Vilmar Barrios.
In this case, the specialist can opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation, in which Claudinho and Wendel will act on the semi-flanks, Malcolm - under the attacker, and Azmun - at the forefront.
So it will turn out to reveal all the strengths of the legionnaires, without leaving anyone on the bench.
Why is Semaku easier than in previous seasons?
The two previous Champions League draws ended in failures for Zenit.
Otherwise, the finishes in fourth place in the group and early departures cannot be called.
Frankly, the chances of reaching the playoffs this time are even less.
But Semak, paradoxically, is a little easier.
Firstly, qualifying for the playoffs from the quartet with Chelsea and Juventus will be a miracle, while in the past years the Petersburgers have received less strong opponents.
Secondly, the specialist can safely shift part of the responsibility to the club's management.
Even during last season, it was obvious that the team needed strengthening.
However, in the end, the champion of Russia, with serious financial capabilities, limited himself to transfers of Claudinho and Kritsyuk "on the flag", and even missed Lunev.
It was not possible to strengthen the center of defense, if we do not take into account the ransom from Rostov of the rights to Dmitry Chistyakov, who did not play a single match in his career in European competitions.
This means that the duo of defenders will be the age and slow Yaroslav Rakitskiy and Deyan Lovren.
The latter is also regularly injured.
Actually, the Croat will miss the match with Chelsea due to injury, like Vyacheslav Karavaev.
And in the attack, except for Dziuba and Azmun, there is no one to count on.
How does a calendar help?
Zenith should benefit from a relatively comfortable schedule of matches.
On the one hand, starting away with Chelsea is not the best option.
On the other hand, in London, no one will wait for the result from St. Petersburgers, and therefore they will enter the field without undue pressure and will have the opportunity to simply enjoy football in a match with the current winner of the Champions League Cup.
Yes, and Krasnodar last year showed that the Londoners can be taken away points, having achieved a draw at Stamford Bridge, even if the hosts did not act as the main team.
Next, the blue-white-blue will have two home meetings with Malmö and Juventus, in which it is quite possible to score points.
In the confrontation with the champion of Sweden, the strongest team of Russia will be the favorite at all, although one should not forget about the home defeat to Club Brugge last season.
Turintsy, with a high degree of probability, will come to St. Petersburg not in the best condition, because in the first three rounds of the new Serie A draw, they scored only a point and so far occupy the fifth place from the end.
With such results, Juve, who was left without Cristiano Ronaldo, will be under serious pressure and may well stumble in the northern capital.
Thus, in the most favorable scenario, Semak's wards can score from five to seven points in the first round and practically stake out the third place in the group, although this will be extremely difficult.
Nevertheless, there are certain chances of a positive outcome.
The calendar of the national championship is also convenient for the team.
In the next four rounds, the national champion will face off against only two rivals from the first half of the standings - Rubin and Sochi, and with the southerners at home.
But Krylya Sovetov and Arsenal blue-white-blue are obliged to beat.
It is possible that in these meetings, Semak will go on rotation and provide some leaders with rest in anticipation of key confrontations in the Champions League.