A chance to get out of the shadows: will Bakaev be able to gain a foothold at the base of Zenit in the absence of Claudinho

Zelimkhan Bakaev can hardly be satisfied with how the beginning of his career at Zenit is shaping up for him.

After moving to the camp of the six-time champion of Russia, the ex-midfielder of Spartak never got into the main team, and he got the opportunity to prove himself already during the second half.

On average, he spent 21 minutes on the field per match and managed to score with effective actions only during the defeat of Lokomotiv.

And if all the competitors were in the ranks, there would be no prerequisites for the midfielder to appear at the start of the Petersburgers for an important meeting with CSKA.

However, the injury of Claudinho, who was out for 4-5 weeks due to damage to the biceps femoris, changed everything.

Bakaev's decision to move to Zenit initially caused a lot of skepticism.

Of course, no one questioned his talent and high level of skill, but at the same time it was difficult to imagine who exactly he was able to displace from the base.

Last season, the midfield flanks were tightly occupied by the Brazilians Malcolm and Claudinho, the backbone players who determine the team's game in attack.

The first is still the most stellar and expensive representative of the team, and the second is one of the strongest performers in the Premier League.

In the championship that ended, the ex-midfielder of Bragantino impressed the fans and experts so much that he beat Hamid Agalarov and Wilmar Barrios in the voting and was recognized as the best in the RPL.

However, with the departure of Artyom Dzyuba and the departure of Yuri Alberto, Bakaev's prospects improved markedly.

These events, if not provoked, then accelerated the transition to a 4-3-3 formation, in which Claudinho moved a little deeper - to the left edge of midfield, and Malcolm became a right winger.

As a result, a position was vacated on the opposite flank of the attack - relatively convenient for Zelimkhan.

Although he was used to playing on the right, he often appeared on the other edge in the course of his career.

And it was almost as productive.

However, Semak thought differently and relied on a "proven fighter."

The vacant place was taken by Andrey Mostovoy and almost immediately thanked the coach for his trust.

In a meeting with the "Wings of the Soviets", he scored a double and earned 8.1 points according to WhoScored, simultaneously minimizing Bakaev's chances of getting into the start.

Even a successful substitution in the game with Lokomotiv did not help Zelimkhan, when 10 minutes were enough for him to score on his own and assist Ivan Sergeyev.

And although in the match with Akhmat Bakaev already received three times more playing time, he is unlikely to improve his position.

In half an hour, he touched the ball 16 times, won two riding duels and made a selection once, but made too many mistakes in passes - out of nine passes, only two reached partners.

Is it a coincidence that during this segment, Zenit created only one dangerous moment (Wendel found Malcolm in the penalty area) and did not deliver a single shot on target to Giorgi Shelia.

Of course, this can be partly explained by the fact that for more than half the half the Petersburgers played in the minority and by the end they noticeably "ate", but the fresh Zelimkhan himself was unable to do anything to change this.

It is noteworthy that in the meeting with Akhmat, Bakaev entered the field instead of Claudinho, whose injury may well help him appear in the starting lineup for the first time and attract the attention of Semak.

According to preliminary estimates, the Brazilian will not be able to take part in the next four or five matches of Zenit, and it is this period that may become paramount for Zelimkhan in the context of his career in the St. Petersburg club.

Undoubtedly, even the absence of the Brazilian cannot guarantee the Russians a place at the base.

At least for the reason that it is not a replacement "by position".

Although nominally Claudinho played the functions of an extreme midfielder in the top three, he very often moved to the center and acted as a playmaker.

And Bakaev was not used so often in this capacity.

He is famous for his speed and dribbling and is best seen in space.

And in conditions of maximum density, it is far from being so effective.

In addition, against the "Zenith" they mainly act with a low block, therefore, most of the attacks turn into positional ones.

And in this situation it is even more difficult for him to prove himself.

In addition, Mostovoy still remains in the ranks, is a “thoroughbred” left winger and looks more impressive so far.

Yes, the bright appearance of Bakaev from the bench at the end of the meeting with Lokomotiv could mislead someone, but it is necessary to remember the state of the railway workers at that moment.

They have already managed to lose Maxim Nenakhov due to an injury, and after the third goal they finally swam.

Subsequently, Dmitry Barinov practically gave Zenit the right to an 11-meter shot, which Bakaev sold.

There is a possibility that in the confrontation with CSKA, Semak will still try to surprise his opponents and create a link between Bakaev and Mostovoy on the flank, but it’s hard to believe in this.

Most likely, the blue-white-blue rookie will again remain on the bench, and either Alexander Erokhin or nominal left-back Douglas Santos will appear as Claudinho's replacement.

The ideal candidate to replace the Brazilian would be Daler Kuzyaev, but he is now recovering from injury.

However, even if Zelimkhan's debut appearance at the start does not take place in the fifth round, until September he will most likely have the opportunity to be on the field from the first minutes.

For the rest of the month, Zenit will be examining outsiders - Torpedo and Ural, and it is in matches with such opponents that it is most logical to experiment with the squad and check the nearest reserve.

And even if Claudinho recovers with a 99.9% probability of regaining his lost positions, during this period of time Bakaev can not only establish mutual understanding with partners and “stuff” statistics, but also create a certain springboard for himself for the future.

Despite recent successes, Mostovoy cannot be called an indispensable player of Zenit, therefore, every unsuccessful performance by Andrey and successful by Zelimkhan can lead to castling.