We are seeing something new in our football: Russian players are abandoning Zenit . Both Artyom Dzyuba and Magomed Ozdoev , as far as you can understand, now had offers from their club, but they preferred to part with him.
You can remember, of course, the cases of Daler Kuzyaev and Andrei Lunev, but there the players left for the sake of the European dream. The current couple does not see such prospects, the guys - Ozdoev for sure - will continue their careers in the RPL. But not at Zenith.
What does it mean? Zenit no longer wants to overpay for a passport? May be. Although, it is possible, and it would be worth it.
The fact is that the team is now losing not just players who have really ceased to be key, the team is losing leaders of the dressing room. It's not about the purity of football lines - about the strength of the championship character. A champion is always, first of all, character.
And the question is not limited to the named couple. There will be no more Yaroslav Rakytsky at Zenit. There is no decision yet on the fate of Mikhail Kerzhakov. And these are also supporting figures - those spiritual leaders that form the supporting structure of the team.
As you know, in our league there is an unwritten rule: if you want to win gold, create a strong Russian-speaking backbone. Either the Russians, or the Russified legionnaires - only they, who thoroughly know our football from the inside, are able to become a true support for the champion team. They do not always shine on the field, but they are the ones that set the rigidity of the internal structure. And foreigners, even the coolest, usually do not cope with such a mission.
Roberto Carlos, Samuel Eto'o, Lassana Diarra, Mubarak Bussufa, Jusilei are excellent performers, but what did Anji win based on them?
And Zenit, which stood on Hulk, Witsel and Garay, what did he win? One gold for several years. And it is not entirely clear even whether it is worth calling it a win, given that those guys were brought under European trophies.
That 2014/15 season, golden for St. Petersburg, was an exception that proves the rule. Because in all other championship teams the backbone was Russian-speaking.
In the classic CSKA - a classic quartet: Ignashevich, brothers, Igor.
In the classic "Zenith" - an outstanding galaxy of St. Petersburg boys plus Zyryanov, Anyukov, Shirokov.
In Berdyev Rubin - Semak, Sharonov, Sergei Rebrov, Ryzhikov, Bukharov.
In Carrer's "Spartak" - Glushakov, Dmitry Kombarov, Artyom Rebrov, Yeshchenko, Zobnin.
In the Seminsk "Locomotive" - Igor Denisov, Tarasov, Guilherme, Kverkvelia, Vlad Ignatiev, Miranchuks.
And in modern Zenit, a group of spiritual leaders in different seasons was formed by those for whom there are no secrets in our football. Anyukov, Smolnikov, Ivanovich, Zhirkov, Shatov, Lovren, Erokhin, Kuzyaev, Azmun - and this is in addition to those mentioned above. Now, there are only a few of them left in the team, and Kuzyaev can be classified as the key one, judging by last spring.
Of course, there are also Chistyakov, Sergeev, Sutormin, Krugovoy, Mostovoy, but no one will undertake to insist on their leadership. It is obvious that the football picture today is painted mainly by Latin Americans - and it is they who will now bear the burden of not only playing, but also mental responsibility. Will they do it?
Someone will notice that the Brazilians played the game last season, and therefore they have nothing new to do. But this is not entirely true: after all, Zenit was accelerating even with the former leaders. And the Brazilians just had to “roll” to gold. Yes, and the same Dziuba and Ozdoev, even if they did not always play, they controlled the proper mood. The locker room was still behind them. Now there should be new landmarks.
And how much the dressing room can mean, we have just seen. Knowledgeable people tend to explain the difference between the autumn and spring Dynamo with the departure of Andrey Voronin. Only one person has disappeared - and the level of confidence of the team has become completely different. Yes, formally this is not a player, but a coach, but in fact, in terms of influence on the team, he is the same senior comrade - a moral tuning fork, according to which partners tune in.
And approximately in the same tone it is necessary to regard the current events in Zenith. Champion loses Russian footholds. And it is not yet clear how the Brazilians will cope with the usual task.