Football expert Aleksandr Tarkhanov shared his thoughts on the start of the “Zenit” team in the Russian championship in an exclusive interview with the online publication “Evro-Futbol.Ru”. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
According to him, while “Zenit” had a great start last season, they could not achieve the desired results. Now, on the contrary, the situation is different.
The team has problems. For example, they conceded two goals in the match against “Rubin” and barely won the first match against “Rostov”.
These situations indicate that something has changed in Semak's players' preparation process. Tarkhanov emphasized that the physical condition in “Zenit”'s game is insufficient.
“Rostov” could have equalized in the final moments, as the Petersburg team switched to defense. “Rubin” also scored at the end of the game.
The team is facing a lack of attention and concentration, as well as issues regarding physical condition. He dismissed the issue of motivation, as all opponents are strong and one must be fully prepared against them.
When asked about the conflicts between Semak and player Glushenkov, he stated that there cannot be a serious conflict between the coach and the player. According to him, Semak is currently not satisfied with Glushenkov's performance.
Last season he started well, but after the injury, he appears weaker on the field. Time will show if he can play as brightly as before.
Experts believe that Glushenkov does not fit Semak's playing system. However, the player himself needs to adapt.
If he needs to be sold, finding a buyer would be difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to train him.
He is young and can still fully show himself. According to Tarkhanov, Glushenkov should not leave, but rather should push himself to train harder.
When asked if he should think about leaving if he is not at the required level of play, he stated that for now he is playing in the main lineup. When the head coach substituted him, it was related to a weak performance in the first half, as the team was ahead in the score.
In the next game, “Zenit” will face CSKA at home. Tarkhanov expressed some concern about this match, but playing at home is an advantage.
He also mentioned that he supports CSKA. All leaders have lost points this season, only “Lokomotiv” has started well.
Therefore, the championship race will be interesting. Among the main contenders are “Zenit”, “Krasnodar”, “Dinamo”, CSKA, and possibly “Lokomotiv” as well.
The interview was prepared by Elena Grigorievskaya.
