Former president of the "Lokomotiv" club Nikolay Naumov shared his thoughts on the current season's start of the "Zenit" team. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
According to him, it is not unexpected that "Zenit" is losing points at the beginning of the season. Naumov hoped for changes in the team's play, but despite the appearance of new players, the game remains the same as before.
Naumov emphasized that "Zenit" is not showing enough sharpness in attack. There are few sharp passes, quick counterattacks, and penetrations into the penalty area.
For this reason, the team is struggling to score goals. For example, in the match against CSKA, when Sobolev came on, the activity in attack increased and a goal was scored.
However, this situation was not observed in the first half, which is why CSKA appeared to be superior. Naumov pointed out that the coaching staff needs to work on strengthening the attack.
There are also problems in defense. "Zenit" could not keep a clean sheet in any of the four matches at the beginning of the season.
The team often loses the ball in areas close to their own half, leading to counterattacks from the opponents. There are issues in the defensive line, but the overall harmony in the team's play is lacking.
Goalkeeper Latyshonok is said to be providing less help compared to the previous season. He is an average-level goalkeeper, and it is not right to expect him to always save the team.
In Naumov's opinion, the coach should continue to show trust in him. There are also criticisms regarding the team players.
Barrios and Douglas Santos are hardly noticeable, while Glushenkov is not fully utilizing his opportunity. He needs to be more active in training and should not complain.
The example of Rakov shows that a player can achieve results by working on himself. Regarding the rumors about Glushenkov possibly being loaned to another club, Naumov emphasized that the player needs to have game practice.
He should be given time and the opportunity to regain his form. Additionally, there are currently no high results visible from Jerson's game.
He is content with safer passes and is not making moves that would enhance the game. This may indicate that he has not fully adapted yet.
