Veteran former player of the Zenit team Konstantin Lepyohin shared his thoughts in an exclusive interview with the publication Euro-Football.Ru about the draw against Moscow Spartak and the situation at the Saint Petersburg club. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
According to him, earning one point from the Moscow trip is a fortunate result for Zenit. It is noteworthy that the team played part of the match with a numerical disadvantage, came back from a losing position, and finished the game with a 2:2 score.
Lepyohin said he was surprised by Zenit's slow-paced game. In his opinion, the team wants to gain more ball control, but this does not always happen.
The players often make safe backward passes instead of quick and dangerous forward passes, which slows down attacks and does not lead to positional attacks. Also, they cannot keep possession of the ball for a long time, making it difficult to continue positional football.
According to Lepyohin, Zenit currently needs to change their tactics. It is unclear whether the players are ready or willing to implement this.
When strong opponents like Spartak apply pressure in all areas of the field, Zenit players struggle to get out of it. When long passes are made, no one can hold onto the ball.
Lepyohin stated that if Zenit fails to win against Makhachkala Dinamo in the next home game, questions may arise about the trust in head coach Sergey Semak. He is currently under great pressure.
Lepyohin emphasized that Semak has worked well with many foreign players, but some players have exhausted their potential. Therefore, it may be time to refresh and rotate the squad.
Speaking about Spartak head coach Dejan Stanković's future, Lepyohin said his team showed a good performance in the game, but it is still too early to dismiss him. He stressed that a head coach change during the season poses a great risk and is not always beneficial.
The club management should maintain a stable and emotion-free position. The interview was conducted by Elena Grigoryevskaya.
