Nice goal, but the champions are stronger.
The southerners will not be the first to enter RPL, this is clear not only to Petrzhele. Even if it is Rostov who turns out to be closest to the Zenith throne to test the king of football with a snuffbox in the event of an unexpected spring crisis, then this is a pavement in the gardens CSKA, Spartak, Dinamo and Krasnodar. The opportunities for these clubs are much higher.
Karpin raised his team from the center of the table to the top, this is the result. It would be more interesting if “Rostov” bypassed “Zenith” a couple of points before the game, but luck in RPL the departments of the national team coach could not complain. We scored in the last seconds, rebounded. Semak was also stumped with a return ball.
But since the referees decided not to notice the foul on Komlichenko in the penalty area, which corrected the game scenario, the result was in favor of the champions. But we pay tribute to Rostov: they played from the knife, tried to act in combination and spectacularly. We list the key features of the approach, analyzing what worked and what failed.
Combined team game
Versus CSKA and Spartak, Karpin’s team played their football, but in different ways. As a result, neither Fedotov nor Abaskal received three points. Guillermo generally lost. Rostov chose the role: a high percentage of possession, a bet on the first pass of the goalkeeper, Osipenko, Glebov and Utkin, active play on the flanks, confidence in standards. But in the context of this, let’s see how Karpin draws conclusions. For example, in the RPL we played with Dinamo 1: 1 and in the Russian Cup we beat this opponent. After the victory over Spartak, they did not relax, the Wings of the Soviet won with the second number. With “Zenith” visiting there was a number and a half. A bet on a small pass might have worked if it weren’t for a nearly 25% wedding. Karpin reacted emotionally to unsuccessful passes and clearances, they let him down.
Result: the chip did not work.
Utkin standard provisions
Free-kicks, corners and “points” shots are part of the identity of the team with tall players like Osipenko and Komlichenko. But in St. Petersburg there were only three corners at the Kerzhakov gate, and Daniil Utkin didn’t have a single passage under attack. How to explain the lack of standard canopies? “Zenith” qualitatively interrupted the attacks of “Rostov”. Of the 14 fouls in St. Petersburg, 11 at once on someone else’s half. Karpin’s plan is to use standards, Semak’s team has successfully countered. But that’s a significant part of Rostov’s success – they have few goals from the game, but a decent amount after free kicks and penalties.
Result: the chip did not work.
Active team pressure
What helped against Dynamo and Spartak didn’t work against the champions. The intensity of Rostov’s high pressing has dropped by one and a half times, but the hosts indicator is only a fifth of the usual worst numbers. Zenit was forced to undergo extensions in the home match, the match was not easy. But you can pay homage to Sergeyev, Mostovoy, Wendel and Claudinho. The latter intercepted the ball in the first half and created a goal. Without that ball, Zenit could lose at the beginning of the second half, and Semak does not like to miss the first. After the pressure of “Rostov”, the team of him changed, instead of weak in the pressure of Cassierra, Sergeyev came out. The gears turned and Kuzyaev appeared. Zenit reacted correctly to Rostov’s attempts to press and control the ball.
Result: the chip did not work.
The unexpected decisions of Poloz
Another feature of Karpin’s team. Dmitry said in an interview that Zenit could fall apart without Barrios, but for the sake of completeness it is necessary to add Santos and Wendel. Without these three players, you can really imagine how Zenit lose game after game, regardless of the presence of other stars. Rostov was unlucky, everyone on the pitch. Furthermore, both Vendel and Santos played successfully against Poloz. Rodrigao also did not miss Dmitry, so the striker did not cause a bitter aftertaste among Zenit fans after the match.
Result: the chip did not work.
Fight until the end of the game
Rostov scored 19 goals, this is the fifth place RPL. But they could have been higher, because they didn’t convert a couple of penalties. At the same time, there were only nine goals in the match and more were scored. However, you must also be able to earn a penalty. Karpin’s team does not have masters of a class like Zenit, so their ratio of goals to accurate shots is worse: 0.37 versus 0.27. But at the same time we notice it CSKA and Spartak did not detach much from Karpin’s team. In terms of shots on goal, Rostov is on par with the Army Men. It is clear why Karpin’s team did not lose before the meeting with Zenit. With “Sochi” and “Torpedo” they fought to earn points. And today there was a nice pass from Malcolm to Kuzyaev, “Rostov” could not arrange a surprise – a 2: 2 draw at the end.
Result: the chip did not work.
Ability to cross from the hips
For Zenit it is important that Santos and the right wing, regardless of their name, play well. As soon as Douglas is needed in the center of the field, or the opponent adds width to the vertical passes, problems arise. It’s not often that we talk about Zenith’s systemic defeats, but you can bite Semak’s team. Khimki, Akhmat, Wings of the Soviet and Spartak have already done so. And although twice there is talk of the cup, which is now heralded as a presumably unimportant tournament for the champion – this way you can justify any defeat, suffice it to say that victory was not included in the plans, the favorite did not lose confidence afterwards. the defeat of Spartak. And while one pass worked – Komlichenko equalized after Silyanov’s pass from the right flank, there are enough accurate shot statistics – 9: 2 – to understand Zenit’s effectiveness in the home game.
Result: the chip worked partially.
Rostov had little chance of success, but there were enough advantages that were worth demonstrating. As you can see, despite the bold approach, the desire to come out from the bottom in defense and the presence of midfielders in good shape, the southerners were no stronger than Zenit. In every match with the champion, the challenger has two paths. Or wait for the favorite to drop to your level, or beat it by betting on iconic chips, among which there are no Komlichenko simulations (for falling next to Kerzhakov, he could get a yellow card).
Semak’s individual players underperformed, for example Lovren and Cassierra, but Rostov also made individual mistakes. True, as young players. Karpin’s idea was correct, but the implementation failed. A good team didn’t jump over their heads. All the problems of the season “Zenith” lived away and Valery Georgievich played in St. Petersburg, where the southerners did not win for almost nine years. The series continues, Malcolm is very good and Wendel is in order, he waited for someone else’s defense again, he scored the winning goal.
