The Sportbox.ru expert shared his impressions of the league leaders’ matches with outsiders.
Possible problems “Zenith”
Perhaps the Zenit players decided to play in economy mode today, given the upcoming matches with tough opponents next week. Semak’s team did not look as bright in attack and pressure as in previous matches. It’s hard to remember a match this season when Zenit looked worse than their rivals for long stretches.
During the game, there was a feeling that Zenit had finished playing right after two good goals from Malcolm. The scenario was very reminiscent of yesterday’s meeting between Spartak and Torch. Here, too, the hosts did not manage to finish the game calmly. Khimki scored twice and provided the opponents with a nervous ending.
The selection work of Khimki in winter is visible in the first spring matches. The new players have strengthened the team of Spartak Gogniev. The team looks interesting and will definitely compete for a place in the RPL next season, despite adventurous football. Good physical preparation also helps the Moscow Region team.
The possible loss of Barrios will be significant for Zenit. It needed to be changed immediately, not wait. If the damage turns out to be severe, then St. Petersburg may have serious problems in the championship and in the Cup. Claudinho also did not have time to get in shape.
Correct conclusions in CSKA
The situation in CSKA after the defeat from Sochi began to resemble a real disaster. After three defeats in a row in the championship, the coaching staff needed to change something. The appearance of Oblyakov and Zabolotny in the starting lineup fully justified itself. Anton took part in three attacks of the “red-blue”, providing them with a crushing victory. Ivan scored a goal.
“Wings of the Soviets” without Soldatenkov looked bad. With him, the Samara team is more confident in defense. Without this defender, the Wings were often wrong. This led them to defeat in Moscow. Especially bad guests looked in the first half. After the break, the game improved a bit, but this did not bring any dividends to the Samara team.
Sycheva in “Wings of the Soviets” is not yet convincing. Yes, he scores, but he does not play as brightly as in Orenburg. If the striker continues in the same spirit, then the likelihood of being called up to the Russian national team will decrease significantly. Today he was replaced at the beginning of the second half. Apparently, the football player did not impress Osinkin.
Up in the rest of the championship will be fun and interesting. Many teams can still significantly change the position in the standings.
Watch live broadcasts of MIR RPL matches on the Match TV federal channel and the thematic channels of the holding, as well as on matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites.
