Petersburg pragmatists are now higher in the standings.
Abascal confused Spartak himself
In thirty minutes of the match, the “red and white” broke the rules eight times, and “Zenith” only once. While one may remember the pressure from Spartak and their early ballplay, Abascal’s starting plan didn’t work out. There were no dangerous shots on Kerzhakov’s goal. The Spanish mentor of Muscovites was too smart, childish and strange coaching work, a gift to the opponent. A hybrid of “4-3-3” and “4-4-2” with a diamond in the center didn’t work. And some changes in Spartak’s starting lineup initially could not be summed up under the task of beating Zenit at home.
Abascal knew that Semak would choose the “3-5-2” scheme, but it turned out to be “5-4-1”. So it was worth putting pressure on Santos and Fernandez, the opposing fullbacks. For this, Khlusevich and Bongonda were needed on the right, and a bunch of Ryabchuk and Promes was read on the left. But Denisov and Medina were released to the right, not having received from them any dangerous moments at the gates of Kerzhakov. Betting on Ignatov at the start is also incomprehensible, because Mikhail plays terribly right from the start and comes out great as a substitute. Abascal saw off the wildcard in an odd decision and replaced Ignatov at half-time.
To move on. Without Litvinov in the support zone, there were still a lot of stupid decisions from Martins. Ignatov and Mozes did not support their colleague well, there was no quality way to attack through the center. Also, Wendel and Claudinho weren’t tied with the ball. Abascal has at least three mistakes in the starting lineup. But if you try to imagine “Spartak” beating “Zenith”, you can make five changes. Half of the players on the field are wrong bets, so the final score is not surprising.
Favorable terms were presented to Semak
Experiments can be expected from Abascal. But often reshuffling between games works against the team, as opposed to in-game substitutions. Semak also changes team, tactics and composition. Zenit left Cassierra on the bench with a minor injury. The coach showed respect for Spartak, because Mantovano works better without the ball. Zenit, as the heat maps suggest, played according to the 5-4-1 scheme.
In defense, the Petersburgers had a choice between Alip and Renan. Semak chose the Kazakh, as he was worried that Spartak would put pressure on the young defender with the help of Sobolev, Medina and Bongonda. That’s just the newcomer of the “red and white”, who made a brilliant debut, was not at the base. The coaches tried to confuse each other, but received quite familiar information from both sides.
“Spartak” pressed, but did not come to blows. Zenit now give the ball to their opponents more often, because there are problems in attack. But there’s no problem with wanting to fight. The teams worked hard, even in the first half Moses was replaced by Zobnin. Surprise attempts by Abaskal and Semak didn’t work, and the key segment of the match started from the 30th minute, when the players adapted to the ideas of the coaches.
Wendel’s shot defined the style of play
The first goal changed everything. Wendel was lucky: the passing ball, after a rebound from Jikia, ended up in the corner of the Spartak goal. The first half passed without a number of dangerous moments, although Zenit had a good field, choosing the right distance between the lines. Therefore, Sergeev almost scored – he hit the crossbar. Then Wendel’s first goal happened, which predetermined the course of the second half of the match.
Abascal rushed to correct his mistakes, like a schoolboy forced to apologize to a girl with a gift and flowers. But Semak is not a red-haired girl, but an experienced old lion who gets his championships, as Zenit calmly keep the lead in the middle class matches with a limited number of noticeable moments. Spartak rallied after the substitutions, but it was too late.
It was important to understand the strength of the Muscovites. The answer was received when Wendel made a double. Spartak unsuccessfully spent 4 million euros on the transfer of Duarte. The Paraguayan failed to catch an opponent. Wendel’s double is an insult to Spartak’s defense: he missed the guy who, instead of rallying, organized a carnival in his homeland. Spartak didn’t save the penalty after Barrios’ handball, Cassierra eliminated the Muscovites.
Digital size of match “Spartak” – “Zenith”
2 shots on goal per time. Not the result you expect from the duel between Spartak and Zenit. Stains on defense in previous games did not affect. Although the teams tried to rush through the center of the pitch, there were only more chances after the break. 5 targeted attempts and three goals: the result of the second half, eventful, unlike the first half.
26 rejected by Zenit. You rarely see when Petersburgers simplify their game so much. But Semak’s five defenders calmly carried the ball forward, because Spartak showed poor team football at each other’s goal. Only seven combinations with punches. And Zenit was more successful in the fight – they won 92% in martial arts and celebrate a very rational victory.
0 errors for Semak. There are coaching matches and this is one of them. Zenit could be more dangerous in attack with Cassierra at the base. Mateo came out in the second half and scored, but the Petersburgers did not come to Moscow to play perfectly. The champions came to win and overtake Spartak in the standings. They coped with the task, the more mature team got three points.
But Abascal has a serious lesson, his team defends poorly. Guillermo gave Semak the conditions for success. In football, the manager’s stake can be decisive. Abascal made his first successful decisions at the break, but you can’t beat Zenit when he handed the opponent a lead in scoring and the ability to play calmly with five defenders.
