“Teams have studied Zenit well and are trying to play on its weaknesses” – Petrushin

Former Dynamo player Alexey Petrushin said that Zenit’s opponents are trying to play on the weak sides of the St. Petersburg team.

In the 17th round, the St. Petersburg team was defeated by Lokomotiv with a score of 1:3. The team led by Sergei Semak takes second place in the MIR RPL standings, scoring 33 points, first is Krasnodar (35).

— This tour was the coldest and snowiest. Did this affect the results of the matches? For example, for the game between Lokomotiv and Zenit?

— It just didn’t affect this game. It is clear that it was cold, but we had to play in even worse conditions. Now the fields are heated, but this was not the case before. We played in the snowdrifts and on the ice. The only thing that surprised me in the CSKA – Rostov match was that the field there was covered in snow, and only one tractor tried to clear it. And Lokomotiv is great in this regard. The agronomists there covered the grass with film, and when it was removed, it was in excellent condition for December.

— Why did Zenit lose then? Many attributed this to the fact that the Brazilians were not used to playing in such conditions.

— Everyone was in the same conditions. This is a pretense for the poor. The Brazilians probably knew that there would be snow in Russia. Moreover, they have been playing here for several years and are ready for this. Lokomotiv simply played above their capabilities.

— Dynamo played in a similar style against Zenit last week and also won. Are the rivals finding the keys to this team, or is the skill of the Brazilians being neutralized in such conditions?

— Naturally, the teams have studied Zenit well and are trying to play on its weaknesses. Plus, with Malcolm gone, there are problems in attack. This year the St. Petersburg team already has seven defeats in all tournaments. This is the influence of the departure of leaders,” Euro-Futbol.Ru quotes Petrushin as saying.

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