Kiryakov named the strongest Russian coach today

Former Russian national team player Sergei Kiryakov, in a conversation with Match TV, called Sergei Semak from Zenit the best Russian coach at the moment.

Semak took charge of Zenit in May 2018. Under his leadership, the club from St. Petersburg became the champion of Russia six times in a row.

— Who, in your opinion, is the strongest Russian specialist right now?

— If we take the number of trophies, then Semak. He works with expensive football players who are superior in level to others, but it is both easy and difficult to work this way. It is necessary to maintain the atmosphere within the team; there are internal problems, omissions, conflicts, and intrigues. Here you need to show all your skills not only on the football field, but also outside it. Everything is relative, but according to the results, Semak is the strongest Russian coach,” Kiryakov told Match TV.

Zenit is in second place in the MIR RPL standings after 18 rounds, gaining 39 points.

Zenit will take part in the WINLINE RPL Winter Cup 2026 from February 3 to 10 in Abu Dhabi. Live broadcasts of all matches of the tournament will be available on the Match TV and MATCH PREMIER TV channels.