Wonderful things are happening in St. Petersburg.

Having decided, apparently, that there are not enough Brazilians in the squad, Zenit is now changing one for two: instead of Yuri Alberto, who was allowed to stay in his homeland, goalkeeper Ivan Quaresma and Gustavo Mantuan are now waiting from those parts. They are also persistently talking about another Brazilian: defender Rodrigo made his debut in the RPL last season, and now he doesn’t seem to mind changing the Black Sea coast to the Baltic. From the same Sochi, forward Mateo Cassierra is about to be signed – both Sergey Semak and Alexander Medvedev already agree aloud with this. This, however, is not a Brazilian, but a Colombian, but what difference does it make to us? The main thing is the legionnaire.

It seemed that the parameters of the new limit, allowing 13 foreigners in the application, in the current realities would turn out to be an unclaimed formality. But it seems that Zenit intends to scoop out the newly opened opportunities to the very bottom. Of course, the champion himself knows how to equip him, but from the outside, such a persistent desire to expand the ranks of his legion looks strange today. Since it obviously does not coincide with the moods that are in the air.

Photo: © Sergey Zimmerman / Match TV

Our public preferred Russian before (the most recent evidence of this is “Wings” or “Krasnodar”), and now, when, for well-known reasons, the degree of patriotism has grown considerably in society, it is simply impossible to allow mass sympathy for something foreign. So, the Latin American “Zenith” is now giving a chance to those with whom it competes on the field of public affection.

Zenit gives Spartak a chance. And a fat chance.

Actually, Spartak doesn’t even need to come up with anything – the anti-Zenith model, already well-established, is quite well-established. You just do the opposite and that’s it.

There are only legionnaires – and you are without legionnaires. At all.

Here it is, a luxurious, win-win idea of ​​the era of sanctions! Presented to you by a generous competitor – one might say, presented on a silver platter with a blue-white-blue border. Take and use!

Well, in fact, why test your legionnaires? Spartak objectively cannot give such money that would turn off doubts, as in the same Zenith. As a result, people are tormented. The motherland puts pressure on conscience, the family on pity – the soul of a man rushes about in response. Remove this burden from them and send them home! And instead of them to return home their people.

Photo: © RIA Novosti / Anton Denisov

Instead of Rybus on the left flank – Fedya Kudryashov. On the other side, instead of Moses – Sergei Parshivlyuk. Instead of Martins in the very center – Denis Glushakov. Instead of Nicholson in someone else’s penalty area – Artyom Dzyuba.

What, you say some might have problems? Well, this is how to apply. At the return of the prodigal sons, you can make such a show that at first everyone in a split family will wash themselves with burning tears, then they will ask each other for forgiveness, and in the finale, unable to restrain family feelings, they will converge in a resurrecting embrace. We only need craftsmen who are able to present all this, but in the modern world of PR and other socially useful technologies, there is no shortage of suitable personnel.

And the head coach is Andrei Valerievich Tikhonov. And to his headquarters – Yegor Ilyich Titov, Evgeny Alexandrovich Bushmanov, Alexander Vladimirovich Filimonov. And the sports director is Dmitry Vasilyevich Ananko. And the general – Georgy Alexandrovich Yartsev.

Egor Titov and Andrey Tikhonov / Photo: © Nataliya Kondratenko / Russian Look / Global Look Press

You want to say that such a company will be satisfied with the tenth place? Don’t live! These will break, but they will take their own.

Gold? Why not! Moreover, in the existing composition, the kit is assembled promising. There are champions: Jikia, Zobnin, Selikhov, and there are young talents: Sobolev, Ignatov, Litvinov, Khlusevich. Well, plus Promes – you can leave him, he is already a hare.

Although the main thing in this whole undertaking, as we remember, is not a place in the table, but a social wave. And Spartak is even capable of a tsunami. Based on the idea of ​​respect for native shrines, he is able to raise in a single impulse not only his own, but also a neutral audience. And thus regaining the title of the people’s team is not at all in a joking tone.

Of course, all of the above is not a project, but just a sketch. Direction of thought.

It is clear that time requires non-standard approaches. The tournament favorite is obviously clear, no one is able to change this status of Zenit today. But the title of the national favorite can be challenged, and Spartak has the biggest chances here. All you need is a new image. Not whiny, but strong. Not someone else’s, but yours.

And an uplifting idea on the surface.