The gray eminence of Zenith deserved recognition.
There was no better player than July
Because we have seen many equivalent heroes. The start of the season was bright and chaotic. Smolov is the best of the veterans on the field. No other striker played the first few games so well. It’s not about the number of goals, it’s about the decisions Fedor has chosen. Akinfeev is the best veteran goalkeeper, although his inclusion in the top five candidates for “Player of the Month” is more of a tribute to his status.
There was a goalkeeper who plowed more, saved more often, his saves are more difficult. The defense in the first games did not make Akinfeev work hard, and in the third he was wrong twice. Safonov has been upset more often, but his influence on Krasnodar is stronger than Igor’s on experimental defense work with Nababkin and Zainutdinov. Akinfeev played with dignity, as did Promes. But Quincy collected almost all the stats in a match against Orenburg.
The Dutchman deserved praise, but the young people stood out. Spertsyan scored from the spot, but before him his actions influenced the nature of the attacks. Edward coldly played corners and free kicks. Like Utkin, who not only successfully blocks the ball on Komlichenko – three times in a row but together with Glebov he led the game “Rostov”. Not everything worked out in defense, but he looks at the situation from a different perspective.
Dynamo lost quite a bit to Karpin, as did Lokomotiv. Moscow clubs have been saved, but rookie Utkin’s team, which has 1 goal and 3 assists, as well as assists with 83% accuracy, could start with three wins in a row. Great Akinfeev, Smolov or Promes, in form at the beginning in the composition of strong teams, but we also praise the young people. Like Carrascal, because the “soldier” collected statistics no worse than Quincy. But it was forgotten RPL hero, and his name is Marcus.
Wendel is Zenit’s most important player
Not because the rest is bad, but because Wendel can add right now. Barrios took a break in development. Douglas Santos as a magical plantain. Semak applied it to tactical wounds, he helped. But this Brazilian is not young, indeed in the phase of Criscito, who played in St. Petersburg, but did not attract the attention of the giants. Malcolm got burned at Barcelona, and since he has a wild personal contract, no giant will take him again.
TO RPL few people for teams like Liverpool, PSG, Juventus or Atletico. The reasons are different. Safonov is cool, but you have to find a coach who believes in him. If Matvey now moved to a club on the level of Real Madrid, he would end up on the bench, like Lunin. Unless Xavi suddenly decides to replace ter Stegen. But Matvey will only be successful in the big tournament if he starts training the game with his feet 24/7, and he will also tune mentally like Menyan and Mendy.
Safonov, like intelligent Zakharian – Another clear candidate for a serious European club, in the final stage of formation. Arsen still doesn’t know what competition is. The Dinamo leader is still “raw” for the grand. They will find a topic because it is too late or they will not pull it for Carrascal (good morning to the stormy off-screen youth), Promes, Medina, Zobnin and so on. Unless Claudinho gets better at off-the-ball play, then he and Wendel will be prime candidates for promotion.
And in the summer, if you think of it as a sports director of a big club, from everyone RPL it is Wendel who stands out. First, young, only 24 years old. Secondly, the transfer fee – after the extension of the contract with Zenit until 2027, did not rise above 20 million euros. For all giants, this is ridiculous money. Finally, in the winter or a year later, Wendel can negotiate a friendly farewell with the Petersburgers, otherwise he will repeat the flight of Larsson, Varela or Krychowiak.
We don’t praise Wendel too much, it really connects the Zenith game. Not always the most noticeable, but it is his passages with 93% accuracy that set the stage for scoring attacks by Claudinho, Malcolm, Mostovoy, Kassera and Sergeyev. Wendel himself has a feature: he seems to emerge from the ground in shock positions. Already scored against Spartak in the Super Bowl. He stood out in the league against Khimki and Lokomotiv. Wendel is in shape, Semak was lucky that the player didn’t start in the summer.
The Brazilian is rejected for having worked without the ball
Napoli and Everton were watching Wendel. But if the Brazilian has an incredibly strong season, or at least six months before the start of the World Cup, then the level of scouts will increase and they will start convincing him to sign the midfielder. Wendel is one step away from reaching the level where some Brazilians of Shakhtar have climbed. Fernandinho in his youth played much closer to attack, like Wendel at Sporting, where Marcus was the shadow of Fernandes and tried to replace him.
Wendel is not a natural tackler, he is average off the ball. It is partly explained by the peculiarities of the Zenit game, where Barrios was and remains the main tenacious player. But Wendel connects the lines, he finds himself in the redoubts of other people. The footballer is not afraid of pressure at all. He clearly doesn’t have the same character as Paredes. Otherwise, on the pitch, with all his appearance, he showed that he was doing a service, that he was playing for Zenit, and he left at the first opportunity.
Marcus ended up in a Brazilian paradise in St. Petersburg. But over time, he, the environment and the agent will come to the conclusion that it’s stupid to give away the best years RPL without European cups. After tasting the match against Chelsea and Juventus, he will want more. This is how the psychology of champions and hidden leaders works. The world used to underestimate the deep directors, they weren’t always spotted, even when checking the level. But now it is not necessary to explain why the representatives of such a profession are important.
Wendel was also lucky with the coach. Semak himself went through several stages in midfield. But Wendel and Claudinho are learning to work in defense not for Zenit but to have a chance at a big club in the future. Furthermore, the cost of the transfer and the ace in the hole – the right to enter the transfer window freely, allow them to enjoy the defeat of Zenit rivals and as soon as they receive an attractive offer – to leave. Wendel would probably be comfortable in Italy.
At his peak, you can picture him at Liverpool if you take Fabinho’s fate into consideration, knocking Henderson off. PSG chose Renata Sanches, a contemporary of Wendel, who is distinguished from the Brazilian by the presence of an agent with ties, Jorge Mendes. Here is an important point. Not all Brazilian intermediaries know how to work as Casemiro or Vinicius agents. Probably, Wendel needs to hire a person who will control the market and find him a great team in the future.
A player too strong to limit his career to a series of leagues RPL. Everyone already understood this from Sporting, but then Zenit brought a lot of money and the Portuguese couldn’t resist. Wendel is in the top ten of the most expensive sales at Ronaldo’s home club, but the midfielder is certainly planning a return to the West. He also dreams of convincing Tite to include him question for world Cup, even if it will be difficult to do so, because Zenit has quarreled with the Brazilian federation and Selesao’s competition is fierce. But Wendel is a valuable, intelligent and subtle player whom we wish him great success.
