Zenit match schedule for the season. Zenith

Soccer.ru evaluates the Spanish champion. “Valencia” is not “Ibiza”, and for the first time in 13 years they beat the favorite at home.

Messi could have drawn with Valencia with the score 1:0, but the entire Barcelona lost to the Levantines. And the Catalans were very lucky that they were not defeated today.

Setien has so many great players on the field, but the team is bad. The entire four defenders are not ready for high-level matches, and the Champions League is ahead! The standard argument that Real and Atlético are not higher in the table does not work after such matches.

Against Valencia in the opening we immediately ran into a missed goal. Ter Stegen saved again - he took a penalty, which was brought in by Roberto and Pique (Sergi lost his position, and Gerard violated the rules), but then we saw Betis instead of Barcelona - empty possession and errors in defense.

Kike is doing the right thing in trying to meet the team halfway and applying his own style, but there are not enough raisins and dried apricots in this mess. Raisins - in the attack, where they lost the forward, Luis Suarez is important as a human function, and dried apricots - the sweet reliability of the defense.

Of course, Valencia is weaker than Barcelona, ​​but the favorite had to be assessed by how they react to such good, albeit not great, opponents. The Catalans allowed Los Ches to make sharp attacks, and although they tried to roll the ball, they did not intimidate with this approach.

Betis sometimes managed to have more than 60% possession of the ball away, but lost 4:0, so Barcelona was disappointed on a foreign field. Both the Sevillans and the Catalans lack emphasis in attack. There are few accurate, dangerous shots on goal, the game slows down due to small passes, and the opponent has time to adjust.

De Jong drops out, Griezmann doesn't light things up, Busquets expectedly became the central figure, but vague tactics don't work when they walk half the match. Valencia tried to stay awake while watching Barcelona pass, but the visitors had trouble understanding how to score against Domenech?

At the same time, the Catalans left gaps between the lines during counterattacks. And “Valencia” is not one of the timid ones, “Barcelona” was broken in the Spanish Cup, in the championship they don’t always lose at home matches, and today for the first time since 2007 they won, and the Catalans failed.

Does the new coach play tiki-taka?

No, because “tiki-taka” is a defensive tactic. That's right, because the meaning of the game in Guardiola's old style was high pressing as the basis - Barcelona took the ball in the opponent's half or in the center of the field, then lulled the opponents with the number of passes, and in the last phase the forwards turned on. Setien has no team pressure - the Catalans made all 6 interceptions (Valencia had 18) in their own half of the field. There is also no completion - out of 4 accurate shots, one was dangerous, and that was from a free kick. Barcelona does not play tiki-taka, and they don’t even use the “false nine” tactics, although there is no Suarez, but there is Griezmann.

Who is Setien's key player?

For the coach himself - definitely Busquets. Not Messi, since Lionel was simply allowed to remain a free artist - nothing new here, not De Jong - until he strangely fits into the game, definitely not Griezmann, but Sergio. The defensive midfielder moves the ball around the field, but there is no aggravation. Possession of Busquets ensures, but then what? Perhaps this is the main question - there is a thought (style, manner of play, approach - whatever), but there is no development of it. Of the 12 shots of Barcelona, ​​9 were struck by Messi, the remaining 12 field shots came up with 3 shots.

Was Kike able to rebuild the defense?

The answer is on the board. He brought Umtiti back into the starting lineup - the Frenchman is no longer hampered by injuries, but Valencia showed that it’s worth putting pressure on - you get a tactic under the derogatory name “herd”. Setien has never been considered a master of defensive play, but it is strange that the players themselves did not get together after the change in coach. Busquets does not remove rebounds in the support zone. And they play terribly on the defensive flanks. Well, Pique is especially surprised - Gerard is in terrible shape. We were lucky that we conceded twice and not four times.

Does the team need newcomers in the winter?

There is no one to strengthen the game. But imagine that now Upamecano arrives in the center of defense, Eriksen instead of Arthur (Vidal, Rakitic) in the center of the field, and Aubameyang in attack. You get a completely different, fresh team, and it’s important to take into account that the Catalans can afford all three. Each one is available on the market right in winter, just like Valencia's Rodrigo. In principle, now the impregnable Koulibaly, given the results of Napoli and De Laurentiis’ disappointment in Gattuso’s work, can be grabbed. But Bartomeu will not bring valuable newcomers to Setien, because it is no coincidence that he issued a contract until the end of the season with the option of extending it for only a year, and then another. Quique was loaded with responsibility without the right to vote - much like Tedesco in Spartak.

Wasn't Valverde the problem?

No, and in the coach too. It’s just that Ernesto prepared the team physically like this - they don’t run, but walk in the field. It was Valverde who agreed that Griezmann should be bought and he would fit in. It was Bartomeu who decided to do this without asking the team or Messi personally. It was under the former coach that the direct dependence on three people worsened - Suarez, Messi and ter Stegen. Moreover, it was in La Liga that the goalkeeper under Valverde helped out this season much less often than today, but on the whole he remained someone for whom there is usually no shame.

Now Setien needs to rebuild Barcelona without the tip of Suarez, and it is difficult, as you can see. It is surprising that Griezmann and De Jong were not involved at all - personal responsibility must be attributed here, because the Frenchman was only able to defeat a weak opponent in the Spanish Cup, and the Dutchman does not help at all in the support zone and defense. Setien is faced with the objective reality that Barcelona must fail to impress here and now.

And the team’s fans should be upset and alarmed on the eve of the Champions League playoffs that the new coach, in his inability to at least slightly adapt to a serious opponent, resembles Valverde. And if they continue to stubbornly stick to their line of possession, then they need to prepare a plan “B”, because Valencia did not play a fabulous match today, but they were dangerous and rarely made mistakes in defense - they scored a natural victory, based on the fact that Barcelona set themselves up.

It didn’t seem like there were teams with a difference of 12 points in the La Liga table before this game, and 9 points after it. It’s strange to challenge the class of individual masters in Setien’s squad, but the lack of speed in the favorite’s game has not been surprising for a long time, but it is upsetting. Let's evaluate Barcelona not as Getafe, but as the champion of Spain. In Valencia, the Catalans stupidly rebounded - the referee thwarted the hosts' counterattack, and Ter Stegen took the penalty.

With a game like it was under Valverde, the Catalans could also give first place to their eternal enemy from Real, but Setien is still repeating the same mistakes, using a slightly different approach - another gift to Zidane, who forced his players to concede much less often than “ Barcelona". The Catalans, in principle, have the advantage of a common class of world champions, even if they are all in average or poor shape, they still have a strong goalkeeper and the genius of Messi.

It seems that this is just a grind between the team and Setien, and then everything will get much better? No, Barcelona have not changed yet, they still need a central striker and lack a person with the final pass to help Messi. Lionel is not at the age to easily endure Valencia despite his team's poor performance. In principle, if we recall other matches of the season, we can draw a general conclusion.

In similar cases, Barcelona often bounced back (either they scored when the score was 1:0, or Messi saved it himself, or the opponents missed), but they play poorly from the very beginning, and the change of coach has not yet worked. It seems that if there are no targeted smart transfers that work right away, they may fail in all tournaments. If you are not physically and mentally ready, it is impossible to cover the air shortage with the presence of water - possession and experience.

They suffocate and drown, a sad sight. And we don’t see any evil resistance. If Setien doesn't know how to motivate, it will be extremely difficult for him.

Blue, white, light blue

"Stalinist" 1925 - 1939

Story

"Zenith" is a symbol of St. Petersburg, the northern capital of our country. Almost all residents of the city agree with this conclusion, and if you look at least briefly at the list of honorary fans of this team, then doubts about the fact that all the citizens of St. Petersburg support Zenit are dispelled. The St. Petersburg team is the first team to win all the top football trophies of the USSR and Russia. The team won the USSR Championship, the USSR Cup, the USSR Super Cup, the Russian Championship, the Russian Cup, the Russian Super Cup and, on top of everything else, managed to win the Premier League Cup! In addition, the club became the second Russian winner of the UEFA Cup and the first European Super Cup. And now everything is in order.

The physical education team of the Leningrad Metal Plant named after Stalin became the progenitor of modern Zenit. On May 25, 1925, the metalworkers received their official legal status. The team took part in regional championships, only joining the Leningrad championship in 1930. The Leningraders played their first match within the national championship on the twenty-seventh of May 1936 in Dnepropetrovsk, drawing with the local Dynamo team - 1:1. Alexey Larionov, under the leadership of Pyotr Pavlovich Filippov, became the author of the team's debut goal at the official level.
Two years later, “Stalinets” took part in the major league, and another year later, the “metalists” reached the final of the USSR Cup, in which they lost to Moscow “Spartak”. Later, the Spartak players would become the team’s most fundamental rivals. In 1940, with the transfer of the Leningrad Metal Plant to the People's Commissariat of Arms and Ammunition, the main Leningrad team began to be called “Zenith”. The penultimate war year was triumphant for the team. On the way to the final of the USSR Cup, the Leningraders beat Dynamo Moscow and Spartak. In the decisive match, the Zenit team won the team of CDKA lieutenants - 2:1. Chuchelov and Salnikov ensured that the first serious trophy came to the Zenit collection.

The team had to wait a very long time for the second prize. In 1948, Zenit could cease to exist on the football map of the USSR. In subsequent years, the team was one step away from the medal podium, could have been relegated to the first league, but due to reforms in domestic football, it remained among the strongest. At the end of the 1970s, the team was taken over by Yuri Morozov, one of the most famous innovating coaches of his time. The bet on young football players began to bear fruit, and in 1984, Zenit, already under the leadership of Pavel Fedorovich Sadyrin, became the national champion! On November 21, the team beat Metalist Kharkov 4:1 and became the best in the vast country. The composition of the team was truly impressive: Mikhail Biryukov, Alexey Stepanov, Sergey Kuznetsov, Anatoly Davydov, Nikolay Larionov, Yuri Zheludkov, Arkady Afanasyev, Valery Broshin, Sergey Dmitriev, Dmitry Barranik, Vladimir Klementyev and many others received gold medals for the victory.

The 90s were difficult for Zenit; the team acquired presidents, new coaches, and public favorites. Anatoly Byshovets nominated foreign players from Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova, and Belarus to play leading roles. On the twenty-sixth of May 1999, the multinational team, with Anatoly Davydov on the coaching bridge, won the first Russian-made trophy. In the Russian Cup final, Zenit turned out to be stronger than Dynamo. Gennady Popovich, Roman Berezovsky, Sarkis Hovsepyan, Alexey Igonin, Alexander Panov and other blue-white-blue players were part of the team anywhere in St. Petersburg. They were loved by fans and revered even by their rivals. With the beginning of the new century, St. Petersburg began to play in a new way. The team developed its own aggressive style, which manifests itself in home games; the young generation of football players, coupled with numerous foreign players, brought Zenit fame at the international level. In 2007, the St. Petersburg team became Russian champions for the first time in their history, and already in May 2008, Zenit beat the Scottish Glasgow Rangers in the UEFA Cup final. Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyryanov scored the winning goals. A bright galaxy of football players played at the club: from Arshavin to Kerzhakov, from Shirl to Malafeev, from Timoshchuk to Pogrebnyak. The organizer of the team's European "hikes" was the Dutch specialist Dick Advocaat. In St. Petersburg, they became so attached to foreigners on the coaching bridge that on December 10, Zenit was headed by a new “legionnaire” Luciano Spalletti, who arrived in the Northern capital from Italy. .

Already in his first year working with Zenit, Spalletti managed to lead the team to the golden double, winning the Russian Cup and the Premier League. Such success allowed the Italian specialist to receive an individual award as the best coach in Russia according to the RFU. He managed to repeat this achievement a year later, again managing to achieve victory in the Premier League with Zenit. Despite the fact that the club had little success in European competition, Spalletti was more than satisfied with his work.

The crisis came in 2012, players often began to conflict with the Italian specialist. In particular, Zenit leaders Roman Shirokov and Danny found themselves in such unpleasant situations. The situation was aggravated by the incredible transfer campaign of the summer of 2012, when Zenit acquired the Brazilian Hulk and the Belgian Axel Witsel for a record 80 million euros. In this regard, Zenit captain Igor Denisov came into conflict with the coach and management, who soon left the team for Anzhi Makhachkala. As for Zenit, the St. Petersburg team finished the 2012/13 season in second position, losing the championship title to the capital's CSKA.

Awards and achievements

On our website we are ready to invite you to familiarize yourself with with the schedule of the upcoming matches of FC Zenit. You will find out the direct opponents of the St. Petersburg team and the start time of each match. Depending on your preference, you can immediately book tickets for any of these Zenit games. The match calendar necessarily contains all the important information on tickets online.

Tickets for FC Zenit matches

All football fans will be able to purchase FC Zenit tickets by contacting our company. We are ready to offer you to book tickets in the following convenient ways:

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Schedule of matches of the Zenit football club at home arena

The Zenit football club from St. Petersburg is one of the strongest teams in the country, a favorite of every national championship and a regular participant in Eurocups. By purchasing tickets for any match involving Zenit, you will definitely ensure yourself positive emotions from the game of your favorite club. The team plays its home matches at the Gazprom Arena stadium, located at the address: St. Petersburg, Football Alley, 1.