Introduction:
Igor Smolnikov is probably the greatest example of someone who has fought for success since the beginning of his career. Coming through the ranks at Lokomotiv’s academy, Smolnikov quickly stood out as a great football player. However, the Railway Men never trusted the young defender. Hence, firstly he was sent on loan to archrivals Torpedo, where he spent a successful season in the FNL, before later playing for several provincial clubs like Ural, Chita and Zhemchuzhina Sochi in order to get playing time. In 2011, during the loan in Sochi, he was close to retiring due to his lack of success, but eventually changed his mind, turning his career for the best. After a loan at Rostov, he signed a permanent deal with FC Krasnodar, where he emerged as an excellent right back. His performances drew the attention of Zenit, who signed him as a replacement for the ageing Aleksandr Anyukov. Smolnikov immediately became a key player for the team, and soon after he became a regular on Sbornaya as well.
Strenghts and weaknesses:
Smolnikov is an offensive fullback, who can play both on the right and on the left side. Over the years, he has improved a lot thanks to his great attitude and the help of competent head coaches like Luciano Spalletti and André Villas-Boas. Smolnikov has high stamina as well as excellent pace. However, what makes him unique is his incredible ability to get behind opponent’s defenders to create goalscoring opportunities. This is possible thanks to his developed understanding with Hulk, who has perfectly learned how to assist the Russian fullback. A part of this, Igor is a player who never gives up on the field, although he sometimes lacks concentration during games. He’s good at passing, but his defensive skills are as not as good as his offensive ones. Therefore, he’s really dangerous when his team attacks, but less effective during the defensive phase, when he could suffer from a player strong at dribbling.
The 2015/2016 season:
Smolnikov is without a doubt one of the best fullbacks in Russia, which the 2015/2016 season confirmed. Despite not being the best season in his career, he took part in most Zenit games and also scored some important goals. For instance, Smolnikov was the man behind Zenit’s equalizer in the Super Cup match against Lokomotiv in August last year, while he also scored at Arena Khimki against CSKA in September. His season was definitely positive, but everyone knows he can play better, even Lucescu, who will certainly rely on him for his new Zenit.
