On Wednesday night Zenit had their first home game of the Champions League group stage when they took on Monaco at the Petrovsky Stadium. This game had an interesting subplot as Monaco have received a large amount of Russian investment in the last couple of years so it was a game where two teams built with Russian money competed against each other.
Zenit started with the 4-2-3-1 formation that has been successful this season and lined up with:
Lodygin - Anyukov, Lombaerts, Garay, Criscito - Fayzulin, Javi Garcia - Shatov, Danny, Hulk, - Rondon
Monaco lined up in a 4-3-3 with:
Subasic - Fabinho, Raggi, Carvalho, Kurzawa - Kondogbia, Toulalan, Mouthinho - Dirar, Berbatov, Ocampos
You would expect it to be the home side to spring out of the traps but it was Monaco who started the brightest. They had a great chance in the 3rd minute through Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov but his left footed shot was saved well by Zenit keeper Lodygin. Then, a minute later Monaco’s Nabil Dirar shot just over the bar. Other than these early chances there were no other clear cut opportunities and overall it was a very poor first half display from both teams, but with this there was an optimism that things could only get better.
Things did start to look better in the early stages of the second half for Zenit as they started to zip the ball around nicely and in the 50th minute, after good pressing high up the pitch and skilful play from Hulk, Rondon missed an absolute sitter. He failed to get enough contact on the ball from a Hulk cross and the attempt dribbled along the floor into the clutches of Monaco keeper Subasic. Zenit’s best chance came in the 64th minute when their Belgian centre half Nicolas Lombaerts headed a Hulk corner straight at the keeper when it seemed easier to score. Soon after this Andre Villas Boas changed Zenit’s system by bringing on Smolnikov for Shatov and shifting to three at the back with Anyukov tucking into the centre, allowing Smolnikov on the right and Criscito on the left to venture forward. Despite this Zenit created little else in the game and the only other real chance came in the 72nd minute when Monaco substitute Ferreira Carrasco had an initial shot saved by the legs of the Lodygin and then hit the rebound onto the foot of the post and out for a goal kick.
Overall this was a poor showing from both sides and Zenit will be especially disappointed that they could not muster a win in front of their own fans and it is now the sixth Champions League home game in a row that they have failed to win. This draw has allowed Benfica and Bayern Leverkusen to come back into contention in this group and it could end up being very tight at the end.
Some positives from this game for Zenit are that this result means that they have still not conceded a goal in the Champions League group stage this season and the solid defending made sure that that statistic survived this match.
Zenit team ratings:
Lodygin - 7 - Made saves when required and dominated his box well.
Anyukov - 6 - Strong in defence but clearly lacks the attacking threat that Smolnikov provides.
Lombaerts - 7 - Solid as ever.
Garay - 7 - Another good performance alongside Lombaerts.
Criscito - 6 - Tried to get forward but rarely troubled Monaco’s right hand side and was caught out a couple of times defensively.
Fayzulin - 7 -Proved tonight that he is a very capable backup when either Witsel or Javi Garcia are unavailable.
Javi Garcia - 7 - Has settled in very quickly at the Petrovsky and another good performance.
Shatov - 6 - No influence on the game whatsoever and substituted half way through the second half.
Danny - 7 - A good few flicks and tricks but not direct enough.
Hulk - 8 - Zenit’s best player. Should have had an assist and was surprisingly unselfish. Good direct running that Monaco’s defence couldn’t handle.
Rondon - 5 - A really poor showing from the Venezuelan. Missed a glorious chance and failed to hold the ball up.
Substitutes
Smolnikov - 6 - Made some good runs down the right hand side but no end product.
Kerzhakov & Arshavin - Not enough time to have an impact on the game.
At a minimum of 1800 roubles (£27) a ticket, this match was disappointing and as a spectacle it was like watching paint dry. Anyway, on to the next one and hopefully Zenit can get back to winning ways in the Champions League when they play Bayern Leverkusen away.
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Follow Thomas Giles on Twitter: @smurchison101
My first ever Zenit match tonight! A disappointing debut.. but will definitely take in a few more matches during my time in Peter.