Zenit St Petersburg

The opening week of the Russian Premier League wasn't filled with goals, but it was certainly filled with it's fair share of drama.

Three of the title favorites—Zenit, CSKA, Dinamo, and Rubin—all posted clean sheets for their first victories of the season—but Russia's second Champions League team for 2010-11, Spartak Moscow, flopped to a 1-0 defeat at home while giving its fans very little to be excited about.

The three new sides in the league—Alania, Anzhi, and Sibir Novosibirsk—all had mixed results. Alania put on a show for nearly 30,000 supporters in Vladikavkaz but couldn't overcome 10-man Saturn Moscow. The other two sides did not perform nearly as well on home soil, as both teams were badly outplayed by more experienced RPL squads.

It was also a week to remember for Russian football in Europe, as CSKA qualified for the last eight of the Champions League after dumping Spanish giants Sevilla 2-1 in Andalusia. Striker Tomas Necid and Japanese sensation Keisuke Honda delivered the deciding blows for the Army Men.

Only three matches into his career in Moscow, Honda has already written his name into the history books.

He delivered a tremendous performance at the Luzhniki Stadium in the first leg and was easily the best player on the pitch. In his RPL debut, he scored the winner over Amkar Perm in the 92nd minute. Finally, he smashed a long-range free kick that beat Sevilla keeper Andres Palop that sent CSKA to utopia. 

Samurai Victory!

Rubin Kazan, however, was not so lucky. After being eliminated from the Champions League Group of Death, Rubin quickly disposed of Hapoel Tel-Aviv before running into Wolfsburg.

After drawing the first leg one all, Rubin had high hopes for the second leg in Germany. Once again, the Tatars scored first, thanks to Alan Kasaev, but let in another second-half goal. Heading into overtime with half of their players on yellow cards, Rubin saw center back Cesar Navas sent off in the 108th minute for a slight shirt tug on Edin Dzeko.

With both sides playing on dead legs, one simple turnover by substitute Macbeth Sibaya led to the game-winning goal for Wolfsburg in the 119th minute, just 45 seconds before penalties.

The match exposed Rubin's two major flaws—the lack of a quality second striker after the loss of Alejandro Dominguez, and not enough back line depth to execute Kurban Berdiyev's marching orders.

Nonetheless, both squads will return to Russia feeling very good about themselves before Week Two of the season.

So, let's get to it. Home sides listed first. A "1" stands for home victory, "X" stands for a draw, and a "2" stands for an away victory.

1. Spartak Nalchik (10th) vs. Alania (8th): 2

Friday, 19 March 2010, Stadion Spartak

Both sides delivered excellent performances in Week One, as Nalchik thoroughly dominated Anzhi and Alania pushed Saturn to the breaking point. But neither side was rewarded with a victory.

Nalchik and stellar midfielder Leandro return home to a venue that never fails to produce a handful of goals. Alania plays right into that trend, with a back line that loves to push the attack forwards at all times.

The two sister cities of the Caucasus region should produce more than a few fireworks of spillover from their previous matches.

2. Amkar Perm (11th) vs. Anzhi (9th): X

Saturday, 20 March 2010, Zvezda Stadium

Amkar faced the challenging task of meeting CSKA Moscow away on opening day, but the krasno-chernye frustrated the hosts for 90 minutes of play. That wasn't good enough to deny CSKA a ninth-straight victory in home openers as newcomer Keisuke Honda scored deep into stoppage time. However, returning home to the plastic pitch and raucous Zvezda crowd to face newly-promoted Anzhi should be a much more inviting opportunity.

The Dagi were held to a scoreless draw in their first RPL match since 2002 by fellow Caucasus region foes Spartak Nalchik, but it was surely a performance manager Omari Tetradze would want to forget as soon as possible. Nalchik controlled nearly 60 percent of the possession and created far more scoring opportunities.

Both squads should struggle to score goals this season, as Anzhi doesn't field any truly threatening offensive forces and Amkar enjoys defending almost a little too much.

3. Terek Grozny (2nd) vs. Rostov (15th): 1

Saturday, 20 March 2010, Sultan Bilimkhanov Stadium

Terek gave Sibir an unfriendly welcome to the Russian Premier League in its first-ever match of top-flight football, bagging a 2-0 road victory. Shamil Asildarov seemed to fit in perfectly with his old club after two seasons away from the Chechen capital city, as he scored a wonder goal in the second half. South American transfers Juan Carlos Arce and Mauricio also seemed to fit in seamlessly.

On the other hand, Rostov had a second-half meltdown against Tomsk, trying to get a goal but completely disregarding defense in the process. It doesn't get any easier either, as the club has won only once on the road in its last eight RPL matches.

That one road win came against Terek, a fixture where the Selmashi have never failed to score at least three goals.

We should be in for a wild afternoon here, as the Terek faithful have transformed the Sultan Bilimkhanov Stadium into the most intimidating venue in Russia.

4. Saturn (7th) vs. Sibir Novosibirsk (16th): 1

Saturday, 20 March 2010, Saturn Stadium Ramenskoe

The Aliens were pushed hard in their first match away at Alania, where they were badly out-chanced by the hosts but managed to hang on for a draw after losing Pyotr Nemov to a red card in the 66th minute. However, Saturn posted an impressive 9-3-3 record at home in 2009, losing precisely zero times to teams sitting lower in the table.

The Aliens veteran attack corps blended with a very offensive-gifted back line and seems to feed off the intimate atmosphere of being on Saturn.

None of that bodes too well for Sibir, who was outclassed on home soil from the starting whistle by Terek, despite an excellent crowd on hand in Siberia for the debut.

The team should have even less fun in Ramenskoe, given the fact that starting center back Denis Bukhryakov will be missing the match due to a late boneheaded red card for an unnecessarily rough tackle.

Saturn puts on a show for the home fans here.

5. Lokomotiv Moscow (14th) vs. Krylia Sovetov (12th): 1

Saturday, 20 March 2010, Lokomotiv Stadium

The opening weekend didn't exactly go as Lokomotiv planned. Already having a very difficult task of going to Kazan and trying to come away with points, the Paravozy did everything they needed to do for a draw.

But then, a simple lapse in concentration and Rubin scored twice in the last two minutes—an especially demoralizing loss since the home standing Tatars were only at half strength after facing Wolfsburg just three days earlier.

Coming home, Yuri Semin will accept nothing less than all three points. In the friendly confines of Lokomotiv Stadium, his men were not defeated at any point during the 2009 campaign while also allowing a league-few 10 goals.

The Lokomotiv Stadium was an impenetrable fortress in 2009.

Krylia Sovetov delivered an inspired performance against Zenit St. Petersburg in front of a packed stadium, but ultimately couldn't overcome Luciano Spalletti's squad, who controlled nearly 70 percent of the possession time.

For a club in financial trouble, however, the performance greatly pleased the fans and gave the players many reasons to be optimistic in 2010.

Unfortunately for Samara, the home team has won this fixture five of the last six times, and coupled with Lokomotiv's dominance in Moscow, we'll go with that.

6. Zenit St. Petersburg (5th) vs. Spartak Moscow (13th): 1

Sunday, 21 March 2010, Petrovsky Stadium

There's no better way to kick off Rivalry Sunday. Over the past decade, the Spartak-Zenit rivalry has truly become the most heated in all of Russia. Spartak owned the matchup earlier, but has not won since Roman Pavlyuchenko left for Tottenham.

Zenit squeezed by Krylia Sovetov 1-0 in the first week, thanks to a goal from Portuguese midfielder Danny, who was playing in his first match since May—also against the Samara club. Although Zenit dominated every aspect of play, the squad obviously was still working on the new Italian system.

Spartak didn't fare so well, losing 1-0 in front of 55,000 at the Luzhniki Stadium to city rivals Dinamo. The youngest squad in Russia looked very out of sync and seemed visibly annoyed with Dinamo's physical play. Brazilians Alex and Welliton never managed to get involved in the match. Newly acquired defender Aleksandr Sheshukov had a debut to forget, receiving a yellow for a rough tackle and soon after a red for an equally as reckless challenge.

In a fierce rivalry like this, anything can happen and it normally does. But Zenit hasn't lost at home in the last eight home matches and defeated Spartak in the final week of the 2009 season at the Petrovsky despite playing with 10 men for more than half of the match.

7. CSKA Moscow (6th) vs. Dinamo Moscow (4th): X

Sunday, 21 March 2010, Luzhniki Stadium

CSKA was frustrated for the most of the night against defensive-minded Amkar, who managed to keep a clean sheet for the most of the evening. But just as time was evaporating, Keisuke Honda came to the rescue and saved the Army Men. Their next task is against a much-improved Dinamo side that has already seen several of it's winter signings pay off.

Dinamo shocked Spartak at the Luzhniki Stadium with a goal from veteran midfielder Igor Semshov, who returned to the club in January after a one-year stay in St. Petersburg. Fellow signees Andriy Voronin and Edgaras Cesnauskis looked lively. Even a minor head injury to center back Alexandru Epureanu couldn't keep the Moldova captain out of action.

They'll look to do more of the same facing another city rival at the Sparrow Hills palace. They also have history working in their favor, as the visiting team has won eight of the last 10 meetings. Fresh off their Champions League triumph, CSKA should be brimming with confidence and looking to continue their success at home. But this new-look Dinamo squad should be good enough to steal a point. 

8. Tom Tomsk (1st) vs. Rubin Kazan (3rd): 2

Monday, 22 March 2010, Trud Stadium

While it was hardly a match that stuck out in anyone's mind when the schedule was released, there's suddenly a little more to play for when the two sides meet up on Monday. Both clubs recorded 2-0 victories and sit atop the league table.

Tomsk hit the jackpot as striker Sergei Kornilenko—on loan from Zenit St. Petersburg—smashed a second-half double in Rostov. Kornilenko was the Tomi's leading scorer last season when he was bought by Zenit.

Rubin on the other hand, needed to wait 88 minutes before a break in Lokomotiv's defense, but the defending champions earned the three points in Kazan even without the services of many top players. The journey for Rubin continues into uncharted waters, as the club has never been taxed this heavily with matches during a two-week span of time.

Kurban Berdiyev's squad should be decently well recovered in time to make the trip east, and they have proved to have more than adequate depth to win even without several starters. Rubin's road pedigree—they are the only team in 2009 to win 10 matches away from home—should carry them through.  

The cavalry will be waiting as Rubin march into Tomsk.

Last Week: 4-4 (.500)

Season Record: 4-4 (.500)

Current Champions: Rubin Kazan (2)

It didn't look certain for a long time, but the champions pulled out some late magic as substitute Andrei Gorbanets and Aleksandr Bukharov scored rapid fire to derail the Lokomotives. Although the Russian Champions fell deep into extra time in Wolfsburg, Rubin's title should be safe for at least another week of RPL activity. 

As the opening weekend of Russian football continued, an under-stocked Zenit St. Petersburg squad headed to Samara for the first match under Italian manager Luciano Spalletti.

The home side, Krylia Sovetov, has been in the media for all the wrong reasons lately. A troubled financial structure that wasn't even sure that the team would be able to take the field against Zenit a few weeks ago, new investors finally came to their aid as well as the club's supporters.

As a testament, over 23,000 fans came out to support their club.

But the day would ultimately go to two men looking to make a new impression—Spalletti and Portuguese midfielder Danny.

The former AS Roma boss, managing his first competitive match since he resigned from the Roman club last September, was eager to impress in a new environment. Danny, who had missed nearly the entire 2009 season due to cruciate ligament damage in his right knee, was also eager to get back on the right track and hopefully back in the picture for Portugal's World Cup squad.

Both men also succeeded admirably, as Spalletti managed a fantastic match and Danny fired Zenit past the hosts 1-0.

From the start, Zenit took the initiative, going long stretches of time with possession, but the execution as the ball moved closer to the goal became sloppy and Krylia Sovetov were more than happy to clear it away from danger. At one point around the 20-minute mark, Zenit had controlled almost 80 percent of the possession time.

Danny, playing as a left wing, caused all sorts of havoc and was easily the most noticeable player on the pitch, as he earned several corners and free kicks. But every time the Portuguese playmaker swung the ball in, Samara's back line held and backup goalkeeper David Yurchenko easily dealt with any garbage.

Aleksandr Kerzhakov, making his return to Zenit, had a handful of chances up front. Unfortunately, he was continuing a storyline from 2009, where no Zenit striker could finish simple chances around the box.

Offensively-gifted Belgian center back Nicolas Lombaerts also marauded forward several times and had two golden opportunities to put Zenit ahead, but his finishing just wasn't there.

As the halftime whistle approached, Zenit goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev had essentially been a spectator all afternoon, having next to nothing to do as it was a rare sight if Krylia Sovetov even managed to clear the ball out of their own third. But a lot of the credit there has to be given to the Zenit back line, featuring three players out of four who were not starters last year.

Tomas Hubocan was filling in for Samara native Aleksandr Anyukov, who could not play. Ivica Krizanac was filling in for also injured center back Fernando Meira. Danish left back Michael Lumb was playing in his first Russian Premier League match since coming over from AGF Aarhus in January.

The 22-year-old Dane had a debut to remember. He got forward with the utmost ease but also provided rock solid defense when called upon, getting back with speed and tackling well.

But despite dominating in nearly every statistical category, the two sides headed to the locker room scoreless.

The Samara faithful gave their squad a hearty applause for a great defensive performance, holding their own despite being outgunned and outmatched across the board.

Halftime: Krylia Sovetov Samara 0-0 Zenit St. Petersburg

Upon the resume, Spalletti kept a level head and didn't make any immediate changes, but did put an emphasis on taking more shots.

Igor Denisov and Vladimir Bystrov got the message, taking shots from outside the penalty area in hopes of creating a friendly ricochet. Yurchenko held his own, however, and didn't allow for any second chance opportunities.

Ten minutes in, Spalletti decided to change up the attack slightly, seeing the field slanted in Zenit's favor, and brought on a second striker in Danko Lazovic. The Serbian took the place of holding midfielder Konstantin Zyryanov, who was simply not needed any longer in this match. Zenit had been attacking too much and the 32-year-old veteran's offense wasn't contributing much.

But the addition of Lazovic seemed to give Krylia Sovetov some life.

Star striker Evgeni Savin—who had been as good as invisible in the first half—was suddenly all over the place and causing problems for Zenit's center backs. But just as the locals were getting a bit too happy with their new-found offense, Spalletti saw a sudden opportunity.

After a few free kicks that went Samara's way, he noticed that manager Yuri Gazzaev was pulling his center backs up for a chance at a header. Spalletti did his scouting however, knowing that Aleksandr Belozerov and company had size but not a lot of speed.

A simple turnover as Samara were trying to move the ball around, Bystrov picked the pocket of 20-year-old Sergei Tkachev and quickly fed a pass up to Danny.

Just like that, it was off to the races. Danny was flying forward accompanied by Kerzhakov, and easily beat Yurchenko for the lead after drawing the young Belarusian away from the net.

But Spalletti wasn't entirely pleased with one goal.

He continued to send the troops forward, although he changed his mind to not insert Italian winger Alessandro Rosina for additional offense. Zenit should have had a penalty 10 minutes after Danny scored, however, when Bystrov was dragged down in the box just as he was about to take a header.

The referees said for play to continue. With Krylia Sovetov throwing everything forward in the final few minutes, Spalletti then took off the mostly ineffective Kerzhakov in favor of his new favorite Russian, 18-year-old striker Maksim Kanunnikov. Kanunnikov was extremely impressive in preseason training and the Russian U-18 man showed great physical qualities.

He had an immediate impact on the match, as he was poaching up field when Danny found him with a pass. But just as he was about to break in alone on goal, defender Ivan Taranov intentionally tripped him up and was promptly given a straight red.

Final Time: Krylia Sovetov Samara 0-1 Zenit St. Petersburg

Shots (on Goal): Zenit 15 (3), Krylia Sovetov 5 (3)

Possession Time: Zenit 62 percent, Krylia Sovetov 38 percent

Spalletti's first match with Zenit is a masterclass of how patience pays off. "In the first half, we risked a few open chances trying to score. But in the end we were able to wait until the right point," said Spalletti. "Zenit showed as a mature team and deservedly won the game."

Man of the Match: Danny

The Portuguese playmaker not only scored the only goal, but also created a ton of chances for both himself and his teammates. It was truly a 90-minute performance and he showed no ill-effects from the knee injury a season ago.

Hopefully when Kerzhakov and Lazovic gain full form, his play will be even more welcome as his passing won't be all for naught.

Igor Denisov also had a fantastic match in the central midfield, shutting down almost everything that came his way throughout the match. He also seemed devoted to taking more shots from outside, and he nearly scored early in the second half after missing the top corner by a few centimeters.

Zenit's next match will be at home on March 21 against arch-rival Spartak Moscow, always a wildly entertaining fixture with plenty of goals.

2009 Record: 15-9-6, 54 points (third place and UEFA Champions League third-round qualifying)

In 2009, a struggling Zenit side axed the most successful manager in club history, Dick Advocaat, after a loss to Tom Tomsk in early August. His replacement, Anatoliy Davydov, admirably led the club to a sparkling 9-3-1 record in his time as caretaker, vaulting the sine-byelo-goluboy into a Champions League spot for 2010.

Despite losing several crucial pieces to the UEFA Cup-winning puzzle during the season, Zenit were able to overcome the odds after sitting in eighth-place out of 16 when Davydov took over.

With victories over CSKA and Spartak Moscow, he quickly made supporters forget about the club's Europa League failure, as they fell to Nacional de Madeira 5-4 on aggregate.

Several new players arrived at the Petrovsky in the summer that vaulted the club forward, none more infamously than former Zenit man Vladimir Bystrov, who had left for arch-rival Spartak in 2005.

While his return met no lack of controversy, the additions of Italian playmaker Alessandro Rosina and center forward Sergei Kornilenko were no less important, but also did not come with nearly the uproar.

The wealthiest club in Russia was not going to be denied a spot in European competitions.

But with great wealth comes great responsibility, as the club will be aiming even higher in 2010. By signing former AS Roma boss Luciano Spalletti, a fresh start and some fresh new ideas have the St. Petersburg bunch thinking about a championship once again.

Manager: Luciano Spalletti, first season, 0-0-0

Captain: RB Aleksandr Anyukov

Stadium: Petrovsky Stadium (21,570 )

RFU Top 33 Players Returning: 4. RB Aleksandr Anyukov, CM Igor Denisov, CM Konstantin Zyryanov, RM Vladimir Bystrov.

Key 2009-10 Departures: GK Kamil Contofalsky (to AEL Limassol), LB Dong-jin Kim (to Ulsan Hyundai), ST Fatih Tekke (to Rubin Kazan), ST Sergei Kornilenko (to Tom Tomsk), CM Igor Semshov (to Dinamo Moscow).

Key 2009-10 Arrivals: LB Michael Lumb (from AGF Aarhus), ST Aleksandr Kerzhakov (from Dinamo Moscow), GK Yuri Zhevnov (from FC Moscow), ST Danko Lazovic (from PSV Eindhoven).

Lineups and Roster

  

Goalkeeping

A golden opportunity fell in Zenit's lap in early February: When FC Moscow folded due to financial reasons, stellar goalkeeper Yuri Zhevnov suddenly needed to find a new club. With an aging Vyacheslav Malafeev, Zenit quickly pounced to add the Belarusian international.

Now, Luciano Spalletti only needs to decide which one starts.

The 31-year-old Malafeev has essentially been Zenit's go-to man in net since 2000, but he struggled in parts of the 2009 season, costing Zenit points on more than one occasion. But when it came down to the end, Malafeev showed his true colors and helped the club back to the Champions League.

Zhevnov however, should open as the backup, but could potentially take over the starting duties if Malafeev falters again. Either way, the backup system is easily the best in Russia should something happen to one of the keepers.

Defense

The unit is captained by attack-minded right back Aleksandr Anyukov, who has been a fixture for both Zenit and the Russian national team since he came over from Krylia Sovetov in 2005.

But the group got a huge lift when left-footed Belgian Nicolas Lombaerts returned to action from a long term injury. He quickly established himself not only as the best center back on the roster but one of the best in the league.

Completely level-headed on the pitch and always seemingly in the right place and the right time, Lombaerts was a primary reason why the club posted four clean sheets in a row towards the end of the year.

He is joined by Portuguese veteran Fernando Meira, who plays the part of "fire" to Lombaerts' cool and collected game.

22-year-old Danish talent Michael Lumb should assume the vacant left back spot after transferring from Aarhus. The young Dane was named Best Danish U-21 Player in 2008 and recently received his first cap with the national team.

A productive bench will feature veterans Radek Sirl and Ivica Krizanac, along with the jack of all trades Tomas Hubocan. Hubocan should prove to be an extremely valuable asset to Spalletti, as he can play all four defensive roles well while also showing good speed and attacking skill.

Midfield

The midfield has been the strength of this club for many years and 2010 will be no different. On paper, it's one of the strongest Zenit has ever fielded and possibly the best in Russia as well.

In Spalletti's 4-2-3-1 formation, the two holding midfielders will be Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyryanov, both Russian internationals who bring excellent defensive pedigree. Denisov, as a midfield enforcer, normally will pick up his fair share of cards and won't score much but can patrol the area with total confidence.

Up front are essentially three new players.

Alessandro Rosina and Vladimir Bystrov joined the club in the summer time while Danny missed most of the 2009 season due to an injury suffered in Week Nine. But together, they form an extremely potent offensive group.

All three players can attack with pace, especially Bystrov, and their technical ability should show even more so as the season progresses.

Hungarian international Szabolcs Huszti is a big name who will be used as a substitute, but the left-footed attacker can play multiple roles and will see quite a bit of time off the bench. Viktor Fayzulin and Roman Shirokov round out the bench while extremely talented 20-year-old Anton Sosnin should bounce between the youth squad and senior side.

Strikers

For all purposes, it is a two-man show up front.

It was a bit of a homecoming for Aleksandr Kerzhakov, who returned to Zenit after four seasons away from the club. He is joined by Serbian gunner Danko Lazovic, after transferring from PSV.

While Spalletti most times will only use one striker at a time, Kerzhakov will probably be the starter on Day One. But there will surely be days where Lazovic starts or Spalletti feels the need to pair them up front.

Either way, it is a completely restructured group where all four forwards who featured during the 2009 season (Pavel Pogrebnyak, Tekke, Kornilenko and Mateja Kezman) have departed.

Spalletti has also taken a liking to 18-year-old Russian Maksim Kanunnikov, as he believes the youngster has shown incredible promise in training.

Analysis

This is certainly a team who is expected to challenge for the title and has to be considered as one of the primary favorites to take home the trophy. The only true question is how quickly can the team begin to gel under Spalletti's guidance.

From the 2009 championship-winning youth team to a gifted and deep senior side, Zenit hopes to make a successful return to the European theater in 2010.

Projected Finish: First    

Not even five minutes after completing a friendly match with UEFA Champions League side Dynamo Kiev, Zenit St. Petersburg announced the signing of Belorussian international goalkeeper Yuri Zhevnov from the now-bankrupt FC Moscow.

The opportunity essentially fell into Zenit's lap.

Earlier in the month, FC Moscow declared itself unable to continue its participation in the Russian Premier League, officially withdrawing on February 5, 2010.

But this wasn't some bottom-of-the-table club up for relegation every year. In 2009, the Caps barely missed out on a place in the Europa League, finishing in sixth place. Zhevnov was leading the charge, like he has done for many years. 

He marshaled the third-best defense in Russia and won 13 games, probably none more important than a 1-0 shutout of Zenit on Halloween that effectively ended the sine-byelo-goluboy's title aspirations.  

Logging over 130 appearances for FC Moscow and another 39 for country, Zhevnov now had no other choice but to leave the club.

Of course, many Russian clubs expressed an interest in the superb 28-year-old keeper. But those with a serious interest either already had a more than solidified goalkeeping situation or simply not enough money to sign him.

Which lead him to sign for Russia's richest club, Zenit.

"Zenit made me the most specific proposal. In addition, I always liked the games at the Petrovsky, always a full stadium and an exciting atmosphere," said Zhevnov in an interview with Radio Zenit. The contract was signed for four years. The details of the contract were not released, but Zhevnov holds Russian citizenship and would not count towards the RPL's 6+5 Rule for international players.

While nobody is questioning the signing itself as Zhevnov is a very underrated keeper who could be even better with a decent team in front of him, it does raise quite a few concerns as well.

Zenit does happen to have an established goalkeeper. Soon to be 31-year-old St. Petersburg native Vyacheslav Malafeev has been the club's starting keeper since 1999 and has over 250 appearances to his name. In 2009, he started 28 of 30 league matches as well as several more in the Europa League and Russian Cup.

Aside from a few shaky performances during the summer, Malafeev has been a solid keeper for Zenit throughout his many years of service. 

Does the signing of Zhevnov mean that the club was looking for a more reliable netminder? Certainly they can't be attempting to force out the longest-tenured player when he hasn't done anything wrong?

Or maybe it means Zhevnov will serve as a replacement to backup Kamil Contofalsky, who left for Cypriot club AEL Limassol early in December? Through the training and friendly matches, it appears obvious that current backup, 32-year-old Dmitri Borodin is nowhere near good enough any more.

Except, how long will that sit with Zhevnov? He has been "the guy" between the pipes every weekend for FC Moscow since 2005.

Across Europe, teams face similar situations. They want goalkeeping depth and they want a backup who can fill in well if something happens to the No. 1 man, but rarely do teams want a platoon in net with two keepers who are equally able to start.

Certainly now, the Zenit goal is completely safe. There are two very good keepers to protect it. But after some of the bad goals Malafeev let in last season, who will be the top man for Luciano Spalletti at the beginning of the season?

If it is Malafeev, it is sure that the fans will want to see Zhevnov sooner rather than later (myself included). 

If it is Zhevnov, does this mean Malafeev has been relegated to the secondary role?

We will find out.

After a rather slow beginning to the winter transfer period in St. Petersburg, the activity has understandably skyrocketed since Friday when manager Luciano Spalletti arrived.

His first two signings have addressed arguably the two greatest needs on the roster - left back and striker. First, he signed 22-year-old Danish international defender Michael Lumb from AGF Aarhus. Second, he signed striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov from Dynamo Moscow, returning the player to Zenit.

While Lumb becomes the first Danish player to ever wear the Zenit colors, there are many patterns in the Kerzhakov addition. It marks the third time in less than two years that Zenit has purchased a highly-priced player from Dynamo and the second player within six months to have made a return trip to St. Petersburg.

The first of course, would be speedy winger Vladimir Bystrov, who came with no shortage of uproar.

Quite the opposite for Kerzhakov so far, as he has nearly been treated like a hero in his return. Many ultras of the club would make the case that Zenit has been playing without a true striker for the last 13 months since the last match played by Andrei Arshavin.

Kerzhakov not only represents a man who can score quite a few goals, but a Russian-born striker as well. As the Russian Premier League uses a 6+5 system, any Russian players are worth double what they would be normally, especially the ones that can play at a Champions League level.

His arrival also gives Luciano Spalletti the flexibility to play an international player in another position.

In his famed 4-2-3-1 formation, Zenit's two defensive midfielders would be Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyryanov. But last year proved that even though the 32-year-old Zyryanov may be a fine player, he was beginning to wear down. After all, he played in all 30 RPL matches in 2009 as well as Europa League, Kubok Rossii, and all of Russia's qualifying matches.

In total, he played 50 matches throughout the 2009 season, being substituted out in very few of them.

Having the ability of a foreign center midfield player would be a major asset, and Kerzhakov provides that opportunity. "My decision between Dynamo and Zenit was known a long time ago. Only details between the clubs delayed my transition. Foreign options existed, but when the possibility of a return to Zenit became real, other options no longer interested me," said Kerzhakov to Sport-Express.

The second signing poses a few more questions than answers, however.

What we do know is that Michael Lumb is a very talented kid that has been the choice left back for Aarhus since his 17th birthday, as he has logged over 100 caps at such a young age. We also know that he is an offensive-minded player that loves to get forward and attack, which is an element that Zenit lacked throughout the 2009 campaign.

Neither Dong-jin Kim (now released due to nagging injury concerns) or veteran Radek Sirl could provide much of anything offensively from the left side, which allowed defenders to pay more attention to Aleksandr Anyukov's side.

But, although he was certainly good enough to play for a mid-table Danish club, is he good enough defensively and physically to play for a top-tier Russian side? You would like to believe so, but a lot more will be learned in the next several weeks as Zenit departs for Dubai.

One thing is certain, however. Playing in colder temperatures will not bother him.

"I hope I can demonstrate my best qualities. Indeed, I arrived in St. Petersburg not to be on the bench. I want to play and win trophies with the first team." said Lumb in an exclusive interview with 89.7 Radio Zenit. "I have served as a central defender and had to play attacking midfield with youth teams. So if necessary, I can play any positions, but I feel most comfortable at left defense."

Lucky you, Michael, that is exactly what we need. 

All of Zenit's holes however, are not filled. Director of football Igor Korneev is more than aware of this, and was the first person to mention it.

Speaking to Sovietsky Sports about the new signings, he said "Kerzhakov is not the only acquisition in the line of attack, we plan to add another. We hope to have two or three more purchases. As I said, we would like to buy a striker, a defensive player and a half back."

While Korneev did not mention any specific players the club would like to add, he did mention that the new striker target would depend on the fate of Fatih Tekke and Sergei Kornilenko. Both of the strikers appear likely to move away from the club this January, with Tekke returning to Trabzonspor and Kornilenko currently on a try-out with West Ham United in England.

But however, especially if Tekke does not move back to Turkey, Korneev will not have to spend as much on a striker as he would if he did leave.

For now, an athletic striker, a central defender, and a central midfielder remain on Igor Korneev's mind. With the boss now in town, more signings should come in the next few days, as Spalletti has a handful of players he would like to add. 

The calendar year 2009 had many ups and downs for Zenit St. Petersburg. Disaster struck the club early on, as fan favorite and star forward Andrei Arshavin left for the riches of England. Swiftly following his departure, Portuguese midfielder Danny went down with an injury, that would force him to miss the remainder of the Russian Premier League season.

As the snow thawed in St. Petersburg, the club learned of the departure of two more valuable pieces to the UEFA Cup-winning puzzle from a season ago. Captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk would be leaving for Bayern Munich during the summer, followed by Dick Advocaat, who would be taking over the duties of managing the Belgian national team.

But things turned sour in the summer as team performance began to decline. Following a run of four straight winless matches and a 2-0 defeat to relegation candidates Tomsk at the Petrovsky Stadium, command decided to terminate the contract of Advocaat before he was prepared to leave. The club found itself sitting in 8th place with less than half the season remaining.

Club hero and all-time Zenit appearance leader Anatoliy Davydov took over the reigns as a caretaker. But with the additions of former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, St. Petersburg-native Vladimir Bystrov and Italian midfield maestro Alessandro Rosina, the tide quickly began to change.

Zenit went on a nine match unbeaten streak, vaulting the blue-white-sky blues back into the title race.

Although the mountain ultimately proved too high, the club sealed a Champions League berth for 2010 as the 3rd-place team in Russia. But, an offseason of uncertainty awaited with numerous aging players and no manager to lead the club into Europe.

That's where the club command delivered an early Novy God present to fans, as Luciano Spalletti was hired as the new manager. The Italian specialist, as everyone knows, has an excellent track record in Italy with AS Roma.

But with the new year come new challenges.

Spalletti, now bankrolled by natural gas giants Gazprom, will have as much money as he needs to fill any holes in the roster. Let's take a look at the 2010 edition of Zenit.

Goalkeeper

Overview: Vyacheslav Malafeev, who has been a member of Zenit since 1997, has over 300 caps to his name along with the UEFA Cup, Super Cup, and Russian Premier League crown. At 30 years young, he has far from worn out his welcome. There is no question who the No. 1 goalkeeper along the banks of the Neva is.

However, long-time backup Kamil Contofalsky has departed for AEL Limassol, signing on with the Cypriots at the beginning of December. A reliable backup throughout his six year tenure, his final performance carries a black cloud. He was inserted into the second leg of Zenit's Europa League play-off with CD Nacional, and his 89th minute blunder cost Zenit its spot in the competition.

32-year-old St. Petersburg native Dmitri Borodin, will likely serve as the new backup after returning from a loan to Khimki. With the 6+5 rule in play, a Russian-born goalkeeper is nearly a must for all RPL clubs.

Potential Additions: None very likely, as Spalletti will not waste his time or money attempting to find another keeper when the position is nearly concrete. If Borodin is not a suitable backup, youth squad netminder Nikolai Zabolotny should receive a promotion.

Players Departing: Kamil Contofalsky (AEL Limassol).

Position Grade: B. Malafeev is anything but flashy, but he gets the job done.

Fullbacks

Overview: On the left, the sky blues have a lot of question marks. On the right resides the surest spot of anyone in the entire lineup. Right back and captain Aleksandr Anyukov is easily the best at his position in the Russian Premier League. He provides both solid defense and the ability to join the attack any time he is in the starting 11.

The first-choice left back, Korean international Dong-jin Kim, has had a bout of bad health recently and could not finish the season. Although he plays with passion and skill, he left a large hole in the defense during his absense. His two replacements, veteran Radek Sirl and 24-year-old Slovak Tomas Hubocan, had mixed results.

Sirl, while his defense was no liability, proved that he has lost a step and isn't half as effective attacking as he once was. Hubocan couldn't be more opposite. His defense has been questionable ever since he arrived at Zenit, but he has always been a little too giddy to try and push the play forwards. But Hubocan has gradually learned and can also play on the right side if Anyukov is unable.

Versatile midfielder Roman Shirokov has also been forced into duty at left back, although with nearly no success.  

Potential Additions: Andrea Dossena (Liverpool).

Liverpool and Rafa Benitez has been looking to sell several players in order to raise money to spend elsewhere, and Dossena is on the chopping block. He has seen little playing time at Anfield and has badly damaged his career since joining Liverpool in July 2008. The former Italian first-choice left back is a prime target for Spalletti.

With another target, Juventus left back Cristian Molinaro taking a loan to Atletico Madrid, Dossena seems like the winner.

Players Departing: None.

Position Grade: B-. Anyukov is the star, but a left back is desperately needed for the 2010 season. While Dong-jin Kim will be able to play some of the matches, he can not play in them all and looks to be a better second-half substitute at this point.

Center Backs

Overview: What appeared to be the strength of the club at the beginning of 2009, 2010 looks quite a bit different.

When injured Belgian Nicolas Lombaerts returned from an extended injury problem, nobody truly knew what they were going to get. But under Anatoliy Davydov, Lombaerts went from a backup to completely irreplaceable in a matter of weeks. The 24-year-old began to reach the level of excellence that was expected of him when he joined the club in 2007.

He scored the biggest goal of his career when he headed home the winner against Spartak Moscow on the final matchday of 2009 to propel Zenit into the Champions League. But the left-footer has made equal strides defensively as well.

Fernando Meira proved to be the next best choice at center back, but his age and temperament was his undoing. Injuries forced him out of action at the end of the season and he always seemed to be a few minutes away from getting carded. The Portuguese defender will turn 32 in June and hasn't found the fountain of youth yet.

But that's where the depth ends. Normally useful Croatian defender Ivica Krizanac only managed to play at half his former level and was a defensive liability on numerous occasions.

Shirokov has also tried his hand at the position, but to the surprise of nobody, had almost no positive results.

Potential Additions: Younes Kaboul (Portsmouth), Pablo Ibanez (Atletico Madrid).

It's no secret that Portsmouth is begging for money and need to sell players. Younes Kaboul is one of them. Although he would not come at a cheap price, Spalletti would have about €10-15 million to sign him. It would be awful difficult for Portsmouth to decline that number, and Kaboul would pair with Lombaerts for a very productive back line.

Pablo Ibanez has seen his playing time at Atletico drop significantly since 2008 and only has six appearances in La Liga in 2009. Tomas Ujfalusi and Juanito have seen the bulk of the time, and Luciano Spalletti could potentially offer him a €2-3 million raise from his current contract, which expires this year.

Players Departing: Possibly Ivica Krizanac.

Position Grade: C+. Lombaerts is the leader with Meira providing solid play, but depth is desperately needed. Spalletti will use as much money as needed to bring in reinforcements.

Defensive Midfield

Overview: In all honesty, defensive midfield has been Zenit's best position consistently over the past several years. With Igor Denisov and Anatoliy Tymoschuk, the stars have been there, as well as depth. Although Tymoschuk has moved on to Bayern, Igor Denisov has been named an assistant captain and has earned his spot as the first choice defensive midfielder for the Russian national team.

Although not his position, Konstantin Zyryanov is a more than capable defender and can play central midfield or defensive. By position, Roman Shirokov is able, as well as Victor Fayzulin. 

An entire host of Russian players have the position sealed off.

Potential Additions: None.

Players Departing: None.

Position Grade: A. Talent, depth, and experience. This spot has it all.

Attacking Midfield

Overview: However deep the defensive midfield may be, Zenit has a wide wealth of attacking options through the midfield, both central and on both wings.

Portuguese star Danny will be returning from injury and remains on schedule to participate in February training camp. The void he left as a central midfielder was enormous, as his creativity was never replaced at any point during 2009.

On the wings feature a trio of Alessandro Rosina, Szabolcs Huszti and Vladimir Bystrov. By any definition, a potent and possibly deadly attacking force. From the moment he arrived in St. Petersburg, Bystrov couldn't stop scoring, netting six times in six games while showing off his world-class speed. Rosina should prove to be even more effective under Spalletti and build off his initial success in a new city.

Huszti will most likely be moved to a substitutes role, but that hardly means he won't see the field. The free-kick specialist proved his immense value with pinpoint passing and will see a fair share of starts. When he does not start, he figures to be a second half substitute on a weekly basis.

Aleksei Ionov remains buried on the depth chart, but he can be a more than effective player when called upon, especially as an 80th minute substitution. Highly talented 19-year-old Anton Sosnin attracted attention from several Serie A clubs in December, but the youth star chose to remain in St. Petersburg and hopes to make his senior side debut in 2010.

Potential Additions: None.

Players Leaving: Igor Semshov (Dinamo Moscow).

Position Grade: A+. Luciano Spalletti will sleep like a baby knowing he can wake up with this many midfield options to work with.  

Strikers

Overview: Where to start. Over the past few years, every player who has lead the club in scoring has departed. Arshavin is now in London. Pavel Pogrebnyak now plays for Stuttgart. Aleksandr Kerzhakov plies his trade with rival Dinamo Moscow. Now, Turkish striker Fatih Tekke is as good as gone, making his return to his homeland.

In fact, of the four strikers that were a part of Zenit's roster in 2009, only one remains on the roster. That's Sergei Kornilenko, a pure center forward with very limited uses. He is the classic case of a man playing himself out of a starting role. He had every chance to succeed as the replacement for Pogrebnyak, but his total lack of speed proved to be his undoing.

The only striker even remotely capable of starting appears to be hyper-athletic 20-year-old Pavel Ignatovich, who continues to devour the youth level. He led Zenit's youth side to a Russian Championship in 2009 with 18 goals and is hungry to make his league debut after getting a taste of Europa League action under Davydov.

But one man is nowhere near enough for Zenit or Luciano Spalletti.

Potential Additions: Mirko Vucinic (AS Roma), Paolo Guerrero (Hamburg), Eder Citadin Martins (Empoli), Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Tottenham Hotspur).

Vucinic appears to be the most likely candidate. While Spalletti was at Roma, he had a great relationship with the Montenegrin national, who now appears to be the odd man out with Roma's loan of Luca Toni. Vucinic however, will not be cheap, but any pricetag under €25 million is a price that must be paid.

Paolo Guerrero was a target of Zenit during the summer, but a move never came through. Dick Advocaat was very high on the Peruvian assault force, and Zenit should still be. Another man that nearly any price must be paid for his services.

Eder Citadin Martins, also known as Eder, is a hitman for Serie B side Empoli. The 23-year-old has caught the eye of Zenit command with two straight impressive seasons in Italy, and would serve as a backup option. A pairing of Eder and Ignatovich is a salivating duo for the future, with a tremendous combination of speed and athleticism.

Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko have also been linked with the club, but a move of either of them to St. Petersburg would be unexpected.

Players Leaving: Fatih Tekke (Trabzonspor), Mateja Kezman (end of loan from Paris Saint-Germain), possibly Sergei Kornilenko (Tom Tomsk).

Position Grade: D-. It would surprise nobody if Spalletti added 2-4 strikers during the winter transfer period, and he will have as much money he needs to add depth at the position.  

Have a different opinion? Who do you feel Zenit should sign in the January transfer period?

The waiting is over. The suspense is history.

After nearly a half year since Dick Advocaat was fired by Zenit management, the largest question surrounding the club has been answered.

Former AS Roma manager Luciano Spalletti has been tabbed, by a unanimous board vote, to be the next manager of the Blue-White-Sky Blues. Although Anatoliy Davydov was offered a formal contract earlier, Spalletti now takes over full time managing duties of the club that recently became Russia's third and final participant in the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League.

Spalletti agreed to a three-year deal to go to St. Petersburg. Those three years will also mark the first time that he has ever managed or played outside of Italy. His objectives are very straightforward—win the domestic title, establish annual success in European competition, and help young local players reach the senior squad.

The 50-year-old had a very productive run with AS Roma during his tenure with the capital club. He was the Serie A Coach of the Year in 2006 and lead Roma into the knockout rounds of the Champions League. He also lead the club to two consecutive Coppa Italia titles in 2007 and 2008.

Although he experienced some struggles with Roma late in his career, his innovative offensive tactics will be remembered for a some time.

But his new task is quite different. He becomes the second Italian member of Zenit St. Petersburg, and the second bald-headed one at that. Former Torino midfielder Alessandro Rosina transferred to Zenit during the summer. 

"Spalletti will be welcomed here as he is a well-known international coach. It's great to have another Italian around the team, he is one of the best coaches around, " Rosina told Sky Sports Italia . The talented midfielder scored in his first match with Zenit and was also named Player of the Month in August.

While Spalletti absolutely carries a tremendous record of excellence, success in major leagues around Europe hasn't necessarily translated into victories in Russia. During the 2009 Russian Premier League season, four well-known managers were dismissed—Michael Laudrup, Dick Advocaat, Zico, and Juande Ramos.

The final two of those were both fired by CSKA Moscow.

But there is no question Spalletti can succeed with Zenit. His popular 4-2-3-1 formation is very similar to what Zenit played for the majority of the 2009 campaign. But in order for the system to have it's best effect, there is one piece from his formation that is still missing:

A true striker.

Four men have tried their hand up front, with nobody having true success. Pavel Pogrebnyak began the season well, but it showed very quickly that he missed the services of the departed Arshavin. 32-year-old Fatih Tekke ended up leading the club in scoring, but he faded tremendously over the latter part of the season.

Sergei Kornilenko was a total failure and Mateja Kezman seemed to need a partner up front to help out.

For Spalletti, this is the first order of business during the winter transfer period. However, he might not have to look very far. Hyper-athletic 20-year-old Pavel Ignatovich registered 18 goals for Zenit's youth squad, helping them win the Russian title. That makes two consecutive double-digit goal seasons for him, and it is almost painfully clear that he has nothing left to prove with the youth side.

But regardless, Spalletti already has a terrific foundation to work with. As it stands now, Zenit's 2010 starting line is already something to be proud of.

Goalkeeper: Vyacheslav Malafeev

Defense: Aleksandr Anyukov (C), Fernando Meira, Nicolas Lombaerts, Dong-jin Kim

Defensive Midfield: Igor Denisov (A), Konstantin Zyryanov

Attacking Midfield: Alessandro Rosina, Danny, Vladimir Bystrov

Striker: Pavel Ignatovich

The squad can also improve with anybody else who Spalletti manages to lure to St. Petersburg this winter. He was limited by Roma's finances later in his career, but that will not be the case with Zenit. Backed by natural gas giants Gazprom, the club has no shortage of money and Spalletti will not be limited in how much he can spend to get the right players.

However, nobody will be questioning the character and credibility of Spalletti. The biggest question will revolve around the man that quite possibly lost his job for no reason, Anatoliy Davydov. Why was he not allowed to stay on?

Davydov, after all, did lead the club from eighth place in the league into a Champions League berth next year. He also did wonders for the club defensively, with nobody benefiting greater than central defender Nicolas Lombaerts, who truly blossomed under Davydov. When Lombaerts returned from injury, he went from a substitute, to a starter, to completely irreplaceable all in a very short period of time.

Although Davydov lost his job as manager, it is not all gloomy skies for his future. He will be staying with the club, possibly as an assistant. After all, there still are a number of Russians on the team who don't speak English all that well.

But it's a new day for Zenit. A brand new stadium in 2011. A new world-class manager. And many reasons to have hope for the future.  

Chelsea-Arsenal. Real Madrid-Barcelona. Two matchups that would make any true football fan salivate profusely.

Four of the world's best clubs going head-to-head. But a rivalry dipped in hate that certainly flies under the radar a bit are two of the most successful Russian clubs, Spartak Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg. It's a rivalry that seems to grow in strength every year, this one being no exception.

When Vladimir Bystrov made headlines in the summer, transfering from Spartak back to Zenit, fans were up in arms. For several different reasons.

Spartak fans loathed the weath of the Gazprom-backed Zenit side, who had just snatched one of their best players in the heat of their title pursuit. Meanwhile, Zenit supporters shared mixed reactions, some welcoming him back with pride but others jeering him zealously because of his actions as a member of Spartak.

And it's never a rivalry without sky-high implications.

While Spartak already locked up a Champions League berth for the 2010-11 season and second place in Russia, Zenit needed three points to stay in third place if they wanted a chance at Europe's highest level of football.

To begin the match, Zenit would be wearing black arm bands, honoring the victims of a train bombing that killed 26 passengers en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The tragedy effected the families of several Zenit youth players.

A very edgy beginning to the match, as everyone expected, saw midfielder Szabolcs Huszti take a yellow card only four minutes in. This surprised absolutely nobody at the Petrovsky Stadium, as referee Stanislav Sukhina has a history of awarding more cards than he probably should, especially to Zenit players. Under his officiating, Zenit averages about five yellows, a red card and a half per match.

Both sides flying around the pitch almost figured someone would score in the first ten minutes, but it would not be the case. Spartak missed it's pair of chances, both trying to get premier striker Welliton into the match.

Although the tempo toned down a bit after the initial track meet, the tempers did not. Both sides continued to "feel each other out" defensively, trying to figure out what their counterparts could or couldn't do.

But a controversy struck in the 43rd minute, as Huszti was awarded his second yellow card of the half. After winning a free kick in the attacking third, Huszti wanted to get a quick start and flipped a pass ahead to Bystrov while Spartak was hardly set. Sukhina blew the play dead, called Huszti over and showed him a red card for the seemingly bookable offense.

So far, the three cards that Sukhina had awarded, two to Zenit and one to Spartak, all of them had been on aggressive tackles that were absolutely worth a booking.

However, sending a key player off for a fast re-start of play in a match with implications of the Champions League, makes nearly no sense whatsoever. When Zenit captain Aleksandr Anyukov and his assistant Igor Denisov went to protest, even the majority of the Spartak players seemed confused about the decision as well.

Huszti is unmercifully sent off.

But that was that. Huszti was done and Zenit was reduced to 10 men just before half time.

Only nobody told veteran Konstantin Zyryanov. After failing to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, the 32-year-old scored one of the biggest goal in his Zenit career, taking a perfect free kick that Spartak keeper Soslan Dzanaev only saw at the last possible second. And with one incredible stroke of luck, the blue-white-sky blues ran into the lockers with a 1-0 advantage.

Zyryanov celebrates his thunderous strike.

But, as Anatoliy Davydov well knew, one goal was hardly enough to beat a high-octane offense like Spartak down a man.

To begin the second half, Davydov pulled off ineffective Turkish striker Fatih Tekke in favor of former Chelsea hitman Mateja Kezman, who nearly had an immediate impact. Taking a pass and slicing through the Spartak defense, he only missed by a few yards to the wide side of Dzanaev.

Even with 10 men, Zenit was carrying the play through the midfield and forcing Spartak's offensive-minded backline to defend. On the fifth corner conceded by the men in red, Zenit finally capitalized. An unusual source, central defender Nicolas Lombaerts headed home from five yards out, looking very much like fellow Belgian backliner Thomas Vermaelen of Arsenal.

Just like that, the locals had a two goal advantage.

Following the goal, Spartak boss Valeri Karpin made a strange substitution, taking off attacking midfielder Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, who had a fairly productive match through the first 55 minutes. But, Karpin's itch was correct. Immediately after Owusu-Abeyie came off, Spartak started to look like the offensive juggernaut everyone imagined they would up a man.

But no matter, they could not crack the nut that is Vyacheslav Malafeev. A rare occurance, he was not picked as one of the best three keepers in Russia.

Making save after save, none more spectacular than stealing a goal away from Ibson, who couldn't believe his rotten luck inside the box.

In pursuit of an opening goal, Spartak quickly became frustrated. Three seperate players were handed yellow cards, all coming in the attacking third of the field. Not only were they handing possession back to Zenit to clear, but seeing valuable time evaporate off the clock.

But as soon as Champions League fever began to spread throughout the stadium, substitute defender Malik Fathi poaches a goal past Malafeev on the far post, giving Spartak life and silencing the 21,000 strong in blue.

Just like that, 2-1.

Luckily, it was just too little, too late for Spartak. And like they were crowned champions, St. Petersburg was utopia as they knew their beloved club would be headed back to the UEFA Champions League.

Malafeev embraces goalkeeping coach Nikolai Vorobiev.

Match Notes

Zenit finishes the 2009 campaign with 54 points, its highest point total since the club won the UEFA Cup in 2007-08. Although Lokomotiv Moscow also finished with 54 points, the men from Petersburg carried a better goal differential.

Aleksandr Anyukov, Konstantin Zyryanov and Vladimir Bystrov were all named as the best at their respective position by the RFU for 2009. Igor Denisov, Igor Semshov, and Fatih Tekke were also named to the Top 33 list.

Zenit will almost surely be in the market for a new striker during the winter transfer period, as it is widely speculated that Tekke will return to Turkey next season. However, 20-year-old Pavel Ignatovich, who recently won the Russian youth title for Zenit, could see considerable playing time in 2010.

By guiding the club back to the Champions League, the search for a new manager may have finally ended. Anatoliy Davydov is the man for the job.

Exactly 25 years ago to the date, Zenit St. Petersburg claimed the club's first ever Soviet First Division crown.

But on the anniversary of that historical date, Zenit once again was able to witness a trophy presentation. Except it wasn't captain Aleksandr Anyukov lifting the Holy Grail of Russian football, it was their worthy opponents in Rubin Kazan.

In late July, the two sides played to a wildly entertaining 0-0 draw at the Petrovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg. Zenit, who saw Georgian defender Dato Kvirkvelia take two consecutive yellow cards in a matter of five minutes, pushed for the winning goal nearly the entire second half.

Then-manager Dick Advocaat threw everything forward, but his men were unable to find the golden touch.

But the new-look Zenit, now led by former defensive midfielder Anatoliy Davydov, found themselves out of title contention after a draw with cellar dwellers Spartak Nalchik and a loss in the snow to FC Moscow. Although they were not able to win the Russian title, a spot in the Champions League was still up for the taking.

For the second meeting, neither team was at full strength.

Zenit was missing half of the back line, with Dong-jin Kim unavailable and Fernando Meira still making a recovery. Rubin would not have the services of Argentinian striker Alejandro Dominguez, who was restrained from the pitch due to his contract.

Although the first half of play was a bit sloppy at times, the play and tempers picked up just before halftime. Zenit keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev came out of his cage to win a ball away from Rubin leading scorer Alexander Bukharov, but in doing so, also caught him in the neck with a spike. Appropriately awarded a yellow, but the two sides swapped words in the process.

It all exploded just before the whistle.

Zenit striker Fatih Tekke thought he won a ball from Rubin captain Sergei Semak, but Semak didn't see it the same way. And when Tekke held the ball away from him, the pushing and shoving started.

All 22 players converged outside the Rubin box for an exchange of pleasantries. When the dust settled, Tekke as well as Anyukov and Kazan center-back Roman Sharonov were awarded cards.

In the second half, Kurban Berdiyev came out with a different, but intelligent plan. Knowing well that four different Zenit players were carrying the baggage of a card, his marching orders were quite simple—drive right at Zenit defenders.

With the addition of Petr Bystrov (no relation to the speedy Zenit winger), Rubin began putting on a demonstration of how to win free kicks but make a mess of their execution.

In a matter of 10 minutes to follow the restart, Berdiyev's men earned five free kicks from just outside the box. But each time, they were unable to challenge Malafeev despite having a shot from a very promising position.

Rubin was carrying the vast majority of the play, with 65 percent of possession time. But Zenit was still finding ways to navigate through their normally stout defense. The only thing that was missing was a finish.

Davydov made a very puzzling substitution as Rubin began turning up the pressure. He chose to remove striker Mateja Kezman, who was having a quietly solid match, in favor of Igor Semshov .

It has nothing to do with Semshov. He has proved to be a far better option when coming off the bench as a substitute. But why not take off the already carded and completely ineffective Tekke? Nearly every time he had touched the ball, it resulted in a Kazan defender swiping the ball from him.

As the match pushed on, Rubin was begging for a goal. After a rather reckless challenge by Konstantin Zyryanov, Rubin had more corner kicks. Except every time Christian Ansaldi attempted his corner, the ball never failed to find Zyryanov. Three consecutive times, Zyryanov simply just dumped the ball away without Rubin even having a play on it.

After a now-patented 90th-minute substitution by Davydov, the celebration was on in Kazan even though the game ended scoreless.

A few minutes earlier, news had reached the Central Stadium that CSKA Moscow defeated in-city archrival Spartak. CSKA striker Tomas Necid gunned the Army Men through 3-2, officially ended Spartak's dream of capturing the title.

For Rubin Kazan, the title is their second in seven years of competing in the Russian Premier League.

For Zenit, the Blue-White-Sky Blues sit on 51 points and in 3rd place, thanks to goal differential over Lokomotiv Moscow. But in order to qualify for the Champions League, the schedule does them absolutely no favors. With one matchday left, they must host the league runner-up Spartak in St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, Lokomotiv heads to Khimki, a relegation side that has lost 14 straight matches and hasn't earned a point since July.

But if there is any comforting factor, is that Khimki earned a rare draw at Lokomotiv Stadium on the first matchday of the season, a venue where the Engine has been nearly unstoppable.

Taking over as a manager halfway through a season is never an easy task. Taking over as a manager halfway through a season and replacing the most successful coach in club history makes for an incredibly challenging job.

But Anatoliy Davydov, the most capped player in Zenit history, received that call after UEFA Cup-winning manager Dick Advocaat was removed due to a string of horrific performances by the club.

When he took over on August 10, he was in a tricky spot.

In 10 days, his club would travel to Portugal for the first of a home-and-home playoff in the new Europa League.

Except things did not go as planned and Zenit crashed out with a 1-1 draw at the Petrovsky Stadium, having a place in the group stage stolen away by a final minute equalizer that stunned the crowd.

Questions of Davydov's effectiveness already started to surface and management brought in two Italian specialists for interviews, Roberto Mancini and Luciano Spalletti as potential replacements. But no agreement was found with either man, and Davydov remained at the helm.

Almost unfairly doubted, Davydov kept his nerves and silently continued a fine display of coaching as he led the team to six straight wins after falling out of the Europa League.

Part of that streak included a 2-0 victory over Champions League rival CSKA Moscow, a victory that propelled Zenit into a spot in Europe's premier football exhibition themselves.

However, Davydov has faced a new challenge as injuries continue to mount.

Center-back Fernando Meira, Left-back Dong-jin Kim, play-maker Alessandro Rosina, and valuable substitute Szabolcs Huszti have all suffered some sort of injury, shortening Zenit's bench considerably and forcing normal bench players into unexpected full-time action.

And, it couldn't have come at a worse time.

Just as the team was putting serious heat on the top two, Spartak Moscow and Rubin Kazan, the injury bug struck and snuffed out any realistic chance of a domestic championship.

Davydov's streak was also broken, as the team fell in the snow to FC Moscow, the first league match that he failed to earn at least a point. With four new starters and a weak bench, Davydov ran out of viable options.

Now, with three matches left in the season, can Davydov finish the job and guide Zenit back to the Champions League?

His road is not an easy one.

After hosting Terek Grozny, the team faces the leagues 1-2 punch, travelling to Rubin Kazan and then finishing the season with arch-rival Spartak Moscow. It's an ending that could be all-or-nothing for Zenit, as anything less than three points can be considered a defeat.

But to date, Davydov continues to mix with his formations and players. Every week, he trots out a new lineup and alters his tactics ever so slightly.

In his first couple matches as a manager, he wanted to encourage youth. Young U-21 striker Pavel Ignatovich received his first senior team appearance under Davydov, in the Europa League as well. The call-up was well deserved, as the 20-year-old has celebrated 17 goals in 23 starts for Zenit's second team. Although he technically did not score, he did put the ball in the net, only for it to be questionably flagged for offsides.

But no sooner did he get youngsters Aleksei Ionov and Russia U-19 star Maksim Kannunikov into action, he changed his mind again and forgot about the youth movement. It's all about the veterans and only veterans now.

He has experimented in formations from a 4-6-0 to a 3-4-3 and everything in between. He's been predictably unpredictable and cemented his status as a man that isn't a fan of a consistent strategy. If no strategy is a good one, Davydov has directed organized chaos because quite simply, nobody has a clue what strategy he'll call on next. 

With all the mixing and matching of players and tactics, there has been one that suits Davydov's liking from the beginning. Zenit's primary focus must be on team defense, which is nothing truly surprising coming from a man who played 26 years of professional football as a defensive midfielder.

Make no mistakes, Davydov is a class act, always well-versed in speech and has an undeniable wealth of knowledge. Just maybe he was better suited to manage the reserves, a task he had done superbly well in the past several years.

But results were coming. With a full compliment of defenders, Zenit posted a streak of four consecutive shutouts and allowed one goal or less in eight straight matches.

However, his true test as a manager, is not how badly he can thrash relegation side Khimki or Kuban Krasnodar.

Zenit needs three points against the two best teams in the league.

While a Europa League berth is well in hand, the supporters and players expect more. With the recent Champions League triumphs of Rubin and CSKA, two clubs that Zenit has had modest success against, the confidence factor is not a major problem.

"We need to win three games, very difficult matches. But difficult, not impossible. If Spartak wins the Championship at Petrovsky, this would be a disaster." said Belgian center-back Nicolas Lombaerts.

Lombaerts should get a boost this weekend if fellow center-back Meira is ready to play once more after injury, as the two defended extraordinarily well as a tandem under Davydov, playing a major role in the shutout streak.

But, before Zenit can think about dethroning Rubin, they must get a result at home against a rugged Terek side that beat the Blue-White-Sky Blues 3-2 earlier in the season.

Either way, the next three matches will likely decide whether Maxim Mitrofanov must find a new coach in the offseason or handsomely reward Davydov for his performance.