Zenit St Petersburg

On July 18, Arsenal star forward Emmanuel Adebayor decided to sign with cash-rich Manchester City for a reported £25 million, a contract that would keep him with City for five years.

But the true boiling point for Arsenal came this past weekend, when Adebayor faced his former club for the first time, scoring in a 4-2 victory in front of the home fans.

His goal celebration, as it has already became infamous, had many Arsenal fans utterly enraged, to say the very least.

Now imagine the thought of Adebayor returning to Arsenal in three or four years of tormenting his former club. Would the Gunners accept him back into their ranks? Should they accept him back, if he expressed a desire to once again play for Arsene Wenger?

For each individual, the reaction could be completely different. Some may say yes, if Arsenal is struggling and they feel as if Adebayor would give their team a boost in the table. Some would protest adamantly against the move, feeling he has done enough damage and they do not want him back.

For Zenit St. Petersburg, we already know the reaction.

In the summer of 2005, local talent Vladimir Bystrov was sold by the club to archrival Spartak Moscow, a move that had many fans outraged. Bystrov was a favorite of many, and as he was only 21 at the time of the move; he certainly had the potential to improve greatly.

His first game against his former club followed a similar plot as Adebayor, just not so dramatic.

Bystrov wasn't disliked immediately, as it was not his choice to go to Spartak. But his actions quickly made him a hated man. He would point to the Spartak logo on his jersey, kiss it, and do his absolute best to draw cards against his former teammates.

This new-look Spartak side jumped ahead of Zenit and several other teams to finish second in the league. Bystrov also led Spartak to second-place finishes in the next two years as well, including a Champions League Group Stage berth in 2006-07.

Bystrov and manager Valeri Karpin celebrate.

However, on Aug. 27 of 2009, Bystrov was signed by Zenit St. Petersburg on a five-year contract.

Zenit had gone through a very rough summer, losing its coach, captain, and leading goal-scorer in a matter of weeks. The team also lost playmaking midfielder Danny early in the season, when an injury forced him out of action.

The club was slumping badly and had only won once in the previous five matches, including losses to cellar-dwellers Tom Tomsk and Terek Grozny, as well as a draw with 10-man Rubin Kazan at home.

It was time for divine intervention.

So, the club responds by giving caretaker Anatoliy Davydov several new weapons, including Torino captain Alessandro Rosina, former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, and Bystrov.

The fans were very pleased with Rosina and Kezman. Especially Rosina, who earned his own nickname after the first match and was named Player of the Month in August, despite being a second-half substitute in nearly every game.

The reaction to Bystrov, however, has been almost at the point of a civil war between fans.

Bystrov's first game back in a Zenit uniform was against one of the worst teams in the Russian Premier League, Khimki. Although the game was played in the Moscow suburb, many Zenit fans made the trip to show their displeasure toward the re-signing.

Ten men in blue. You can guess who the 11th is.

Many fans brought signs displaying messages of hatred. Many fans also booed him any time he touched the ball. They also harshly booed him after he scored Zenit's second goal of the game, giving the Sine-Byelo-Goluboy a 2-0 advantage. After seeing these actions, the club, Bystrov, and other fans had words of choice.

Igor Denisov, one of Bystrov's best friends from the time when he played for Zenit, spoke his mind rather quickly after the match. In an interview with Sports Day, Denisov said "My friend deserves the right to play for Zenit and is worthy of normal relations."

Second, Bystrov himself also came out to explain his perspective on the move.

"I liked Spartak. But I always wanted to return home to Zenit and Petersburg," he told Sovietsky Sport. He also made reference to his wife nearing childbirth, and revealed her desire to move back to St. Petersburg. The fans however, still remain divided on the situation.

So Bystrov's second game with Zenit approached, this time it was at the Petrovsky Stadium, in another must-win situation against Rostov.

Zenit scored in added time, just before the halftime whistle blew, courtesy of veteran midfielder Konstantin Zyryanov, but it was only because of a slick pass from Bystrov that found Zyryanov wide open in the middle of the box. As he headed to the lockers, chants of "Bystrov! Bystrov! Bystrov!" were incredibly audible from the one end of the stadium.

Similar chants continued into the second half, and Volodya put home his second goal in as many games. But this time, he ran straight toward his many detractors with outstretched arms, showing off his old Zenit jersey with pride.

Гооооооол!!

And with that goal, the jeers were drowned out by a massive ovation.

But the war continues. Zenit is 2-0-0 with Bystrov in the starting XI, outscoring opponents 6-0 in those two matches. Suddenly, the team that was dead and in eighth place in the league has rocked into fifth.

The team may be one unit, but the city is divided.

Now let us fast forward to the future, say 2011. And Arsene Wenger wants to bring Adebayor back to the Emirates. Which role would you play in the signing? The role of an accepting fan, who believes Adebayor would help, or the fan who never wants to see that man in an Arsenal uniform ever again?

Adebayor and Bystrov are two completely different men. One is powerful, the other is a speed demon. One is African, the other is a Russian. But in a few years, they could share the same fate.

Arsenal, we know how you feel. 

When Vladimir Bystrov found out that he was heading back to Zenit after a four-year stay with archrival Spartak Moscow, he must have been humming a familiar tune.

I see skies of blue, clouds of white,

Bright blessed days, dark sacret nights.

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!

Bystrov rejoined former teammates in goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev and good friend Igor Denisov. And not 48 hours after bringing him back from Spartak, Bystrov was immediately inserted into Zenit's starting lineup when they traveled to the northwest Moscow town of Khimki.

How the mighty have fallen. Not even four years ago, Khimki reached the Russian Cup final, where they were defeated at the hands of UEFA Cup champions CSKA Moscow.

Now, the club have only won two times in 20 matches in the Russian Premier League and carry the worst goal differential by a large margin.

But Zenit weren't exactly striding into Rodina Stadium on top of the world, either. With only one victory in their last six league contests, the Sky Blues also limped out of UEFA Europa League play at the hands of CD Nacional earlier in the week.

Sitting in eighth place courtesy of Saturn Moscow's annihilation of Terek Grozny on Saturday, Zenit badly needed three points if they had any aspirations of making a late climb in the table.

Anatoliy Davydov would be very proud.

From the opening of the match, chants of "Sine-byelo-goluboy, Hey! Hey!" rained down from the very vocal Zenit supporters who made the journey east. Meanwhile, whatever Khimki fans did show up were drowned out in their own stadium.

Much as the Zenit crowd controlled the environment, the players did their job and dominated from opening kickoff. Alessandro Rosina was finally inserted into the starting 11, but it was Bystrov who made an early impact.

An audacious deep feed from Konstantin Zyryanov had Bystrov off to the races and, as Khimki keeper Mikhail Kamarov came out to challenge him, the speedy midfielder tried to lob him.

The only problem was the field felt like playing extra bouncy today, and the ball jumped over the net and left Bystrov hanging. Literally.

As Maxwell Smart would say, "missed it by that much."

But, no fear. Zenit continued on the attack, pressing for an all-important first goal. They had conceeded early goals in many of their last matches, including one in the second minute against Amkar Perm two weeks ago.

A few chances came here or there for Khimki, who was struggling for possession. Young Jamaican striker Errol Stevens had the best opportunity on goal, but missed far left and Malafeev didn't even need to make a save.

The visitors would finally get that breakthrough in the 24th minute when Zyryanov drove into the box and dumped it off to Turkish striker Fatih Tekke. Tekke dribbled to the left, created some space, and then fired a shot past Kamarov, who had nearly no chance.

That makes three goals in the last three matches for Tekke, who has been substituted off in two of those.

Russia coach Guus Hiddink was also in attendance for today's frivolities, most likely taking a close look at the form of his players as Russia will take the field at the Petrovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg on Sept. 5. Zenit now fields six players from Hiddink's roster.

Khimki was booked for an aggressive challenge—a trend they have practiced all afternoon and finally got penalized for.

Igor Semshov had a superb chance before halftime but smashed it off the post. Kamarov was beaten once more but got saved by the woodwork. Not an easy play for Semshov either, as he needed to kick the feed out of the air.

Half Time: Zenit St. Petersburg 1, FC Khimki 0.

As the players took the field again, Zenit made it completely obvious that they had no intention of keeping that score.

Four minutes in, it was Zyryanov feeding Bystrov—and this time there was no mistake. Bystrov took the pass in stride, zoomed past three defenders and deposited it past a helpless Kamarov. The goal set an incredible standard.

Each of the three players who have joined Zenit this summer—Bystrov, Rosina, and Sergei Kornilenko—have all scored scored in their debut match.

If Khimki had a chance of making the contest respectable, that soon went out the window.

A yellow card to Sebastien Sansoni for an aggressive tackle began a string of horrific events for the locals. A few minutes later, Yevgeny Gapon was issued his second yellow of the afternoon, effectively ending his outing. A red card was the last thing Khimki needed.

A third goal seemed like it would wrap things up.

This time, it was Rosina. Zyryanov fed him down the left side where Khimki defender Yuri Kirilov attempted to trip him up, but Rosina just kept going and fired a missile top shelf.

Yow.

Rosina might not be the world's largest midfielder at 1.68m tall (5'6"), but he does not shy away from physical play at all, and more often than not just plays right through it.

Adding insult to injury, Khimki took another red card in the 83rd minute as Sansoni was again booked for hauling down Bystrov. This time it was in the box, but no penalty was awarded. Khimki manager and former Zenit director of sports Konstantin Sarsania doesn't even waste his time to protest.

As the match comes to an end, one final embarrassment for Khimki is in order. Bystrov once again attacked, but this time attempted to feed it back to substitute Roman Shirokov. How unfortunate. The pass takes a detour off Khimki defender Maksim Zinoviev's foot and into the back of the net.

Final Time: Zenit St. Petersburg 4, FC Khimki 0.

Match Notes

• See what happens when Rosina starts?
• Shortly after the match, it was announced that Zenit had signed Serbian striker Mateja Kežman on a loan from Paris Saint-Germain. The veteran brings a talented scoring resume, after playing with PSV, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Fenerbahçe.
• The three points were a necessity today, and the team played like it.
• Zenit will now have a week off from Russian Premier League play, as the national team plays host to Liechtenstein and then travels to Wales for two World Cup qualifiers.

Player Ratings

GK Malafeev: 6. Made the two saves he needed to. Apart from that, a very simple day at the office for No. 16.

D Anyukov: 6.5. Played great defense and also had a few chances on net. Should have made it five late in the game.

D Meira: 7. Dominated Khimki attackers alongside fellow centerback Nicolas Lombaerts.

D Lombarts: 7.5. Can't ask for much more from a centerback.

D Kim: 6. Although he played most of his time in the midfield, he was never truly tested defensively. Gave the ball away twice too many times. Made a couple nice runs.

M Denisov: 7. Silent but ruthlessly effective in his return.

M Rosina: 8. A force all afternoon. Khimki couldn't catch him or take the ball from him. Bagged his first Russian Premier League goal, after his first came in Cup play.

M Zyryanov: 7.5. Showed off not only his defensive abilities, but also his passing touch as he picked up two assists on the afternoon. Showed no signs of fatigue despite playing the entire 90 minutes.

M Semshov: 6. Wasn't at his best as he missed a few chances, but didn't need to play his best. Played smart while on the pitch and never turned the ball over.

M Bystrov: 9. He was unstoppable.

F Tekke: 7.5. Another solid performance from the Turkish striker. Played 50 minutes, scored, and left the pitch in style.

Substitutes

M Shirokov: 6.5. Jumped on in favor of Semshov late in the game and was a major factor in the final goal.

M Huszti: 6. Delivered a few heart-stopping balls, but never made a huge difference. Provided great relief for Denisov.

F Kornilenko: 5. Not effective, again. If he did one thing right, it was constantly drawing a defender to him and allowing more space for midfielders to operate.

When Vladimir Bystrov left Zenit in 2005, the move left many supporters incredibly confused.

It wasn't so much that Bystrov had moved on after playing his entire career to date in St. Petersburg. It wasn't so much that he was a local lad. It wasn't even that he was consistently the best player on the field for Zenit.

He was sold to archrival Spartak Moscow.

Wonder, shock, even anger flooded command. How could they do this?

But four years later, Maxim Mitrofanov has attempted to correct the mistake made in 2005, by bringing the speedy midfielder back home. Bystrov signed a deal for five years, that would keep him in the Northern Capital until summer of 2014.

In a statement to www.fc-zenit.ru, Mitrofanov admits that Zenit made a mistake in selling him to an enemy. But he also said that Bystrov had also expressed a desire to return back to Zenit. A first attempt in 2006 to bring him home failed, but this time around, the price was right.

"Bullet Bystrov" will join Zenit but it is unknown whether he will be available to play at Khimki on Sunday. He will wear squad No. 34, and replace 32-year-old midfielder Fernando Ricksen on the roster, who was released shortly after the move was made to return Bystrov.

For many though, they question this move as well. Bystrov is certainly a fine player and is one of the fastest players in Europe.

Why?

Why bring him back now? Couldn't the nine million Euros have been put to bringing in a skilled striker instead? The fact is, that Zenit has an incredibly deep midfield already and will only get deeper when Danny returns from injury in a month or so.

Are they planning on fielding a 4-6-0? With Igor Semshov, Konstantin Zyryanov, Igor Denisov, Szabolcs Huszti, Roman Shirokov, Alessandro Rosina, Radek Sirl and Danny all at midfield, where on Earth does Bystrov fit in? He's no striker.

If the last week has been any indication, the squad as a whole is aging and feeling the effects of playing too much.

For two of the older midfielders, Zyryanov and Semshov, both have basically been playing twice a week for the past month. With Europa League competition, Russian Premier League play, and national team service, neither of these veterans have had a minute of rest.

Not that they complain about it.

But especially in recent matches against CD Nacional and Lokomotiv Moscow, both have looked out of gas. But who else can bring the skill and precision that they do to the field?

Vladimir Bystrov.

Besides bringing incredible speed, something that Zenit lacks on the whole, Bystrov can relieve either one when needed and not lose anything on the pitch. It can be said that a team is only as good as their bench. Zenit now not only has one of the most talented starting 11 in the Russian Premier League, but its deepest bench too.

Bystrov would be an ideal second-half player, who could come on in favor of either Zyryanov or Semshov after halftime and reek havic on tired defenses.

In a league that enforces the 6/5 Rule, having another skilled Russian-born player on the roster is a gigantic help, especially Zenit recently lost Pavel Pogrebnyak to Stuttgart. And maybe most importantly, Zenit know exactly what they are getting with this transfer.

He not only grew up in front with Zenit, but has played well against Zenit while with Spartak.

In other transfer news, Zenit has apparently set its sights on Chelsea outcast Andriy Shevchenko once more, confident that they will bring the former Ballon d'Or recipient to St. Petersburg. They are also willing to outbid other clubs, including Shevchenko's first club Dynamo Kiev. 

Now about Alessandro Rosina and the whole starting 11 thing...

The objective for Zenit St. Petersburg is simple really.

Win, or they are out of the UEFA Europa League. After falling 4-3 in Madeira to Portuguese side CD Nacional, they are not exactly attempting to overcome Himalayan mountain.

For the longest time, the match appeared to be headed for a 4-2 victory for CD Nacional. But in the 93rd minute, heroics from Turkish striker Fatih Tekke brought Zenit within one, and more importantly, kept the Petersburgers at an arm's length.

A one goal deficit is obviously, much easier to deal with than a two goal margin.

But regardless how it looks on paper, the team must find a way to win at the Petrovsky Stadium tomorrow evening, and win without conceding four goals. For a team that has only won once in their last six Russian Premier League matches, this could be a potential problem.

Anatoliy Davydov's starting 11 should also be reasonably different than the one that made the 3000 mile trek to Madeira. Defenders Dong-jin Kim and Ivica Krizanac have returned from South Korea and Croatia.

Midfielders Konstantin Zyryanov and Igor Semshov are well-rested, and 20-year-old Aleksei Ionov made a successful return from injury over the weekend.

The Petrovsky faithful, knowing the situation, will do anything it can to will the team to victory.

Here is the projected line-up (4-4-2 formation).

Goalkeeper: Vyacheslav Malafeev. The Russian international has been shaky at best over the last few weeks, but he will most likely be in net once more. After apologizing to the fans for a mistake that cost Zenit three points this past weekend against Lokomotiv Moscow, Malafeev is as focused as ever.

Defenders: Aleksandr Anyukov (C), Fernando Meira, Nicolas Lombaerts, Dong-jin Kim. Anyukov has easily been Zenit's best and most reliable defender over the season. Ivica Krizanac will also be on the bench and could get into the match, but he has not played in weeks so it is unlikely.

Kim was very good in his return over the weekend, showing superb pace. Lombaerts, since making his first appearance of the season back in July, has got better with every start.

Midfielders: Konstantin Zyryanov, Igor Semshov, Alessandro Rosina, Szabolcs Huszti. Zyryanov and Semshov are aging, but are still game-changers. Rosina has been so good in his last few matches that he simply must start one of this importance. Huszti is now an automatic to pencil in.

Igor Denisov will also be available to play, but it is questionable after sustaining an injury in the last match against CD Nacional.

Forwards: Fatih Tekke, Pavel Ignatovich (pictured above). Tekke has made it a very easy decision for Davydov that he needs to start. With two very solid outings in a row, he is playing as well as ever. 20-year-old Ignatovich has never started for Zenit, but he will now. After a superb week of practice and scoring 20 seconds on against Nacional, even though it was called offsides, he has proved to be ready.

A prolific goal scorer who has netted 11 times in 16 appearances for the Zenit U-21 squad, his speed will be of much use in countering CD Nacional's pace. Belarusian Sergei Kornilenko will also be available.

Recent Performance

Zenit is 2-1-2 in it's last five games. CD Nacional is also 2-1-2. Zenit played to a one all draw at the Petrovsky this past weekend with Lokomotiv Moscow, while CD Nacional visited FC Porto and lost 3-0.

Players To Watch

Zenit St. Petersburg

None other than Alessandro Rosina. "Rosinaldo" has been phenomenal thus far while playing for Zenit, and is now in top form. Since joining the team in late July, his performance has improved as he has adjusted to St. Petersburg.

CD Nacional

Although they lost Nenê in the offseason, young midfielder João Aurélio looks to step up in his place. Aurélio has already scored twice in three matches, and presented problems any time he touched the ball.  

Notes

Of other importance, the summer transfer window is approaching very quickly and Zenit are becoming desperate for new players.

They have been in contact with Tottenham Hotspur about acquiring Roman Pavlyuchenko and are believed to have a deal in place that would bring bullet attacking winger Vladimir Bystrov back to St. Petersburg from Spartak Moscow.

Zenit St. Petersburg have come to a point in the season where every point counts, and wins are absolutely necessary at home if they want to finish in the top three.

After a somewhat disappointing trip to Madeira in the UEFA Europa League, the team headed back home to St. Petersburg where they met 6th-place Lokomotiv Moscow. A victory at home could possibly vault Zenit two places in the standings, from 7th to 5th, also assuming Rubin Kazan could beat Dinamo Moscow.

But, for a number of players on the team, this would be their fourth match in 10 days. Seeing a few new faces in the lineup would not be completely unexpected. Which brings up the first one of many.

Did he honestly do that?

When caretaker Anatoliy Davydov named his starting 11 for the match, it had nearly no changes at all from the group that faced CD Nacional on Thursday. And the changes he did make, would not help the players who needed a rest the most.

Dong-jin Kim made his return at right back, as he rejoined the team for the first time in a couple weeks. He had been slightly injured in a South Korean friendly. But all of the Russian internationals who had played four matches would still be playing once more.

It's not even that they can not play that much. At over 31-years-old, Igor Semshov and Konstantin Zyryanov don't exactly have the freshest of legs.

However, Davydov has done a fine job since replacing Dick Advocaat. When he filled out his lineup card, he did get one thing right, and that was evident early.

Did he honestly do that?

Yes. He used a 4-4-2 formation, inserting two strikers into the lineup for the first time in months. Now in Stuttgart, Pavel Pogrebnyak had been the lone wolf up front for the longest time, with Fatih Tekke providing late relief. Since "Pascha" has left, Belarusian Sergei Kornilenko has seen the brunt of time, to varying results.

The more aggressive formation had to have fans happy, as a 4-5-1 can only be so exciting when trying to win matches.

Mount Rushmore, headed by Dick Advocaat.

As the match began, Lokomotiv showed their intentions immediately. Counter-attack with speed and create problems for the larger Zenit center backs. But then, once more, not even nine minutes into the match, it happened again.

Did he honestly do that?

Yes he did. After a short corner, Lokomotive went on the attack from the right of Zenit keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev, and fired a low shot from an acute angle. Malafeev misplays the shot, allowing it to ricochet off his fingers and straight to the awaiting Lokomotiv striker.

Early advantage for the visitors. Wagner has never scored an easier goal in his entire life.

For the fourth straight match, Zenit had conceeded the first goal, and doing so quite early on to make it worse. The goal also marked another horrific display of goaltending by the normally stout Malafeev.

But once again after allowing the early goal, Zenit bounced back admirably. Lead by Semshov and Hungarian Szabolcs Huszti, the attack began to shift into the Lokomotiv third of the field. Kornilenko has a brilliant chance, thanks to Huszti, but he is unable to finish.

Quite honestly, it was a very difficult play to make and only a few strikers could have effectively taken a high-bouncing ball like that and deposited it over the head of a rushing keeper.

Huszti is a machine.

He sprints to the corner after the ball, steals it from Russian international Renat Yanbayev and delivers a wonderful cross from the corner. This time there is no mistake. Tekke violently heads it past Lokomotiv keeper Guilherme, and the match was tied! GOOOOOOOAAL for Zenit!

Pyrotechnics galore at the Petrovsky.

Tekke has now scored twice in four days, as he also notched the third goal in the 93rd minute against CD Nacional.

The terrific build up by Zenit finally lead to something. It had to have been 15 minutes of excellent attacking football with tantilizing opportunities. If Tekke had not been on the field, who knows whether it would be a tied match.

Yanbayev is having all sorts of problems now.

Newly returned right back Dong-jin Kim flies down the field, showing how fresh his legs are, and forces Yanbayev to drag him down from behind. Can't do that, says the referee. Zenit barely misses on the following free kick.

Half Time: Zenit St. Petersburg 1, Lokomotiv Moscow 1.

Now, one has to wonder, why have no substitutions been made? Zyryanov, Semshov and Anyukov all look like they are playing in sand. Fatigue is an honest problem.

But the two sides will continue with no substitutions yet.

Semshov suddenly has life again! He breaks lose inside and has an angle on goal, but just misses a few feet to the right. Lokomotiv averts a crisis there. He was shooting for his sixth goal in the past four games.

He knows he can't cover Semshov the Spectacular.

Lokomotiv is now carrying the play, but another Russian international, Dinayr Bilyaletdinov, takes a rather stupid yellow card. Malafeev is up to the task on the next few Lokomotiv shots, but honestly, none are even remotely difficult.

Then Lokomotiv brings on Euro 2008 hero, Dmitri Torbinsky in the first of their defensive substitutions. The addition of Torbinsky and subtraction of striker Osaze-Odemwingie shows that boss Yuri Semin is perfectly content in leaving the Petrovsky with a draw.

And finally the moment everyone was waiting for.

Alessandro Rosina mercifully replaces Kornilenko, and his fresh legs make an immediate difference. Not even a few minutes, he makes a spectacular run from midfield all the way in, darting past defenders, but just can't find the touch to bury it.

It's been some time since the Zenit faithful was treated to that kind of display.

With ten minutes left in the match, Rosina makes another fantastic run, but this time is hauled down in the box and awarded nothing for his efforts. The referee must have accidentally swallowed his whistle.

Semshov is also substituted off, in favor of 20-year old Aleksey Ionov, who is making his first appearance since injuring his ankle against Terek Grozny. And all of a sudden, he shows a tremendous Rosina-like acceleration, zooming past defenders, but he can't get a shot on net. Ugh.

Ionov has not scored this season for the senior club. Seeing him bag a game-winning goal would have been special.

In the final moments, Davydov again shows his desire to continue Zenit's youth movement, bringing on 18-year-old striker Maksim Kanunnikov in favor of Tekke. A terrific ovation for the Turk.

Final Time: Zenit St. Petersburg 1, Lokomotiv Moscow 1.

Match Notes

• It's about time Kamil Contofalsky took his turn in net. Malafeev has not been solid for four straight games now after returning from injury.
• If Rosina had been in the starting lineup for the entire match, it's very unlikely that it ends in a draw. He created more scoring opportunities in 20 minutes than anyone on the field had previous to that, on either team.
• The need for a new striker has been amplified even farther after today. It isn't a want any more. It is an absolute necessity if the club has any aspirations of placing in the Champions League.

Player Ratings

GK Malafeev: 4. For lack of better words, he cost the team three huge points. He made a few decent saves but once again let in a weak goal.

D Kim: 6. Nice return for the South Korean. Brought much needed fresh legs.

D Lombaerts: 7.5. Was solid if not spectacular defensively. Might have even been his finest game in St. Petersburg.

D Meira: 6.5. Partially responsible for the Lokomotiv goal, but after that, did not yield an inch to Sychev.

D Anyukov: 6.5. Understandably gassed. But still found ways to contribute even if he was not a major part of the match.

M Shirokov: 6. Nothing spectacular, just filled in well for the injured Denisov at defensive midfield. His height presented problems for Lokomotiv.

M Zyryanov: 6. Also running on fumes. Had less touches than normal, but if anyone on the team needs a day off, it's him.

M Semshov: 6. Cooled down after his amazing hot streak, but was still a force when he received the ball. Still should have scored, but his miss wide is understandable. Could also use a day or so off.

M Huszti: 7.5. Once again, the main reason Zenit scored. Very dangerous from the corner and a very hard worker.

F Tekke: 8. Dominant. Scored, created and needs to be on the field.

F Kornilenko: 4.5. Another sub-par performance.

Substitutes

M Rosina: 8. Awesome when he was on the field. Could have been the difference if only he had a little more time.

M Ionov: 6.5. Did very well in his return. Had some room for improvement, but showed flashes of brilliance. His youth may just be what the team needs.

M Kanunnikov: N/A.

All photos are credited to www.fc-zenit.ru

As the pigeon flies, St. Petersburg lies nearly 3,000 miles to the east of Funchal. By a long shot, the distance marks the farthest Zenit has had to travel in a European league in some time.

Still nothing in comparison with the trans-continental travel to Vladivostok in the Russian Premier League last season, the island of Madeira sits 500 some miles off the coast of Morocco. Small island, small stadium, and a few very small footballers make up the Club Desportivo Nacional.

Or just, CD Nacional.

Zenit St. Petersburg once more found themselves travelling to a far away nation to begin their conquest of the UEFA Europa League and this time, faced a very unknown foe. With a full compliment of Brazilians and Portuguese players, CD Nacional brought in a very different look than any team in the RPL.

Except for one problem. The match was not being broadcast on any television station in Russia. So Russian fans would have to endure watching Amkar Perm take on Fulham.

Anyways.

Zenit started the match well, and quite honestly should have scored in the sixth minute when both Szabolcs Huszti and Igor Semshov were robbed of an early goal. Absolutely no luck at all. A sparse crowd for the locals, under 4,000 oddly enough, for one of the biggest matches in club history.

But the ones that did show up, came in style, playing drums all through the evening. Semshov should have silenced them.

Now it was Nacional's turn, and Vyacheslav Malafeev was up to the task, blocking away several free kick attempts. Captain Aleksandr Anyukov takes a very questionable yellow card on a tackle from the Turkish referee. That's no time for a card.

Agony for Zenit. Nacional draws first blood in the 30th minute when Wellington delivers a nice corner kick. Goal for Luis Alberto. Terrific execution for the home team, not much to be done about that.

Only a few moments later, Zenit races upfield and Roman Shirokov has scored!

Oh wait. No he didn't. He was offsides apparently. And earns a yellow card for appealing the referee's decision. A wonderful ball from Huszti goes from ecstasy to horror in a matter of seconds.

But apparently, lightning does strike twice in Madeira. Just as Zenit are gaining some momentum, Nacional strikes at the speed of light.

Youngster Joao Aurelio bags his second of the young Portuguese Liga season, Malafeev had very little chance at stopping that. The Sky Blues are shot.

A few minutes before halftime, Konstantin Zyryanov motors forward, only to have the ball swiped by Leandro Salino. It's unlikely that Zyryanov even saw him, he looks every part the 15-year-old Brazilian kid. But he could not clear it out and Semshov locks and loads, firing a missile from just outside the box.

Goooooooooooal!

And finally, Zenit gets on the board, but that should not have been the first. A superb strike from a man who has been unstoppable over the last week, scoring goals at every level of competition.

Both sides head to the lockers after a very entertaining final 15 minutes of action. Would we see another comeback by Zenit, similar to the one in Perm only five days ago? 

Half Time: CD Nacional 2, Zenit St. Petersburg 1.

Zenit begins the second half, aggressive in CD Nacional's defensive third, and earns a corner kick. Huszti delivers dangerously once more, but it is mishandled by the goalkeeper! Only Shirokov could bury it, but he misses the attempt, and a moment that looked so juicy all fizzled out sadly.

Where Zenit fails, CD Nacional sees an opportunity. And what was Shirokov's finest opportunity of the match, the Portuguese attack in numbers and overwhelm the defensive box. Malafeev makes the first save, but he has no chance of keeping the second one out.

Three-1 for Nacional, Rodrigo Silva deposits the lazy ball into a wide open net. More drums.

Nacional then makes a substitution, bringing on Nuno Pinto in favor of Nejc Pecnik, a very defensive change. But Zenit jumps all over the suddenly passive Portuguese side and look to respond immediately.

And it is! Igor Semshov, again! It pinballs around in the box, bounces off Hubocan and comes straight to Semshov, who has scored for the fifth time in his last three matches.

Now, on come Alessandro Rosina and Fatih Tekke, in favor of Huszti and Sergei Kornilenko. Huszti has been excellent, while Kornilenko, not so much.

But then came the moment that nobody outside of Madeira wanted to see. Nacional breaks away on a counter attack, lead by Ruben Micael, and his execution was flawless. Malafeev's was not. 4-2.

Matching now injury with insult, stout defensive midfielder Igor Denisov goes down with muscle problems. After being attended to, he tries to give it a go, but it's no good. The leg is in too much pain. He is now substituted off in favor of Pavel Ignatovich.

Wait, who?

Twenty-year-old Ignatovich has never played in a match for Zenit's senior squad. Welcome to the Europa League, kid.

As the match continues, it is looking less and less likely that Zenit will be able to muster a third goal. Nacional is doing it's best to take time off the clock and nearly adds another themselves, but fails in doing so.

But in the 93rd minute, a Turkish hero may have just saved Zenit. And no, not the referee. Fatih Tekke takes a pass from Portuguese-native Fernando Meira and emphatically heads it past the keeper. A one-goal deficit is much easier to overcome than two. And three goals on the road is excellent in a two-legged playoff.

Full Time: CD Nacional 4, Zenit St. Petersburg 3.

Match Notes

1. Why was Tomas Hubocan starting the match? He had not seen action in months and was now expected to play at a very high defensive level.

2. Despite losing, Zenit knows what it must do now. Heading back to St. Petersburg for the second leg of the playoff, they must defeat Nacional by at least one goal. Scoring three times on the road should be enough to send them through in case of a tie.

3. Vyacheslav Malafeev has been anything but spectacular since returning from an injury. Kamil Contofalsky should get serious consideration to starting both against Lokomotiv Moscow on Sunday and the final leg with Nacional.

4. Alessandro Rosina coming off the bench is nice. But having him in the starting lineup would be nicer.

5. Zenit have now scored seven goals in two matches under Anatoliy Davydov. A preview of things to come? Quite possible.

6. Even though they have been filling the net, it's not because of Kornilenko. Zenit's lone striker has been isolated and unused in the matches he has played under Davydov. He needs the chances to have the ball and make things happen.

Вперёд за Питер.    

First Leg Kick-Off: August 20, 2009. 21:30 CET, Estadio de Madeira, Funchal, Portugal.

It's only been 15 months since Zenit St. Petersburg won the UEFA Cup in Manchester last May, but the team is considerably changed since then. A new champion has already been crowned and over half of Zenit's starting lineup from that final has departed.

Zenit now travels far west to take on Portugal, but are no strangers to the Iberian Peninsula. The Russian outfit feature two Portuguese players, although only one will participate in the match, being central defender Fernando Meira (pictured above). The club also started it's run to the 2007-08 UEFA Cup by defeating Villareal in a two-legged playoff.

Under the command of new boss Anatoliy Davydov, Zenit has only played one match, a venture to the Urals against fellow Europa League team Amkar Perm.

Although Zenit conceeded two goals in the first 15 minutes playing on a very awkward turf field, the team bounced back to score four unanswered goals en route to a fairly easy victory.

Zenit, despite the summer losses of captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk to Bayern Munich and striker Pavel Pogrebnyak to Stuttgart, could possibly have more depth than before. Only several recent injuries have hindered that.

For CD Nacional, a very different story.

They have not made an appearance in European play since the fall of 2006, where they crashed out of the UEFA Cup to Rapid Bucharest. They could also be facing a very large disadvantage as well, due to the fact that the Portuguese Liga is in its second week while the Russian Premier League is in midseason.

Twenty-goal scorer Nene has also departed, heading to Serie A side Cagliari and still feature an incredibly young side, made up nearly entirely of Portuguese or Brazilian players.

Nacional however, turned in a very solid opening week performance, scoring an early first-half goal against Sporting Lisbon, but ended up with a home draw for their efforts.

Recent Form

Zenit St. Petersburg

August 16 - Amkar Perm 2-4 Zenit St. Petersburg (Russian Premier League)

August 9 - Zenit St. Petersburg 0-2 Tom Tomsk (Russian Premier League)

August 5 - Zenit St. Petersburg 2-1 Nizhny Novgorod (Russia's Cup)

August 2 - Saturn Moscow Oblast 2-2 Zenit St. Petersburg (Russian Premier League)

July 25 - Zenit St. Petersburg 0-0 Rubin Kazan (Russian Premier League)

CD Nacional

August 15 - CD Nacional 1-1 Sporting Lisbon (Portuguese Liga)

May 24 - Sporting Lisbon 3-1 CD Nacional (Portuguese Liga)

May 17 - CD Nacional 1-0 Pacos de Ferreira (Portuguese Liga)

May 10 - Porto 1-0 CD Nacional (Portuguese Liga)

May 2 - CD Nacional 3-1 Benfica (Portuguese Liga)

Lineups

Zenit Projected 11: Malafeev, Shirokov, Meira, Lombaerts, Anyukov, Denisov, Rosina, Zyryanov, Semshov, Huszti, Kornilenko

CD Nacional Projected 11: Bracalli, Tomasevic, Pinto, Patacas, Wellington, Salino, Aurelio, Cleber, Pecnik, Anselmo, Amuneke

Leading Players

Igor Semshov has been dynamic over the past several matches. Between the Russian national team and Zenit, he has scored three times in the past two matches and could have had five or six in that span.

Zenit goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev, since returning from an injury in a friendly in Austria, has not played his best football. He has allowed several soft goals, including a very poor goal that lost Zenit two points at Saturn Moscow.

For CD Nacional, 21-year-old midfielder Joao Aurelio looks to take another step into leading the team. He got off to a hot start, scoring in the 28th minute against Sporting Lisbon.

Prediction

Both sides bring something different to the table. Nacional brings vast youth, pace and flair while Zenit will probably be the most tactical and crisp side that they will face all season. The speed of Nacional could give Zenit some problems, but they will also have to play solid defense, something the inexperienced back line is not known for.

Final Score: CD Nacional 1-3 Zenit St. Petersburg

Oh, how quickly fortunes can change in the world of club football.

Only a few weeks ago, Zenit St. Petersburg were dead and buried, sitting 10 points back of Rubin Kazan in the Russian Premier League. Under Dick Advocaat, the club put together a string of horrific performances that not only prompted the Dutch tactician's firing, but the departure of center forward Pavel Pogrebnyak.

But one man may have changed the luck of everyone.

Nearly three weeks ago, Torino captain Alessandro Rosina decided to leave Serie A and become the first Italian to ever bear the kit of Zenit St. Petersburg. The playmaking midfielder not only scored on his debut at the Petrovsky Stadium, but scored in a most magnificent fashion.

It is also very true that once a door is opened, more people will come—and this might be the exact case for Zenit. As it turns out with the club scouring the Apennine Peninsula, perhaps not just one Italian will be heading east this summer.

The search for a new manager began even before Advocaat was sacked. When he accepted to leave Zenit at the end of the year to manage the Belgian national team, club president Maxim Mitrofanov wanted to keep his options open.

Even a former player in Aleksandr Kerzhakov had a suggestion for who might do well as Zenit's new manager when he tipped that ex-Sevilla boss Juande Ramos would be a good fit.

Since then, Zenit has looked at candidates as widespread as Azerbaijan's manager to Sven Goran Eriksson. But now, the race seems to have become far more serious as Advocaat has now gone.

The sights are now firmly set on former Internazionale manager Roberto Mancini. The club directors have lauded his abilities and thought very highly of the style of football he wants to play. It turns out, Mancini is also looking to get back into a job. After winning three straight Italian titles, he could not replicate that success in European play.

As he has eloquently stated: "I have not signed any contract, but the project is interesting."

Interesting indeed.

By taking over Zenit, Mancini would have the command of a club that has not only found European success over the last several years, but have a great chance to accomplish even greater victories.

Although he was removed at Inter, many players still think very highly of him. So highly, that they would accept a transfer to Russia to play under him at Zenit. Two of those may be Italian left-back Fabio Grosso and Macedonian striker Goran Pandev.

Russia Today earlier reported that although the Olympique Lyonnais defender has been negotiating with Zenit for about a week now, the hiring of Mancini would surely bring him to St. Petersburg. The 32-year-old had an offer from Juventus, but he is insisting that the coach is most important to him.

The addition of Grosso would only bolster a fine defensive back line. Headed by Russian international right-back Alexander Anyukov, Zenit's defense also fields two more internationals in Fernando Meira and Ivica Krizanac.

Even if he could not make every start, he would add very valuable depth and a superb left foot.

Mancini also apparently holds the keys to another excellent piece in striker Goran Pandev. Recently, after Pandev's desire for a move from Lazio, he was dropped from the starting line by Claudio Lotito for opposing him. If a lucrative contract from Zenit was not enough to lure him to Russia, Roberto Mancini could be the final push that is needed.

The 25-year-old would have an immediate place in Zenit's line, as the club has been starved for a decent striker for a long time. Although Pavel Pogrebnyak led the team in scoring, he was extremely slow and only a force inside the box. Pandev brings many more dimensions.

However, the only kink in the final push for Mancini is that he is still under contract with Inter. But it's very doubtful that they would object to shedding his contract once and for all.

As everyone knew at the beginning of summer, the club would have a very different look once August and September came around.

But even after the losses of Anatoliy Tymoschuk, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Andrei Arshavin, and Danny to injury, it is possible that Zenit could be an even better team than they were last year when they won the UEFA Cup. 

Zenit St. Petersburg had a very emotional Friday morning, as players and fans gave former manager Dick Advocaat a heroes' send off. Thousands of fans gathered at Pulkovo Airport to see him off, and they showered the "General" with song.

Advocaat, who found more success than any other manager in club history, made sure to express his many thanks and reiterated that he would remember his time in St. Petersburg forever.

Zenit fans decked out in Dutch orange at Pulkovo Airport.

Afterwards, Zenit headed east to the Urals where they face Amkar Perm in the first match under Anatoliy Davydov. When the two clubs met earlier in the season at the Petrovsky Stadium, they played to a scoreless draw, but only five players from Zenit's starting 11 on that day would play against Amkar the second time.

But when Zenit took the field at high noon, they were sleep walking. Not even two minutes into the contest, Amkar's Martin Kushev buries the first opportunity of the match behind Malafeev. A nightmare start for Davydov, not in his wildest imaginations could that opening gone any worse.

The turf at Zvezda Stadium wasn't helping out either. Immediately, it would slow down passes and make runs more difficult.

To make things worse, defensive midfielder Igor Denisov took a rather stupid yellow card, given by Kazan-based referee Ildus Biglov.

Amkar surely had an extra jump in their step today, as they were winning almost every ball in the air and getting to the attacking third at will. Zenit are again on their heels, but get lucky when Brazilian striker Carlos Jean missed wide when he honestly should have scored.

Not that it mattered.

Amkar earned themselves another corner kick, and once more, it was the 35-year-old Kushev scoring again from inside the box to give the locals a 2-0 advantage in the 14th minute.

Neither Fernando Meira or Nicolas Lombaerts seem to have an answer for his vertical presence. He's built in the mold of a rugby player.

Zenit finally manages to regroup and refocus after going down 2-0 to a bottom team once again. For the ultras who made the trip to Zvezda, the sight looks all too familar from the performance last week that had Advocaat sacked.

They were managing to get forward at least, and looked to be more comfortable on the turf. If there's one thing to be learned about Davydov, the name of his game is "ball possession". This team looked much more disciplined and didn't seem willing to take many deep chances at all.

But if there's any advantage in going down 2-0, it's good to do it early.

Slick passing from Zenit finally opened up in the 28th minute, moving very confidently. They earned two corner kicks, and the second by Huszti bounced around in the box before Igor Semshov fired it into the back left corner. Barely out of the reach of Amkar keeper Sergey Narubin.

Semshov the Spectacular.

The lead is cut in half, but it's now hard to tell Amkar holds an advantage. They are playing entirely in their defensive third.

Amkar midfielder Vitaliy Grishin gets caught out of position and hauls Szabolcs Huszti down in the box, and the referee awards the Hungarian international a penalty shot. But it is saved by Narubin and Amkar avert a crisis.

For a few seconds anyway.

Narubin punched the low shot out of play, and Zenit had another corner kick. Huszti then instantly redeemed himself, as he delivered a nearly perfect ball inside. Igor Denisov made no mistake in depositing it behind the keeper to equalize.

Nikola Drincic can only watch as Denisov levels the match.

Very strange play from Amkar following the goal. They have already been booked twice for aggressive challenges, but continue to make the same mistake and earn two more cards in rapid fashion. One goes to the goal scorer Kushev and the other to defender Ivan Cherenchikov, who is immediately substituted off.

Zenit threatens again to take the lead right before halftime, and probably should have. Semshov again, from a very similar position as he scored against Argentina a few days ago. His missile met the far post and was cleared to safety, but Semshov had the keeper completely guessing.

Halftime Score: Zenit St. Petersburg 2, Amkar Perm 2.

After the spine-tingling end to the first half, the shirtless Zenit fans who made the trip to Perm were in an absolute frenzy. The small corner of supporters drowned out all the Amkar fans.

Saint Petersburg east.

If only Semshov could have put in his second. The tiny playmaking midfielder was already bringing back memories of Andrei Arshavin's hat trick against Amkar a few years back.

Zenit is again in the attacking third, but is unable to make anything happen right away. But it opens up again in the 53rd minute, as Konstantin Zyryanov fires and forces a save from Narubin. It is punched right to Huszti, however, and a groan from Amkar supporters as the Hungarian gets his much-deserved goal.

There were probably three players in white and blue who were unmarked in the box, it's anybody's guess as to what the Amkar defenders were doing. Narubin has every right to be upset.

Several substitutions now.

Zyryanov leaves the pitch in favor of Alessandro Rosina. The 31-year-old midfielder had played 80 minutes against Argentina a few days ago and now 70 more today, he earned his rest. But it sure is nice to be able to bring in a player like Rosina from the bench.

Sergei Kornilenko was also substituted in favor of Fatih Tekke. Kornilenko had an uneventful day, but was consistently double-teamed in the box.

Only a couple minutes after Rosina entered the match, he drives forward and draws the attention of a pair of Amkar defenders, but finds Semshov wide open in the middle. Easy pickings for Semshov's second of the afternoon, and a beautiful assist by the Italian.

Zenit is now in total command, but quite a different match from the one played at the Petrovsky in early April.

The scene got ugly for Amkar as the match came to a close, as first-half substitute Vyacheslav Kalashnikov was booked in the 85th minute for an aggressive tackle. They don't learn. But a few minutes later, he is ejected for a deliberate handball. He protests, but absolutely no chance is he winning that argument.

Final Score: Zenit St. Petersburg 4, Amkar Perm 2.

Match Notes

• After a dismal start, scoring four goals in a row would certainly have made Davydov a very happy man indeed.
• The victory was Zenit's first since July 12, when they defeated FC Moscow in St. Petersburg.
• Although the victory was over Amkar, confidence is built through victories. And the way Zenit bounced back today is enough to build a lot of confidence.
• Zenit will now head to Portugal, where they face CD Nacional for the first of a two-legged playoff on Thursday in Europa League competition.

Player Ratings

GK Malafeev: 5. Neither of the two goals were really much of his fault, but he made all the easy saves after that. 

D Lombaerts: 6. Was not a stand out but didn't have much work after the 15th minute.

D Meira: 6. Same as Lombaerts.

D Anyukov: 6.5: Made a couple impressive passes and was a major factor in the third goal.

M Sirl: 4.5: Once again, not effective at all and his giveaway lead to Amkar's second.

M Shirokov: 6: Did well on offense and was adequate defensively.

M Denisov: 7.5: Was all over the field and did a superb job shutting down Amkar in the midfield. Also added a goal off Huszti's corner kick. 

M Zyryanov: 7. The Russian international had yet another productive match. Nothing flashy, just effective football.

M Huszti: 8. Played a marvelous match. Delivered numerous dangerous balls off corner kicks, scored and earned a penalty kick.

M Semshov: 9. Scored twice and could have had three or four. A dominant force all match and Amkar never had an answer for his play.

F Kornilenko: 6. Nothing fantastic, never had many chances either. Only received one or two deep passes and controlled both well.

Substitutes

D Hubocan: 5.5. Came on in favor of Sirl and earned a rather pointless yellow card in stoppage time.

M Rosina: 7.5. Couldn't have done much more. Assisted on the fourth goal in four minutes of coming on.

F Tekke: 6. Same as the man he replaced, Kornilenko. He never had any chances to do much except providing a set of fresh legs.

All photos are credited to www.fc-zenit.ru

Recently, Zenit St. Petersburg has faced a remarkable amount of adversity. The departure of three star players; the firing of the most successful coach in club history; and of course, sitting in seventh place in the Russian Premier League.

But those struggles are to be expected with so many changes in such a short period of time.

Even with the poor performances as of late, there haven't been much better times in history to be a Zenit supporter.

In the last three years, the club has collected four trophies and put St. Petersburg on the European football map for a long time to come.

As Zenit is now a world-famous club, the command has also seen fit to scout and sign high-caliber players from around the world. Since 2000, Zenit has signed players from Portugal, Italy, Argentina, Norway, Slovakia, France, Turkey, Belgium and South Korea.

Not so long ago, that much diversity would have seemed impossible, as the club has historically only fielded Russians or players from a former Soviet Republic.

Several weeks ago, the club made even more progress, when it snatched midfielder Alessandro Rosina from the jaws of several Serie A giants. The diminutive playmaker, hailed as "Rosinaldo," became the first-known Italian to wear the Zenit St. Petersburg kit.

However, the problem of needing new strikers or finding team chemistry in the middle of a season is nothing compared to Zenit's largest problem.

It's such a problem that some supporters don't even recognize that it is one; and that there's nothing wrong with the practice at all.

Racism.

In the 84 years since the club was established at the Leningrad Metal Works, not one black or dark-skinned player has ever put on a Zenit uniform. Not one.

The modern world today has done it's best to flush out any racism in football, but no matter where it is, there seem to still be incidents with it. Zenit has always had a decent number of extreme right-wing supporters who simply would not allow the club to sign a black player.

"I realized then that in a team where the fans hold right-wing views, it is unrealistic to have players from the Dark Continent," said first-team goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev in March, after the club gave Ghanaian forward Baffour Gyan a tryout. "For me personally, the color of his skin, the amount of tattoos, pierced ears, it makes no difference to me."

Malafeev also recalled that back in 2002, he had a nasty encounter with fans at practice, where some supporters shouted horrendous things as several players gave anti-racism speeches. The goalkeeper remembers how the situation nearly turned into a brawl.

Since then, many other players have spoke out, most recently when Igor Semshov was promoting "Покажи красную карточку расизму" or "Show Racism the Red Card," to the city of St. Petersburg.

On the verge of a World Cup berth as well, some Russians need the understanding that racism is not acceptable under any circumstances.

Even the club's front office wants the 84-year-old trend to be snapped. 

When Gyan was given a tryout at the beginning of the year, it was only a start. Command has now given serious considerations to RC Lens' Ivorian striker Aruna Dindane and more recently, Mario Balotelli of Internazionale.

Although it is unlikely that either find their way to St. Petersburg, the club has taken the right steps toward erasing the "problem."

Several critics have recently spoken out, even going as far to say that Zenit "can not achieve higher European success without a dark-skinned player."

There is no denying that many African footballers possess tremendous speed, acceleration, and flair; three things missing from the Sky Blues since Andrei Arshavin left for Arsenal. But while having African players by itself does not ensure victories, closing the doors to the entire African continent is surely not a help either.

Former captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk also voiced his opinions while at the club, during the period when command was interested in Gyan.

"We must not forget to show respect to players. It is of no importance what race the player is, what is important is what he can do on the pitch. We should show the utmost courtesy to people who live and play side-by-side with us," he said at a convention in Warsaw.

So what better time to answer the "impossible question?"

As the ancient proverb says, he who hesitates is truly lost.

While Zenit has achieved monumental success in the past several years, the only way to become a true European power is by fielding a diverse squad with many players of different skills.

When the club opened its doors to Italy, there suddenly became a handful of Italian fans of Alessandro Rosina who were interested in how Zenit performed. The same principle applied when the club inked two Portuguese players.

Zenit is scheduled to open a brand-new, world-class arena in 2011. The only true way to properly commence play at the 62,000 seat facility would be to field a world-class squad as well.

Rid us of the black spot.

Вперёд за Питер.