Am afraid I bear news of a bit of a shocker this afternoon for Roberto. His Zenit team has just lost 3-0 at home to Lokomotiv in the meeting of the Russian league's top two.
No sign at half time of what was to come. Lokomotiv adopted their usual style of sitting back and hitting on the break. But Zenit dominated the goalless first half, zipping the ball around quite nicely on a number of occasions to create moments of danger. The best of was when a great cross from the left found midfielder Rigoni coming in unmarked at the far post but his guided header back across the keeper came back off the inside of the other post. Meanwhile, Loko managed only a single counter that posed any danger. Carry on like this, the pundits agreed at half time, and it's only a matter of time until Zenit convert their superiority.
A completely different story in the second period, though. Loko pressed a bit harder and more effectively while their counterattacks acquired much more menace. Zenit, meanwhile, suddenly looked much more ponderous. The first Loko goal came on 58 minutes, but despite changes in personnel and tactical switches, Zenit at no point looked as though they really had an answer.
I'm not sure you can quite call this a crisis. But after 19 points from the first seven games, the league form has dipped significantly. The RPL is now at the halfway point (15 fixtures played out of 30), and Bob has a little bit to think about.
No sign at half time of what was to come. Lokomotiv adopted their usual style of sitting back and hitting on the break. But Zenit dominated the goalless first half, zipping the ball around quite nicely on a number of occasions to create moments of danger. The best of was when a great cross from the left found midfielder Rigoni coming in unmarked at the far post but his guided header back across the keeper came back off the inside of the other post. Meanwhile, Loko managed only a single counter that posed any danger. Carry on like this, the pundits agreed at half time, and it's only a matter of time until Zenit convert their superiority.
A completely different story in the second period, though. Loko pressed a bit harder and more effectively while their counterattacks acquired much more menace. Zenit, meanwhile, suddenly looked much more ponderous. The first Loko goal came on 58 minutes, but despite changes in personnel and tactical switches, Zenit at no point looked as though they really had an answer.
I'm not sure you can quite call this a crisis. But after 19 points from the first seven games, the league form has dipped significantly. The RPL is now at the halfway point (15 fixtures played out of 30), and Bob has a little bit to think about.