Mancini's unbeaten Russian league record continues. His team beat Ufa 3-0 tonight with the roof closed at St Petersburg Stadium following heavy rain all day. I only saw the first 20 minutes after work in a pub and hoped to watch the second half when I got home, but the missus had other ideas. In the part I did witness, they played some great stuff and scored a lovely goal; as far as I've seen this season, they're looking pretty good.
More positive news for them was that Lokomotiv Moscow lost 1-0 at home to Amkar Perm, who were bottom going into the game (but third from bottom after it). So the Muscovites are now four points off the pace, and the result drops them into third place. In second, three points off Zenit, are FK Krasnodar, who are from the south of Russia (about sixty miles inland from the Black Sea port/resort of Novorossiisk).
The other news about our Roberto is that he seems to have been at the Grecian 2000. The last picture tweet I embedded actually hints at it, and again tonight, when the camera panned in on him, there seemed to be a distinct lack of grey. On the other hand, that certainly wasn't the case in the picture he tweeted on 25 August. Or maybe the ongoing success at the start of this campaign has just rejuvenated him. Who knows? ;)
Next up - a derby in the only domestic cup competition against St Petersburg's 'second' team, perennial lower leaguers Dinamo, on Thursday evening. It's technically an away fixture but it will feel like a home game at Zenit's old Petrovsky Stadium. The teams played another cup tie 3 or 4 years ago and a second-string Zenit side won 3-1; it's hard not to imagine something similar this time.
Then it's a top-two league clash away to Krasnodar on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. You suspect Zenit would be happy with a point, but win and they'll be starting to look like champions in waiting even at this early stage.
More positive news for them was that Lokomotiv Moscow lost 1-0 at home to Amkar Perm, who were bottom going into the game (but third from bottom after it). So the Muscovites are now four points off the pace, and the result drops them into third place. In second, three points off Zenit, are FK Krasnodar, who are from the south of Russia (about sixty miles inland from the Black Sea port/resort of Novorossiisk).
The other news about our Roberto is that he seems to have been at the Grecian 2000. The last picture tweet I embedded actually hints at it, and again tonight, when the camera panned in on him, there seemed to be a distinct lack of grey. On the other hand, that certainly wasn't the case in the picture he tweeted on 25 August. Or maybe the ongoing success at the start of this campaign has just rejuvenated him. Who knows? ;)
Next up - a derby in the only domestic cup competition against St Petersburg's 'second' team, perennial lower leaguers Dinamo, on Thursday evening. It's technically an away fixture but it will feel like a home game at Zenit's old Petrovsky Stadium. The teams played another cup tie 3 or 4 years ago and a second-string Zenit side won 3-1; it's hard not to imagine something similar this time.
Then it's a top-two league clash away to Krasnodar on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. You suspect Zenit would be happy with a point, but win and they'll be starting to look like champions in waiting even at this early stage.