As you know, on May 2, after defeating Moscow Lokomotiv (6: 1), Zenit St. Petersburg became the Russian football champion for the third time in a row.
However, even before the start of the championship, few doubted its outcome. And nevertheless, the Russian (and not only) public hastened to congratulate the team on the new success.
So the coach of the Russian national football team Stanislav Cherchesov said: “My congratulations to the players, coaches, managers and all fans of Zenit on the third victory in a row in the Russian championship. Absolutely deserved gold medals won by well-coordinated team actions, where each player knew his place on the field and showed the best qualities".
Former footballer and successful coach Valery Gazzayev drew attention not to the merit in this success of the team of its coach Sergei Semak. This is especially important because until now Zenit won under the guidance of only foreign coaches - two Italians and one Portuguese:
“Semak is undoubtedly growing as a coach, and now it is very important for him to establish himself in the international arena, especially since there are all the possibilities for this, this is what all Russian football is waiting for. Semak from the younger generation. I would like more Russian specialists to achieve success and show good results. And then the leaders of the clubs will invite less foreign specialists, this is important".
State Duma Deputy Nikolai Valuev was the first to congratulate the team from the Russian bureaucracy:
Zenit head and shoulders above everyone else? This is a fait accompli. Will Zenit show itself in European competition? We hope so every year. I love everything related to Zenit. But why our teams at the level of European cups look, to put it mildly, incomprehensible - I cannot say. It seems that there are enough legionnaires, but it's hard for me to understand..."
It is precisely the circumstance that Zenit, smashing everyone recklessly for the third time in a row, flew out of the prestigious Champions League in disgrace and keep in mind all the congratulations to the team.
A longtime Zenit fan, sports journalist and TV commentator Gennady Orlov, is not discouraged about this, in his opinion, the main thing is participation:
“Should Semak stay? It will be funny if they do not continue to cooperate with him. He coped with the main task. Became the champion. Yes, I could not get out of the group in the Champions League, but he got there! And this is already serious money - about 20 million euros. Replenished the club's budget. No, no, Sergey Bogdanych is growing as a coach. And this is very nice..."
But Orlov's colleague, sports journalist Konstantin Alekseyev, has a completely opposite opinion:
“Is Zenit so strong or so weak are the competitors? There can be no two opinions - the Russian championship has weakened, and the level of resistance has fallen. And the performances of our clubs in European competitions confirm that the RPL has made a big step back..."
He is echoed by the publicist of the Neurotik channel, recalling that Zenit becomes the champion from year to year at the expense of Russian taxpayers, whose money the state company Gazprom spends generously on football self-promotion:
“St. Petersburg“ Zenith ”brought Moscow“ Lokomotiv ”into one wicket 6: 1 and formalized ahead of schedule the third consecutive Russian championship, which was obvious from the first round. None of the competitors have such a resource as Gazprom, and, accordingly, there is no such quality of the composition. Let us remind you that the media ambitious Spartak was carried by the St. Petersburg team into the same wicket without any options - on the pitch. So, in a purely sporting way, Zenit's championship is fair: he really is better than all the other participants in the Russian football championship.
And there is no reason to believe that in a year it will be somehow different: unless only if Lukoil bargains with the hegemon for a concession to the 100th anniversary of its Spartak. But this is hardly about football.
Therefore, in the fall, our delegates, led by the national leader, will again crap in Europe..."
Well, the solution to this state of affairs is very simple. Journalist Kirill Shulika recalled her:
“The fact that Zenit will be the champion was clear even before the first round. Putin is the president, Zenit champion..."