Azmun left. But another Berdyev’s pet comes to Zenit

“Cesar Navas thinks for the team. Usually a player thinks only for himself, and Navas is capable for the whole team.” In this short description, which Kurban Berdyev once gave to his beloved defender, the coach himself is fully revealed, who evaluates players, primarily defenders, with the ability to think. It is not known what categories Nuraly Alip, Berdyev’s current player, thinks in, but the fact that everything is fine with the guy’s head is 100 percent. Berdyev simply would not have sent another one. And a bright mind is able to help a lot now, when a football player has a wide step on the scale of football class.

 

Of course, Kairat looks like an even more dubious source of reinforcement for Zenit than Ural or Krylia Sovetov. Even in the championship of Kazakhstan, the 29th league according to the UEFA coefficient table, “Kairat” finished only third last fall, and in the Conference League group with rivals from Switzerland, Cyprus and Azerbaijan took the last place with two points. Zenit also faces the task of getting out of the Champions League group. Is it possible for a player to make such a leap in skill?

Only time will give the answer. In the meantime, it remains to rely on the fact that there can be no accidental patronage from Berdyev. And Sergey Semak knows this like no one else — after all, he himself once came to St. Petersburg from this coach. And in general, the newest history of Zenit is being written with the active participation of Kurban’s pets – from Alejandro Dominguez to Serdar Azmun. And the departure of the Iranian seems to open a vacancy in the St. Petersburg composition for the next representative of this colorful galaxy.

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At the same time, it is worth bearing in mind such a nuance: not every arrival from his team means his recommendation. Let’s say Elmir Nabiullin moved from Rubin to Zenit in February 2018, but Berdyev had nothing to do with that. Moreover, he dissuaded the player, believing that he was not ready. And he was right: Elmir suffered in In St. Petersburg for a year and a half and already left the club under Semak. The accuracy of the master’s eye has received another proof — only, if you like, proof from the opposite.

However, it is not entirely true to call Alip a pupil of Berdyev, since they worked together for less than six months: the coach appeared at Kairat in the summer of 2021, when the footballer had already played three seasons there. Many other specialists participated in the formation of the player. Berdyev, rather, put the finishing touches, but in a serious matter it is the little things that often turn out to be decisive

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So, Semak, of course, took into account Alip’s ability to play in different models: before Berdyev, Kairat practiced a scheme with two central defenders, then switched to a three. For the Zenit coach, such universalism is extremely relevant. In the autumn, the team found itself in a kind of clinch: on the one hand, the speed qualities of Lovren and Rakitsky were no longer enough to ensure reliability together, on the other hand, they never played in the top three at all. And Chistyakov rarely performed the scheme with three defenders before. So the principles of the game in a different formation had to be studied right along the way, which, of course, responded with balls in their own goal. That’s why tactical versatility now looks like a starting bonus for Alip.

However, Semak did not try the troika for less than a month of training camps — there were not enough people. We played a couple. Although in an ideal world, this is probably how Zenit should play. Alip looked decent, especially in the last of the sparring matches, against Midtjylland. Of course, it’s not about scoring a goal, although he added a touch to the overall picture. But still more important is the direct functionality of the defender – the destruction of other people’s attacks and the beginning of their own. As it turned out, the guy has a very good first pass — from the left, like Rakitsky. It’s too early to talk about a complete analogy, but the prospects are obvious.

 

 

As for defensive qualities, Alip is faster than Zenit veterans. At the same time, he was always considered literate positionally. Now at the training camp, however, it was possible to doubt it at times, but this is more from ignorance of the subtleties of team settings. At least, having flashed, then tactical mistakes disappeared.

And Alip also has a character that is so necessary in his specialty. Although this is not even a purely gaming issue. Nuraly had already lost both parents by the age of 12 — too harsh, but the most reliable life training. Which, among other things, makes it possible to think that he is not being put off even now, when moving to a completely different sports level.

Well, we remember: the guy should be with his head. Another could not come from Berdyev.

Read also:
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