Sergei Semak is Zenit new manager

Sergei Semak is Zenit new manager

Sergei Semak has become the new manager of Zenit Saint-Petersburg, having signed a contract with the club for two years with an option of extension for one more season.

The 42-year old manager spent three years in Zenit camp from 2010 to 2013. After that Sergei Bogdanovich was a part of the team’s managerial staff for three years. In 2014, the former footballer was appointed by the club management as an acting head coach after Luciano Spalletti. In the first match under Semak’s management, Zenit minimally lost the derby to CSKA Moscow and after that defeated Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League round of 16.

The last place of work for the manager was Ufa, in which he spent two years as a head coach and took the team to the Europa League qualification. In nine years of club’s existence, the Citizens did not manage to get higher than the ninth place. However, thanks to Semak, Ufa’s side took the seventh position at first and sixth next year. Apart from a productive work in Ufa, Zenit president Sergei Fursenko noticed Sergei Bogdanovich because of his experience in the white-sky-blues structure. Zenit management didn’t hide that apart from Semak, the considered contenders for the post of the head coach were Paolo Fonseca, Jorge Sampaoli, Marcelo Gallardo and Mauricio Sarri. The latter refused the move to Saint-Petersburg due to a possible place of work in Chelsea, therefore the only option was Semak.

Later Fursenko noted the tasks, with which the new manager will face after the fifth place in the championship, unsuccessful transfer campaign and the third year with the Champions League participation,

“the primary task of Sergei Bogdanovich will be Zenit’s comeback to the Champions League. If we talk about the resources, at first he needs to figure out the household, he currently has.

We do not have any special requirements. I will repeat, Sergei Bogdanovich must figure out the situation, which is in the club.”

It will be difficult for Semak to figure out Augean Stables, left by Roberto Mancini. The purchases of Argentine footballers did not work out for cooperation with the manager. The new manager will face language barrier between footballers. Semak built a game by 5-3-2 formation, copying Antonio Conte’s formation in Chelsea. Will he be able to build something similar in Zenit is still in question. However, the management doesn’t have a choice only to trust the manager and expect the results of his work.