The young students of the academy are an irregular phenomenon within Zenit. But in winter/summer camps everything changes. The international tournament in St. Petersburg is no exception. Semak gave playing time to several players under the age of 20: midfielders Dmitry Vasiliev (they played in three games for a total of 167 minutes), Danila Kozlov (14 minutes) and forward Alexei Baranovsky (5 minutes). There were a couple other guys, but it was these three that the head coach noticed after the game with Red Star.
sergey semak
Zenith head coach
“Now we have a good galaxy of young players – these are Baranovsky, Kozlov and Dima Vasiliev. The question is very important for young players: how can they consistently perform at an adult level. It is very important to feel safe and find stability. If they play consistently and well, they’ll get playing time.”
Only Vasilyev remained from the youth for the final match with Fenerbahce. Due to Claudinho’s injury, he spent a time and a half. Kozlov and Baranovsky returned to the youth team. But in any case, such praise for Semak is worth a lot. However, this does not mean that the entire trio will start playing tomorrow at the base.
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“Obviously these are three skilled players with quick thinking. They are equipped technically, with speed,” Andrey Arshavin, Zenit’s deputy general director, told the Championship.
19-year-old Dmitriy Vasilyev already liked a lot in the first match against Neftchi – he went to midfield and performed maturely beyond his years. Various interceptions, exacerbations – everything is as it should be. In the next game with Red Star, he was generally recognized as man of the match. With Fenerbahce, he played not so brilliantly, but almost one and a half times.
“Vasilyev has been training with us since the age of six,” Arshavin told the “Championship”. – For now, he stays with the base. Therefore, we can say that from the youth to the first team, he is the closest of this trio. Although I think both Kozlov and Baranovsky can compete with certain players for a place in the first team. But there was no point in leaving them now.
Dmitry Vasiliev
Photo: fc-zenit.ru
Vasilyev used to play defense, in February 2022 he went on loan to Orenburg for almost a year and returned at the beginning of 2023. He played for Zenit-2 and is now in the main team. The player was noticed in Rostov. And in the summer they wanted to pick it up. Arshavin confirms it.
“Yes, there was an agreement with Rostov and they were waiting for a certain day when we had to give a final answer. However, it was decided that Dima would stay at Zenit with the main team, and the deal fell through. In general, he has always been a central player, then he began to play as a pivot. A year and a half ago he played in the UFL team, later in the youth team and Zenit-2, where he played in different positions. In good physical shape, he does not care where to play in the central axis. All thanks to the very high technical team”, said Arshavin “Championship”.
18-year-old Danila Kozlov attracted attention in the winter, then Semak actively used him in friendly matches, the central midfielder entered the field six times – two goals and three assists. A little earlier, the coach of the youth team Konstantin Konoplev praised him, comparing the player with De Bruyne. The progress was really impressive. For a year and a half of UFL-2, to the main team. After the restart, Semak released him in the Cup against the Volga. And regularly included in the request for championship matches.
Danila Kozlov
Photo: fc-zenit.ru
“Danya showed herself well at the base in the winter at the training camp and therefore she stayed there, she only came to play for the youth team. Honestly, in these six months he began to look worse, but I think this is due to the volume of the training process entrusted to him. Apparently, the body is not yet ready to digest it. This happens often. He is still a talented footballer, he has many good qualities that will allow him to play football. Rent? If possible. The position of the club is such that Kozlov and Baranovsky are ready to be released, and I told them so. The only thing, after the last game, he told Baranovsky not to leave, he played in the youth team for half a year. But this is in the form of a request. They have permission to rent, no one will take back the words,” Arshavin said.
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Baranovsky, like Kozlov, has been at the Zenith Academy since childhood. And last season was a breakthrough – Alexey played for the UFL-1 team and the youth team. He scored more than 10 goals everywhere. And at the end of the season he made his debut at the base – in the game with Orenburg, after which he had a little more time with Sochi.
“Last season Lyokha passed in a breath. He played everywhere for everyone and well, there were matches for the UFL teams, youth Zenit, the base. Played and marked. His progress is natural. This is a high level soccer player, he has good inclinations and talent.
Alexey Baranovsky
Photo: fc-zenit.ru
As a child, before I met him, he played as a center forward and scored a lot. When I saw him, he was already acting more often from the edge, in the last matches, in the inside position. Just as successful. He runs, he is technical, he hits well, he understands the game. It is playful, so now it is even difficult to say where it will be useful for adult football, ”Arshavin emphasized.
And here’s who the Deputy Director General singles out the most.
“A good opinion about Nikita Vershinin, we are waiting for him to mature. You may have to wait a bit longer. Bogdan Moskvichev is our goalkeeper, along with Ilya Kirsh. If it is from 2005, then it is about Kostya Voinkov, Timur Ivanov, Savely Nikiforov. Born in 2006 – Matvey Bardachev, ”Arshavin said.
