Zenit head coach Sergei Semak in an interview YouTube channel Let He tried to explain why Russian players were not successful in foreign championships.
“It’s not about motivation. I think both Artem Dzyuba and Fedor Smolov have enough motivation to show their best football. The problem is that one club is suitable, the other is not suitable, the championship is suitable, it is not suitable. So, if you are losing the competition there, then other players are stronger. Everything is on the surface here,” Semak said.
Dzyuba signed a contract with Lokomotiv last season. Later, the player and the club extended the contract under the 1+1 plan. Before that, the striker played for Adana Demirspor in Turkey. At the beginning of November 2022, the parties terminated the contract.
This season, Dzyuba played 16 matches in the Russian Championship and four matches in the National Cup and scored four goals and three assists. Last season, the striker shared the title of the team’s top scorer with Izidor and Miranchuk, playing for only half of the season.
Formerly a player of the RPL club reported To the fierce cruelty of Dzyuba.