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| Wednesday, 09 March 2011 16:28 |
Danny the magnet for more Portuguese talent moving to Zenit?Russians hoping to add Vieirinha and Coentrao to successful trioAs well as reportedly on the verge of signing Vieirinha, Zenit Saint Petersburg are one of a whole string of clubs said to be chasing Benfica and Portugal left-back, Fabio Coentrao.PortuGOAL took advantage of our recent collaboration with Russian football expert James Appell to find out more about how Zenit’s current Portuguese trio are rated in Russia, and whether there was any veracity in the Coentrao rumour. “For many reasons Danny is the most popular of the Portuguese trio - mainly because of his many talents as a footballer, but also because he “grew up” as a footballer in Russia, first with Dinamo and now with Zenit, and because he speaks Russian, unlike Alves and Meira. Russians tend to like players who show an interest in Russia beyond the football pitch, and Danny certainly has made efforts to ingratiate himself in a country which can often seem impenetrable to foreigners,” says Appell.
Respect for Alves “Alves has gained a real respect as one of the Russian league’s best defenders, though you wouldn’t expect any less from a man who reportedly cost €22m. Meira has long been considered a back-up - though a reliable one - but it’s clear that, unlike Danny, who seems to have settled in well and become acculturated, neither Alves nor Meira has a commitment to Russia besides their contracts with Zenit.“As for Zenit’s penchant for Portuguese players, it’s partly due to Zenit wanting to accommodate Danny, who is the heart of their team. Any way they can get him to stay at the club must be positive for them, and if that means buying a few “friends” then so be it. That’s the cynical way of putting it, of course - it may work the other way round, in that those players may well have been won over by Danny’s successes and wanted to join him.
“However, I don’t see Coentrao being the man they sign - the talk is they’re chasing Genoa’s Criscito or Barcelona’s Maxwell, both of which sound more believable targets.”
by Tom Kundert
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Although the quality of football might be better in Portugal, and some would debate that, the Russian league has been moving up the rankings very quickly. They still may beat us out of that 3rd Champions League spot.
I find it funny how so many Portuguese fans feel that their players should be at the biggest clubs in the world. Like being at Genoa is worse than Braga. Who's is kidding who here (Eduardo).
Moving from Benfica to Zenit would be a lateral move for Coentrao, and only a financial gain. He also has bigger clubs looking at him.
I am a big fan of Danny, and would love it if Benfica could nab him, He has mentioned that he was most likely leaving, but he is loved at Zenit. Him going out and learning Russian and integrating himself into the community shows how much class he has.
Sports Illustrated in the US, had a great article about Mourinho. It was titled, The Special One: The best manager in the world, no matter the sport. One of the important things he mentiones, is being able to speak to his players in their own language. He might speak with the team in that countries language or English, but on a personal level he always speaks to the player in his native tongue. Huge relationship builder.
Same goes to players with fans.
SI usually post old magazine articles online after a few weeks. If the site allows, I'll be happy to post a link to it when it happens. It was a very good piece.
I really think people should be more objective and not living in the dreams. Why should the players be blamed, when clubs like Benfica are just throwing tons of money for South Americans instead of giving chances for their youth players?
Most would prefer to do their time closer to the Med or in England.. hence Russia's smaller stature in European football.
Also because of their winters the players would play through their summers when most of their children would be off from school.. so there are some barriers to the Russian League not to mention the geography and culture barriers.
I also hope Coentrao does not go there.. same as I would hate for him to go to the Portuguese Wasteland of Snoria A where defenders will take liberties with one of Portugal's greatest. We would like Coentrao to keep his knees and ankles intact for winning campaigns with the National Team.
Fernando Meira was a very good defender in his prime. If he's not getting too much playing time, why doesn't he go to his boyhood club, Vitoria Guimaraes? He would be a great addition to the Liga Zon Sagres.