Zenit turn to Dynamo for inspiration
Tuesday, March 19, 2002
Article summary
FC Zenit St. Petersburg hope a training stint in Ukraine will boost their confidence.
Article body
FC Zenit St. Petersburg of the Russian Premier-Liga have taken the unusual step of training in Ukraine, using the facilities of FC Dynamo Kyiv, ahead of their weekend league match against FC Torpedo Moscow.
Former colleagues
Zenit coach Yuri Morozov is a former colleague of Valery Lobanovsky, his Dynamo counterpart. The two coached the USSR national team in the 1970s and 1980s before working with the Kuwaiti national and Under-21 teams in the early 1990s. Morozov also coached Dynamo in the 1983 season.
Confidence boost
Unsatisfactory training facilities in St. Petersburg have been cited as a reason for the move but there are also suggestions that Morozov is seeking to restore his own confidence and that of his team with a change of scenery.
Poor start to season
Zenit, who will represent Russia in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup, are currently 12th in the league after losses to FC Anzhi Makhachkala and CSKA Moscow and a 1-0 defeat of FC Rotor Volgograd.
