The commentator of the channels Football1 / Football2 Kirill Krutorogov tells about the team in which Roman Zozulya again found himself - especially for Football. ua In March 2015, Roman Zozulya injured the cruciform ligament of the knee and dropped out of the game for more than six months. In that season, his Dnipro reached the final of the League of Europe. Alas, Roman could not help the team in the decisive matches. He returned in October. Played ... And the next spring for the attack on the referee in the Cup match against Zari ran into a six-year suspension, which was later shoveled to three months.
Zozulya took part in the European Championship 2016. But about this tournament Ukrainian football fans do not like to remember. Nevertheless, despite the failure of the national team in France, Roman signed a contract with Betis, a team of top 4 European leagues.
We can assume that the previous season the striker would also like to forget. In Betis, he was the fourth striker after the successful veteran Ruben Castro, the young and talented Tony Sanabria, costing the club 7.5 million. for 50% of the rights and transferred from the second team of "green and white" Alex Alegria, that is, in fact his. In addition, Betis had too many problems, the team fell into the abyss, was replaced by three coaches, and last summer came the fourth. Not from a good life, in general.
Fresh in the memory and the resonant situation with Zozuli's winter crossing for rent in Rayo Vallecano. Because of his active civic position, Roman was not accepted by fans of "bees", for whom football is clearly not in first place. And since he managed to get into the application of the two teams, go to the third forbade the rules. So, in the first half of the debut season in Spain, the Ukrainian striker spent on the field only 150 minutes (in six games, of which only one came out at the base). And in the second half of the year and did not play.
Frankly, from March 2015 to the summer of 2017 Zozul was followed by setbacks, during this period at the club level he played 21 matches. But, as you know, black bars always end if you do not go along. Obviously, Roman is determined to conquer Spain. Therefore, instead of switching to the big leagues of some not the top football country for the leap forward agreed to take a step backwards.
Albacete is a town of the same name with a population of just over 150 thousand people, located in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha. Not too rich from the football point of view of the region. Of the clubs there, only Albacete knows the taste. Examples. Since its founding in 1940, seven Alba in total (by the way, alba from Spanish translates as "dawn") spent 7 seasons among the best Spanish teams (for contrast: 21 in Segunda, 11 in Segunda B, 29 in Terser and 7 - in the regional league). The most glorious period in its history - 1991-1996, when five seasons in succession appeared in the example. In 2003, she again rose in the class and spent two seasons in a row in the elite, then flew out and turned into a team that is barraging between Segunda B and Segunda without any special chances for the cherished La Liga. In fact Zozulya joined the newcomers of Segunda in the summer, who became winners of his group in the third most important division of Spanish football.
With finances until recently, the football flagship of Castile-La Mancha was not very well-behaved, and Andres Iniesta helped keep the club afloat. He was born in Fuentealbilje, in the province of Albacete and 46 kilometers from the city of the same name. There Andres was still a kid for two years studying football, and then went to La Masia to become a legend of Barcelona, ??but his roots and that "there are things an order of magnitude higher," apparently did not forget. It is likely, it was Iniesta and contributed to the fact that in July, Albacete had a new owner - the company Skyline International. Its main shareholder is Georges David Kabcha Zakia - half Venezuelan, half Lebanese. Sphere of activity - investments, banking sector, insurance, elite real estate and tourism. Previously, he tried to buy Elche, but the deal failed, then the choice fell on Albacete. Specific promises and announcement of goals, neither immediate nor global, were made. They gave to understand that they would try to close the questions with the accumulated debts, but otherwise they got off with common phrases saying "everything will be fine", "step by step" or "as Simeone says: from game to game".
In the summer, Alba sold Mejia to Cordoba for 400 thousand. On transfers, the new owner did not spend a penny, but in addition to Zozuli in the club were invited to nineteen new players. Among them, the recent defender of Barcelona B Nili (last season in two matches, Examples and one Champions League sat in the reserve team of Luis Enrique, and also spent 21 minutes of the Cup game against Hercules). From Dijon arrived Congolese flank hav Jeremy Bela. At Atletico again rented his colleague in the role of Hector Hernandez, in Betis - tsentrhava Cesar de la Oza. The track record of the rest of the newcomers is even less impressive. According to Transfermakrt, Zozulya is the most expensive club football player (1 million.
The team for the season was preparing Jose Manuel Aira, who brought her to Segundu. Mostly he used the scheme 4-2-3-1. Roman skipped the pre-season (signed on September 8) and two days later made his debut, coming on as a substitute in the 55th minute. In the next match he already played at the base and scored a goal in the goal of the Gymnastics. Then, Ira switched to the 5-3-2 scheme and in pair to the Ukrainian released Hector Hernandez. Alba defeated Oviedo, won the first victory of the season, interrupting a series of four defeats. Further - a powerful defense, but Zozulya - the only center forward - 5-4-1 against Numansia, Roman's goal, and a devastating defeat of 1: 5. Ira was immediately fired. In his place came Enrique Martin Montreal - a cheerful and talkative character who worked with Osasuna in the Example, but for a long time there was not delayed. At the debut press conference at the club, he said that he was delighted with the project, which is waiting for a bright future.
Affairs Albacete the Navarre has adjusted quickly - in nine matches only one defeats. True, there are still not too many victories - three. But significantly improved the game in defense - in eight games of the season with Ira team missed 17 goals, in the same amount at Martin - five.
The new entrenador varies the composition between 5-4-1, 3-4-3 and 5-3-2. But for any tactical construction Zozulya remains the main attacker. Of 12 matches, Roman in the eleven came out at the base and seven held without substitutions (an average of 81.15 minutes per game). In four starts scored twice and made one assistant, for which he was recognized by the Albacete fans as the team's best player in September. Then six rounds of "silent". And in three games of November he scored and brought the team four points - a goal + pass in a meeting with Almeria (2-0), a goal against Reus (1: 1) and a goal in Sunday's meeting with Sporting (2: 2).
After 16 rounds, Segunda Albacete does not occupy the prestigious 17th position in the standings, they fall behind the playoff zone by seven points. But this does not seem a critical difference, considering that 26 rounds will be played ahead, and 43 points out of the 18 available teams have already scored under the direction of the new head coach and the team has changed significantly. Zozulya - the best scorer of Alba with five goals scored. Aridan and Hector Hernandez, who scored 36 goals last season Segunda B are far from convincing game of the Ukrainian. Now they have only one goal for two.
Zozulya confident and in a sporty arrogant game in the attack win the recognition of the fans of Albacete. During one of the matches Roman was waiting for a pleasant surprise. The girl-cheerleader made a poster in the colors of the flag of Ukraine and asked in Ukrainian for Roma his t-shirt. He fulfilled her wish, and with this simplicity, openness and responsiveness, at ease, increased respect for his person.
On the eve of Albacete arranged a press conference of Roman Zozuli, where he thanked the fans for their trust, said that he was happy in the new club. But he did not talk much about the future: "I try not to look forward, but live in the present. Later we will decide everything with the management of the club. The main thing is to achieve the highest possible goal - reaching the playoffs ".
To search for the hidden intonations in Zozuli's words is not worth it - in general, the future of Albacete is still vague. In 21 players, teams of 26, like our striker, contracts expire in the summer of 2018. And, for sure, much will depend on the results of the season.
Zozulya does not choose easy ways and does not stop at what has been achieved. He is quite capable of conquering Spain. Yes, it was not possible to do this at once in Betis. But there he was not particularly counted on, he was invited as a free agent of the player of the Euro-2016 national team with a calculation:
he will play well, he will not play, he is not scared, and he did not show himself. In Albacete, he was called as a football player, able to significantly strengthen the team and become its leader. Underestimate the level of the Segunda can not be. There football of high quality. And the connection between this tournament and the Example is set seriously. If a man manifests himself in the second division - he is invited to the elite. Therefore, I would like to hope that Alba will really become a dawn for Roman Zozuli. "Buena suerte, Roma!.