Zenit St. Petersburg need to seriously strengthen their squad to have any hope of success in European competition, Zenit defender Domenico Criscito reportedly said Saturday.
Zenit reached the first knockout round of the Champions League, losing 4-3 on aggregate to Portuguese side Benfica.
“In order to compete successfully in European tournaments, we need to seriously strengthen the squad,” Criscito said in comments published by Russia’s Sport Den za Dnem newspaper.
When asked whether Zenit needed to buy better players, the Italian replied: “Exactly.”
Zenit may have gone further in the Champions League than ever before, but this season’s showing was a disappointment, he said.
“I’d say that we competed badly this year in the Champions League.”
Zenit’s greatest European success to date came in 2008, when the St. Petersburg side won the UEFA Cup, defeating Glasgow Rangers 2-0 in the final.
Zenit lead the Russian Premier League with five games remaining and are assured of qualification for next season’s Champions League.
Criscito, 25, joined Zenit from Genoa in June. He has 19 caps for Italy and played at the 2010 World Cup.
