Despite the arrival of Guus Hiddink, Anzhi are still failing to make the most of Samuel Eto'o, Zenit St. Petersburg center back Bruno Alves said Monday.
Zenit beat Anzhi 2-0 in Makhachkala on Sunday in their last Premier League match of the season, marking a frustrating night for Cameroonian striker Eto'o, who looked dangerous but never found the target.
"Eto'o probably took too much upon himself," Alves said on his club's website.
"But this is how the big players always act when they don't see other possibilities to continue the attack. They try to break through the opposing defense using their dribbling."
"First and foremost the forwards depend on good assistance from their partners. In this match Eto'o definitely lacked help," the Portuguese defender said.
However, Alves said the big-spending club have been put on the right path by Hiddink, who joined in the winter and took Anzhi to fifth place and a spot in next season's Europa League.
"It is not enough just to buy players, it takes time for them to adapt to each other and become united," Alves said.
"The influence of the coach Guus Hiddink is already notable: Anzhi are more organized, they try to keep the ball and avoid long passes, they move well during their attacks."
Eto’o, 31, signed a three-year contract with Anzhi in August. He finished the season fifth in the scorers list with 13 goals.
