ROAD TO RUSSIA
RUSSIA Cherchesov under growing pressure
The popular excuse for Russia’s poor showing in the recent Confederations Cup was the loss of key players to injury ahead of a tournament at which the semi-finals had been decreed the minimum requirement of Stanislav Cherchesov’s team by local officials, media and fans alike.
However, not all of the country’s absentees were unable to play, and a sense of growing unrest is enveloping the 2018 World Cup hosts.
Igor Denisov of Lokomotiv Moscow, who is widely considered to be the country’s top holding midfielder, was not invited to be part of the national setup due to his long-standing conflict with the national coach. While Cherchesov explained the 33-year-old’s omission was down to tactical considerations and peculiarities of team formation, it had not been forgotten that Denisov was put up for sale when he was coached by Cherchesov at Dynamo Moscow in 2015 and forced to train alone after he insulted his boss.
Rumours also abound about a conflict between Cherchesov and the country’s biggest attacking threat, Zenit’s 6ft 5in centreforward Artem Dzyuba. Although he did join the training camp prior to the Confederations Cup, Dzyuba left a few days later with official sources and the player himself citing a knee injury. Yet on his return to Saint Petersburg he was instantly fit enough to take part in training and pre-season games.
Meanwhile, Dzyuba’s fellow Zenit striker Aleksandr Kokorin and Krasnodar playmaker Pavel Mamaev were left out of the squad for disciplinary reasons after a video emerged of the pair allegedly spending € 250,000 on champagne and partying in Monaco while the national anthem was playing in the background.
And to add to the scandal surrounding the non-participation of Kokorin and Dzyuba at the Confederations Cup, the day after Russia’s elimination from the tournament the Zenit duo posted a message on Instagram in which they mocked Cherchesov, who is known for the thick hair on his upper lip, with a moustache-imitating gesture.
Two more absentees from national service were CSKA Moscow playmaker Alan Dzagoev and his club-mate Mario Fernandes, the winger with Russian citizenship who has been capped by Brazil but recently qualified to play for Russia. Both were ignored due to injuries but, like Dzyuba, neither had any problem in training and playing for Zenit in July.
While CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was selected, he fell out with Cherchesov after the tournament over the coach’s rigid style of leadership. Renowned for his loyalty, and seen as undroppable since
he was first selected to represent his country in 2004, Akinfeev was blamed for conceding the goal that brought defeat against Mexico and cost Russia a place in the last four. At 31, he has hinted that he may now withdraw from international football. Replacing Akinfeev will not be an easy task, with Lokomotiv’s Brazilian-born Guilherme and Vladimir Gabulov of Arsenal Tula nowhere near as dependable between the sticks. The need to find top-class defensive replacements for veteran performers was plain to see this summer. With Sergei Ignashevich, 38, and 35-year-old twins Vasili and Aleksei Berezutski all quitting the national team to concentrate on their club football with CSKA, the incoming Viktor Vasin of CSKA, Rubin Kazan’s Fyodor Kudryashov and, to a lesser extent, Spartak’s Georgi Dzhikiya left a lot to be desired.
Cherchesov’s record since he replaced Fabio Capello in 2016 is four wins, three draws and five losses, and he has been under pressure from the start. However, the Russian Football Union president Vitaly Mutko has guaranteed Cherchesov that he will lead the team into the 2018 World Cup. Mutko said so before the Confederations Cup and then repeated his words after the tournament, despite Russia managing to beat only New Zealand in the tournament.
For now, Cherchesov will have to take Mutko at his word.
RFU president Vitaly Mutko has guaranteed Cherchesov that he will lead the team into the 2018 World Cup