Problems with the onset of attacks and casts on Dzyuba: how Russia lost to Belgium in the qualification of Euro 2020

Opponent class

Domestic fans were looking forward to meeting with Belgium, because the bronze medalist of the World Cup due to injuries lost a number of leaders. However, as a result, the reserve players of the hosts, who got their chance, held the match at a qualitative level. Especially good on the flank was Eden's brother Azar Thorgan, defending the colors of the Mengchengladbach Borussia.

Well, the class of Eden himself was visible literally in every movement. In the end, just before the break, he forced Yuri Zhirkov to break the rules in the penalty area.

Good and quick attacks of the hosts. During one of these wards, Roberto Martinez and opened an account. And in the second half, the Belgians did not give the ball to the Russian players at all.

Lack of speed

Unfortunately, in many episodes, the Belgians simply acted with the ball much faster than domestic footballers - again, the difference in the class affected. And if Alexander Golovin, who moved to Monaco after the World Cup, generally managed at such a pace, then Anton Miranchuk and Ilzat Akhmetov - far from always.

Stanislav Cherchesov preferred the same to Yuri Gazinsky for the latter. He probably hoped that the young midfielder of CSKA would competently launch attacks, but the debutant acted too carefully and sometimes was just afraid to take risks, although he famously took the ball away from Eden Azar several times.

Bad way out of defense

As a result, there was simply no one to launch attacks in the Russian national team. Frequent, especially for the first half, the picture: the defenders of the national team roll the ball in their half of the field, not understanding how to dispose of them.

Akhmetov himself often preferred to play back, while Golovin did not always have enough strength to keep up in all areas of the field.

We had to knock the ball forward on a powerful Artem Dziuba, and in the first half, the striker really won a lot of riding sports and forced Thibault Curtois to make a mistake in the episode with the goal.

Actually, Cherchesov’s tactics consisted in carrying out to Dziuba and selecting fast Golovin, Denis Cheryshev, Kuzyaev. In the first half of the inning, they competently launched into high pressure and cut off the options for the rivals. And it bore fruit in the form of a gross error of Courtois.

In the second half, the forces of Dziuba left, and the control of the ball from Russia went wrong completely. The hosts have quietly controlled the course of the game and finally scored the third. And the bet on the counterattack did not play, because the opponent did not make mistakes.

Two debutants

Cherchesov in the end of the match went all-in and allowed Fyodor Chalov to make his debut. Despite the defeat, it is worth noting that the first matches for the national team were held by two very young footballers who, it remains to be hoped, will become the key characters of the team for a long time and will win many victories with it.

In Brussels, Chalov first acted in a pair with Dziuba, and then with Fyodor Smolov, but he almost did not get the ball and only remembered a foul on a defender in the hope of escaping to the front of goal.

Jikia as Team Leader

However, after a defeat, it is early to draw conclusions about the game of the national team, because the team lost on the road to the main favorite and bronze medalist of the World Cup, even if it was not acting in the most ideal line-up.

In addition, domestic fans have some reasons for pride. So a great match in the center of defense held George Jikia. He settled in the top three defenders and looked great. The Spartak footballer won a lot of martial arts and did everything to let Misha Batshui leave the field without a goal.

And the most notable episode for him in the match was the removal of the ball from the line of his own goal in the middle of the first half.

Not bad, despite the penalty, Yuri Zhirkov looked on the left flank of the defense. An urgently summoned 34-year-old football player was almost as good as young Timothy Castan and closed it. But after the home World Cup defender did not go on the field until the end of the year due to injury Achilles and almost ended his career.