“Kononov became a hostage of the situation”: Shnyakin about the “revolution” in “Spartak”, rumors about Cherchesov’s arrival and matches with “Thun”

"Everything has to start from scratch"

- Did you expect that after an unsuccessful ending last season Spartak will start the current one so badly?

- Everything that happens in Spartak is never amenable to general logic. He was and remains the most unpredictable club. What we see now cannot be called a revolution. And it is unclear whether it is velvet or stiff. With all this in mind, one should not expect good results. Red and white could start even worse, but in the last minutes they snatched a victory from Sochi.

- In a matter of weeks, Spartak sold almost half of the team. Have such global changes been required?

- Personally, the sale of Fernando was a surprise to me. It was possible to part with anyone, but not with him. He was a backbone player and would help the new skeleton achieve results. At 27, he clearly did not say the last word on the field. I thought he would do it as part of the Muscovites. In my opinion, he and The Luis are players with whom to build a new team.

- Is it fair to say that the club rendered Kononov a disservice, initiating perestroika already during the season?

- It is obvious. It would be much more convenient for the coach to get players like Schürrle, Larsson and Thiel during the pre-season training. During this period, only Ponce joined the team. The same Mirzov also came during the championship, but at least he is familiar with Kononov and his requirements. I think that Reziuan will have the least protracted period of adaptation. There will probably be problems with other newcomers.

“Did this seriously confuse Kononov’s cards?”

- The coaching staff probably had their own achievements at the pre-season training camps, they managed to try something out of the plan at the Parimatch Premier Cup. Now everything has to start from scratch. Only the line of defense remained the same; the attack must be rebuilt.

- Did Spartak really need such a radical change?

- One way or another, but players need motivation and a new challenge. Frame shake is ideal for these purposes.

And in general, Spartak is an energy-consuming team, no money can smooth out the pressure faced by players entering the field in a T-shirt with a rhombus. Someone from the departed could be corny tired of this. Honestly, it was more surprising that all this happened so suddenly and in almost complete silence.

- Is it possible to conclude from the start in the championship that the coach failed at least the preseason?

- I would not be so categorical. It is difficult to draw conclusions after four rounds, but the team is problematic. Given all of the above, we can conclude that Kononov became a hostage to the situation.

- But at the same time there is no meaningfulness in the team’s game ...

- As explained by the mentor of “Tambov” Alexander Grigoryan, Kononov poses a very difficult football: constant work with the ball, pass counter-clockwise, between the lines. Simply put, this style is a kind of similarity to what Barcelona shows. Perhaps in the future, the players of Spartak will be able to embody this on the field. In the meantime, the actions in the attack are slightly chaotic.

- In the light of unsatisfactory results and colossal changes in the composition, should Kononov go to another game scheme?

- Perhaps, now Oleg Georgievich should deviate from his principles and play more straightforwardly. Flexibility has not been canceled. On the other hand, now the team does not have The Luis, as a result of which she practically lost the opportunity to act in a forceful manner. Perhaps in this situation it is worth betting on counterattacks. Although I’m not sure that this is relevant in the match against Thun. Surely he himself will offer Spartak to act as the first number.

“There is no system in transfers”

- Do you have the impression that there is a certain inconsistency in the club? For example, at the request of Kononov, Mirzov is invited to the team, and after a short time Andre Schurrle is taken to the same position.

- I do not see a conflict of interest. What confuses me more is that there is no system in Spartak transfers. Schürrle is a fairly versatile footballer and can act anywhere in the attack group. A great master who adapts perfectly to the requirements of a trainer. I would especially draw attention to the fact that he is a German, he has a different mentality. I am sure that he did not just come to earn money - he will prove his worth. In addition, Andre's wife is from Kazakhstan. It is possible she influenced his choice.

- What do you say about Mirzov?

- He is also progressing. Reziuan began to act more diverse, more often raise his head when he is with the ball. As you can see, this was noticed by the coaching staff of the Russian national team and rewarded with a challenge to the national team. Given their acquaintance with Kononov, I think something should work out.

- Against the backdrop of the loud transfers of the legionnaires, Mirzov’s acquisition seems slightly out of the general canvas ...

- There is an opinion that Kononov is handy to work with mid-level players who listen to him, take his word for it and fulfill their duties. So he had in "Krasnodar". Of course, Spartak is a completely new challenge for him, especially with regard to the arrival of the world champion.

- Judging by the first match, the impression was that Schurrle was in poor physical shape. For how long will a German be able to regain gaming conditions?

- The big question is whether he is capable of this. There is a feeling that Schurrle will not return to the ultra-level. But even in this state, he is able to shine in the RPL. Like it or not, he came to us not from the beach. Will recruit from match to match, as is customary in Europe. By the way, I think that in his debut meeting with Dynamo, he did not plan to go out for a whole half. So there were circumstances.

- Many noted the fact that in this meeting Shyurrle could not escape from Dynamo defender Vladimir Rykov.

- What can I say. Rykov is a good defender. I think that Schurrle had a decent match.

- Many people compare Schurrle’s arrival with Farfan’s transfer to Lokomotiv. Do you think that a German can also famously restart his career in Russia?

- Why not? But much depends on luck. Farfan famously and organically fit into the railway club system. Sometimes it seems that this was unexpected even for Semin. The German would like to wish good luck, “Spartak” became more status with the advent of Schurrle.

- In Russia, with great enthusiasm, they accepted the signing of Guus Thiel. Are advances too premature?

- At home, he has already proved his worth. But the only thing that bothers me is the tender and ideal conditions in which he was in Holland. There he could fantasize and bring results. This is not worth the wait. He will immediately be in great demand, and he is a young guy. It is important how he will be accepted as a team.

- They say that in his homeland they call him almost the Dutch Messi ...

- In no case do you need to make such comparisons. There are very few football players in the world who have justified such a nickname. It is enough to recall Denis Davydov.

- Given these comparisons, is it not strange that Til was in Spartak, and not one of the top 5 European championships or Ajax?

- In this case, you need to understand that the management of Spartak tried to play ahead of the curve. Perhaps if Til remained in the Dutch championship for another season, in a year his cost would have been much higher. Therefore, there is nothing surprising, this transaction is quite logical. Red and white are active in the European market. Perhaps the Dutchman himself was guided by the example of Promes, for whom the transition to the Russian team became a kind of springboard.

- In comparison with Schürrle and Thiel, does not it seem that Jordan Larsson is a "pig in a poke"?

- Each transfer is a certain risk. But the striker came from the Swedish championship, and practice shows that his representatives do not face serious problems with us.

“Can his father’s regalia affect his attitude?”

“Larsson has blue blood.” We all understand whose son he is. This is a great obligation. In my opinion, he is less talented than Henrik. But he has everything in order with the mentality, and it is quite possible that Spartak will help him develop.

- Does Larsson fit into Kononov’s game scheme?

- Apparently, Oleg Georgievich needs a footballer who is able to pressure, to carry out a large amount of work. It seems to me that there should be least of all questions on it.

- Among the newcomers, Ponce spent the most matches for Spartak, but so far not impressive. Acquisition of the Argentinean can now be called unsuccessful or is it a misuse?

- This is a systemic problem related to the game in the attack, which has not yet been adjusted. You should not evaluate his performance in several matches, although he has already performed a certain savagery. Foul on Anton Shunin will be remembered for a long time. But it seems to me that all these violations are a consequence of nervousness and a desire to show oneself.

On the one hand, this is good, because it means that the players are all right with motivation. But on the other - it speaks of a certain lack of play. In this regard, it is interesting to look at Ponce in the match against Thun, since he will need to rehabilitate himself for the episode in the meeting with Dynamo.

- At the moment, in “Spartak” there are players whose game does not cause any complaints from you?

- There is a popular opinion that Zelimkhan Bakayev is now becoming one of the leading red-white football players, as evidenced by his game on the field. His leadership mentality erupted, he takes on the game and pulls the team forward. And when she doesn’t succeed, she corrects the situation through individual actions. He should add variety, more often shift to the center, punch with his left foot.

- Anyone else?

- Samuel Gigot and George Jikia perform at their level. Yes, they have miscalculations, but as a rule they are associated with a poor-quality game of the supporting zone, which adds to their work. So far, there are no questions only to Alexander Maksimenko, who had a difficult ending to last season. He really pulled out a team in a match with Sochi and was stable with Dynamo.

“Spartak” should be afraid of himself ”

- Despite all the problems, bookmakers still consider Spartak a favorite in the confrontation with Thun. Do you agree?

- Yes, because we are comparing a class of teams. Spartak lost the leaders, but the most productive players, Marvin Shpilman and Deyan Sorgich, left Tuna. The team is also undergoing restructuring. In addition, they have only two players called up for the national teams, and that is Palestine and Liechtenstein. The composition looks raw, although in any case it will be interesting to look at them. Given the systemic problems of Muscovites, it seems to me that both meetings will be successful. However, I think that red and white in them will be favorites.

- Despite serious personnel losses, in the last round Thun imposed a fight on Basel and lost 2–3, having conceded the decisive goal in the last minutes. What should Muscovites be afraid of?

- This is a rather brave team, which is not afraid of any opponent. History shows that they feel just as comfortable in European competition. For example, in their debut season in the Champions League, the team managed to reach the group stage and take third place there. Kononov’s wards should be afraid of themselves and their problems. To avoid difficulties, they need to show their best qualities. Sergey Krivokharchenko and I, as commentators of this match at Match TV, would really like this. But there will still be difficulties, because this is Spartak.

- Can Spartak sacrifice the Europa League for the formation of the team?

- It seems to me that in no case should the question be posed that way. If the team neglects the European competition, then this indicates the lack of mentality of the winners. Yes, something similar was in the championship season, but in such matches you need to play to win. Moreover, with so many newcomers, the team needs to get as much gaming practice as possible.

“The upcoming matches will be decisive for Kononov”

- Nevertheless, is a failure in qualifications capable of provoking Kononov’s resignation?

- Given such statements by Fedun, this would be illogical. I think the upcoming matches, including the derby with CSKA and the departure to Grozny, will be decisive for Kononov. But it is worth remembering that one mentor should be replaced by another. So far there are not many options.

Yes, there is Kurban Berdyev, but, given the past negotiations, I do not think that they will have fruitful cooperation. There is also an option with Stanisla Cherchesov, which can combine two positions, but this is unlikely to happen before the end of the 2020 European Championship. Therefore, there is no ready answer yet. In the meantime, you need to let the current coach breathe out.

- At the same time, Cherchesov himself does not deny the possibility of joining Spartak ...

- I think this is a certain signal. Perhaps in this way he sets the stage for this transition. But in this situation, one should never forget that the team can suddenly start playing. Then everyone will forget about Cherchesov and the other candidates.

- Do you have the feeling that Kononov is too soft a coach for a club like Spartak?

- I can say that this is such a small myth. In fact, everything is somewhat different. This is a relaxed person who can communicate freely when camera lenses are not aimed at him. He thinks not only about what to answer, but also what kind of reaction his words will provoke.

- Is it possible that Kononov is not specifically fired from Spartak, since at the end of the season Stanislav Cherchesov is expected to be on the team?

- Everything is possible. But in fact, now Kononov’s head coach, there are transfers made specifically for him. We see that trust is shown to him. He continues to work and it is interesting to watch. To some extent, there is a struggle for a game style and result. If a specialist manages to steer out of this situation, then honor and praise be to him.