“The army does not have a player of the Schurrle scale”: experts on the match “Spartak” - CSKA, Chalov’s indispensability and Maksimenko’s power

“Now it’s important not to praise Bakaev”

Ex-Spartak midfielder Alexander Mostovoi is confident in the success of his former team in the match of the 6th round of the RPL. In an interview with RT, the specialist told how red and white will outperform the opponent, noted the players who can set the tone for the game, and explained why Oleg Kononov does not let out Lorenzo Melgarejo in the starting lineup.

- Fans of Spartak are concerned that Sergey Karasev was appointed the main referee of the meeting. In your opinion, will his work affect the scenario of the match?

- I do not know Sergey personally, but I judge his work on many years of observation of the style of his work. Based on this, I can safely say that at least I am waiting for one penalty in this match. It seems to me that more than Karaseva does not show any of our judges at the 11-meter mark.

- According to bookmakers, the favorite in the derby is CSKA. What do you say?

- Spartak. The teams came up to face-to-face meeting in such a state that the red-white ones picked up the course and it seems that they finally got something. CSKA, on the contrary, is a little stalled. They could not beat even Sochi. Such army men, and even in their field, red and white are simply obliged to win.

- In connection with the disqualification of Esekiel Ponce and problems in the attack, is it not time for Oleg Kononov to admit his mistake and regain the place in the starting lineup of Lorenzo Melgarejo?

- Let's not talk about what we do not know thoroughly. How many did we not see Melgarejo on the field? His appearance in the match against Thun says little so far, and it is difficult to judge the form in which the Paraguayan is. If Kononov does not give him the opportunity to play, then there are reasons for this. Just like that, no one will abandon a combat unit in the composition. The coach is not an enemy. By the way, in Ponce, I have not yet seen salvation for Spartak. The 6th round begins, he scored two goals. One into the empty, the second into the half-empty gate. Let me remind you, this is a striker. It’s not clear to me yet!

- Is Andre Schurrle able to single-handedly decide the fate of the match, taking the initiative into his own hands?

- Maybe. He has all the data for this. By the way, remember all these cries about why he is needed at all? The man arrived and from the first matches showed that he will be one of the best here. Another thing, it is not clear whether he can add more. Talking about progress, referring to the 28-year-old footballer, is stupid. He is not 20 years old, he has already reached the peak of his form, he has nowhere to grow. The main thing is to keep this bar. So far, there are almost no questions to what he shows us. Master.

- In CSKA there are no such leaders?

- There is no such level. Where are the world champions from? But they have Vlašić. Let's see which of them is stronger both as an individualist and as the core of a team. By the way, the appearance of Nikola in CSKA is somewhat similar to the story with Schurrle. He came, pounded balls and in fact explained to everyone why he had come. The presence of such players an additional bonus to this derby.

- What is happening with Zelimkhan Bakaev? The midfielder scored four goals in two matches, and then got lost in a game where I had to play through I can’t.

- In the second leg with “Thun” the whole squad was dissolved. It smelled fried decently. So here the questions are not to Bakaev, but to everyone who entered the field in Spartak uniform. As for Zelimkhan, I like his approach to business. He is well done. Goes to the stroke, beats. He does what we have been afraid for many years to perform, because they didn’t know how to do it.

- Oleg Kononov tried it on both flanks, but the fans and specialists think that on the right Bakayev is more productive ...

- Let us leave our advice and opinions to ourselves and give the coach the opportunity to decide for himself. We do not know what is happening behind closed doors. There are times when a soccer player fools around in training, and enters the field and turns on the beast. Converse examples are also known. So to judge something from the outside is a thankless task. You have to look at Bakaev every day to understand what is better for him. It seems to me that now it’s important not to praise him. We are often overwhelmed by a wave of euphoria when we begin to consider mid-level players to be stars. At the same time, we forget that a football player who has not played in Europe cannot have such a status. We must remember what you are really worth.

“In such matches they do not protect anyone”

According to the ex-coach of the CSKA youth team Alexander Grishin, wards Viktor Goncharenko still have more chances to win than the hosts. In an interview with RT, the mentor admitted that the goalkeeper of red and white Alexander Maksimenko looks very confident at the beginning of the new season, and also suggested that Fedor Chalov will not only take part in the derby, but will leave from the first minutes.

- Do you have any fears that in connection with the latest events in the RPL, the derby may end in a referee scandal? Moreover, on Saturday it was announced the replacement of the chief arbiter ...

- The most important thing is that the judge should work cleanly and honestly in both directions, then, as a result of the meeting, questions will not arise from either side. Spartak should not seek a conspiracy. It is officially announced that Alexey Yeskov is injured, therefore, according to the protocol, he will not be able to serve this match. Sergey Karasev is an excellent referee, I don’t think he will make forced mistakes. Moreover, for him this match is important in terms of reputation. His work will be monitored by the whole country.

- Which of the teams on the eve of the derby looks preferable to its opponent?

- I bet on CSKA. I do this not out of personal predilections, but based on dry facts. The composition of the army team for me looks preferable. Yes, the guys are young, but they have teamwork and understanding of each other on the field.

In “Spartak” there are too many changes and a large number of newcomers, who, despite their class, have not yet fully joined the team game. It turns out that collective-red speaks for red-blue, and individual mastery speaks for red-white.

- You spoke about the individual skills of Spartak players, who alone can decide the outcome of the derby. Who are you talking about?

- Andre Schürrle is very distinguished in the composition. Yes, CSKA has no players of this magnitude, but in terms of importance for the emotional and psychological state of the team, Shurrle is comparable to Nikola Vlašić. It is already impossible to imagine a team without him. The game scenario will depend on players of this scale. Who will be stronger in the middle of the field, Vlašić or Schürrle, is likely to end the meeting in the rank of winner.

- Goalkeepers of teams play an important role in matches of this level. Who do you prefer - Igor Akinfeev or Alexander Maksimenko?

- Akinfeev, as you know, is half the team. He proved everything to everyone a long time ago, so he is preparing for this match in cold blood and considering all the risks. Yes, Maksimenko cannot yet boast such stability, but the last matches of Spartak show that this young goalkeeper is gaining power and confidence. I think in the upcoming derby he is able to not get lost in the shadow of his eminent counterpart on the goalkeeper's shop.

- Is it worth Victor Goncharenko to take the risk and release Fedor Chalov with a broken nose on the field?

- Of course, health is more important than any victories and points, but taking into account the fact that Chalov trained with the team on a common basis, I think he is able to fully play against Spartak. Of course, a broken nose is a very painful and unpleasant injury, but it does not affect the playing technique of a football player. Remember Mario Fernandez: he calmly performed his work in a special mask, despite similar damage.

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Good news from @ chal_f9: ⠀ 💬 “I work with the general group, in terms of health, in principle, nothing bothers” ✊🏻

Publication by PFC CSKA Moscow (@pfc_cska) Aug 16, 2019 at 8:06 PDT

“But there is a risk of aggravating health.” The forward will be opposed by far from soft-bodied George Jikia and Samuel Gigot.

- Believe me, in CSKA everyone knows their calendar very well and remember about the imminent start in European competitions, but one of the main matches of the season is ahead ... They do not take care of anyone like that. It has always been that way. It doesn’t matter in what condition both teams are in what place they are. This is a derby, here the stakes are too high.

- It is still unknown whether Arnor Sigurdsson will be able to take part in the match. Given his injury and damage to Chalov, are there any chances that the army team will start the match without nominal forwards?

- No, I practically exclude such a situation. I am sure we will see Chalov from the first minutes. It’s just that CSKA has no special choice. At the moment, Fedor is an absolutely indispensable player for Goncharenko. Personally, knowing the composition of the red-blue, I do not see other combinations and players who can replace Chalov at the forefront.