Competent transfer campaign and more expectations from João Mariou
By the start in the Champions League, Lokomotiv is balanced. After the injury of Jefferson Farfan, the team had a problem with the attackers, but managed to solve it by signing a contract with Luka Djordjevic. Other positions were also strengthened pointwise. In particular, Murilo Sequeira and Dmitry Zhivoglyadov strengthened the defensive ranks, while João Mariu, leased from Inter, strengthened the midfield.
It will be especially interesting to watch the game of the latter, because the Portuguese is a football player of the top club. However, in Milan, things weren’t so sticky with him that Inter fans on social networks publicly thanked the railroad workers for getting rid of the “suffering” that the midfielder’s game brought them.
However, in the championship below class, where the pressure is not so serious, Mariou can again feel self-confidence and return to the previous level. Moreover, Yuri Semin knows how to find an approach to his wards like no one else. One of the most striking examples is Farfan, who came to Russia to complete his career, and as a result, became the champion of the country and one of the leaders of the team. In addition, Mariu has a fairly rich experience in playing in European competitions, which the rest of the newcomers cannot boast of.
The Portuguese lease turned out to be timely also because a serious load will fall on the midfield of the team in the fall, and the leaders will need respite. And with the advent of João, Semin had the opportunity for rotation, since before the team bench was quite short.
There is practically no one to replace Dmitry Barinov, Grzegorz Krykhovyak and the Miranchuk brothers, and this can add to the railwaymen’s headache. In the remaining lines there are no such problems. And fate has already decided to test the team for strength, because both brothers received injuries.
If neither Alex nor Anton are able to play with Bayer, then Semin will have to smash his head over who to replace them with. In this case, Eder is likely to come to the forefront, and Fedor Smolov will have to play in a delay, as happened in the match with Sochi.
Last season's lessons
In general, it is important for Lokomotiv not to repeat last year’s failure in European competition. A year ago, the red-green got a relatively easy group, but won only one victory and took fourth place. Such a performance, of course, did not satisfy either the club management, or the fans, or Semin himself.
However, the coaching staff probably made the right conclusions from that failure. And the whole team gained experience, albeit at the cost of five defeats, and rose to a new level. The current generation of railway workers has won everything at the national level, and now it is ready to succeed in European competitions. Perhaps this team is not enough so far to catch up with the generation of railway workers in the early 2000s.
And for Semin, the Champions League is especially important, because he is already 72 years old, and there are no guarantees that after the end of the season the coach will not want to retire. It is no accident that the general director of Lokomotiv Vasily Kiknadze several times touched on the topic of the successor to the legendary specialist. In this case, the current performance in European competitions may be the last for Semin.
Continuing the analysis of last year's failure of the team in the Champions League, it should be noted that then the preparation of Lokomotiv for the new season turned out to be crumpled. Many football players took part in the World Cup and returned to the location of the team in different physical and psychological conditions.
As a result, the red-green ones did not start very well, plus the so-called “champion hangover” affected. And in the fall in hard mode, the team had a particularly difficult time. It is no coincidence that the wards of Semin were regularly missed at the end of the matches.
This year the railway workers have no such problems. They got the opportunity to calmly enter the season, playing one match a week. In addition, the vice champion did not have to spend energy on the European Cup qualification, as did the same “Krasnodar” and “Spartak”. Thus, Lokomotiv systematically gained shape for the start in the Champions League.
In the last six matches, the team of Semin won four victories and suffered only one defeat - from Rostov. But even in that meeting, the red-greens could well have taken points, if Evgeny Chernov didn’t make an incredible save in the time the referee added. Again, a characteristic moment: in the end of the matches, the Loko players did not look tired, but ran forward. The same “Wings of the Soviets” Krykhovyak scored the winning goal in the 94th minute.
The moment of truth for the Miranchuk
Perhaps the only serious nuisance at the start of the season was Miranchuk's injuries. It is hoped that Aleksey will still have time to return to duty before the match with Bayer and help partners. Meanwhile, for the brothers this season can be largely decisive. With the departure of Manuel Fernandes, they finally strengthened as players through which all attacks in the team go and turned into Loko leaders.
But one thing is speaking in the RPL, and another is in the Champions League. Last season in the main European Cup Miranchuk can hardly put themselves in an asset, and in this they will expect something special. It is no coincidence that the head coach of the Russian national team Stanislav Cherchesov said that participation in the tournament “will become a litmus test” for both.
In addition, Eurocups are a great opportunity to establish oneself in front of the leading clubs of the Old World. Miranchuk are only 23 years old. The club does not hide the desire to make good money on their leaders. And if Loko succeeds in successfully playing in the Champions League, and the brothers prove themselves, then a transfer to one of the European clubs may well take place.