Candidates for replacement: who can lead Spartak in the event of the possible dismissal of Kononov

Dmitry Parfyonov

One of the candidates is the current mentor of the Urals. Several factors speak in favor of this candidacy, one of which is the presence of his red-white past. During his tenure as a player, he defended the colors of the Moscow team for seven years and four times helped him win gold medals in the Russian championship. Given the love of local fans for their former football players, Parfyonov can be an ideal option to stabilize the atmosphere around the team.

It is worth recalling that earlier in Spartak it was repeatedly decided to appoint a specialist, given his experience of playing for the team. So, at different times the team was led by Andrey Chernyshov, Stanislav Cherchesov, Valery Karpin and Dmitry Alenichev. The appearance of almost each of them was greeted with great enthusiasm and revived the hope among fans of the return to the game of branded "walls and runs."

Of course, in modern football you can’t expect this. Style has remained in the past, and an attempt to put it in modern realities has so far yielded no result. But in the case of Parfyonov, the leadership of the red and white has the right to hope at least for an increase in performance. This season, the Ural is one of the most scored teams of the championship (16 goals) and is second only to the leader in the person of Krasnodar (19 goals) in this indicator.

Nevertheless, there is a risk that Parfyonova in Spartak will face Alenichev’s fate. Yes, he established himself well in middle-class clubs, such as Ural and Tosno, but in the capital he will have to face pressure from a completely different level. Whether he succeeds in coping with it is a big question, especially considering the fact that, in terms of charisma, Dmitry Vladimirovich is closer to his namesake than to Massimo Carrera.

At the same time, Spartak’s interest in Parfyonov can be evidenced by the fact that Ural President Grigory Ivanov spoke on this subject. He admitted that he would not obstruct that if he wanted to leave Yekaterinburg.

“He has done a lot for us. The coach needs to grow even higher, ”Sport Express quotes Ivanova.

Igor Shalimov

A similar situation is with the ex-mentor of Krasnodar. Shalimov also played for Spartak for a long time, so he can safely be considered “his” for the fans. At the same time, he managed to work under the leadership of two legends at once - Oleg Romantsev and Konstantin Beskov, and become the champion of the country. Plus, Igor Mikhailovich is one of the most successful legionnaires in the history of Russian football, which automatically provides him with greater respect from the fans, which is now extremely important.

In favor of Shalimov is the fact that he had experience working not only with the middle peers of the RPL, but also with the giants. So, in October 2016, he headed “Krasnodar” and brought him to fourth place in the RPL. The next season, the bulls repeated their result, but completed the championship with another coach. In the spring, they gave not the most successful series of one victory, two draws and one defeat, which put an end to the prospects of a specialist.

It is noteworthy that Shalimov succeeded Kononov in Krasnodar, at whose headquarters he was listed as an assistant. Apparently, the relationship between them was pretty cool, which the former Inter footballer indirectly confirmed on Sport Express. So, he said that during the time he worked together he had a “definite opinion” about his predecessor and his methods of work. However, he refused to voice it.

It is very likely that Shalimov refused to make harsh statements because he did not want to be known as a brawler coach and thereby deprive himself of the opportunity to receive an invitation from the red and white. And this despite the fact that a few months ago he was not embarrassed in expressions and allowed himself direct insults to Kononov.

Then Kononov congratulated the late football player on his birthday. In response, Shalimov called him a “moron” on his Instagram page, although he later deleted the message.

“It’s good that I didn’t want long life. When a person comes to the grave, trying to show that he is in a trend, but cannot prepare a normal speech, say simple human words, that says a lot. In particular, about the mind of the speaker. <...> How do you want a team with such a coach to win something? ”Said Shalimov.

Arsene Wenger

A few years ago, the prospect of inviting Spartak to the Frenchman seemed utopian, but in the last few weeks it has taken on a real shape. Wenger has been unemployed for a long time, but does not lose his desire to find her, and the Moscow club can be a good place to continue the career of the legendary mentor. According to media reports, CEO Thomas Zorn had already personally met with the coach and discussed with him the possible conditions for arriving in Russia.

For Wenger speaks an incredible experience and an undeniable class. He stood at the head of the London Arsenal for 22 years and became a symbol of the most successful period. During this time, the “gunners” five times became the champions of England, eight times won the Cup of the country, and also the only time in their history made it to the Champions League final. True, they lost to Barcelona there.

Wenger has always been famous for his ability to work with young football players. Under his leadership, the real stars were Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and many others. Undoubtedly, the “gunners” school is rightly considered one of the strongest in Europe, but it was Arsen’s ability to timely let people in to the squad that helped young athletes maximize their talent.

“Spartak” is definitely suitable and the fact that under Wenger “Arsenal” showed extremely spectacular football. He acted in a fast, attacking manner and was considered one of the most attractive in Europe. Yes, from one moment the results began to fall noticeably, but this is primarily due not to Arsen’s unsuccessful decisions, but to the weakness of the composition. The construction of the stadium seriously inhibited the development of the “Gunners”, who are still trying to compensate for this handicap.

Thus, the arrival in Wenger in “Spartak” can solve several important problems at once, and also will be great news for fans. The invitation of such a great coach simply cannot be met with hostility, which will allow management to take a break from constant pressure.

Undoubtedly, at first glance, Wenger’s move to Russia may seem incredible, especially considering more than a quarter of a century at the helm of the Arsenal. But at one time, the Frenchman had already shown that he was not afraid of challenges and was ready to work anywhere. So, from 1995 to 1996, he headed the Japanese club Nagoya Grampus, against which Spartak is a much less exotic place.

Felix Magath

For a long time, the current CEO of Spartak lived and worked in Germany, in connection with which he not only knows the local football market very well, but also has a number of connections. With this in mind, it should not be ruled out that Zorn will search for a new mentor in the homeland of the 2014 World Champions.

The leadership of the red and white is unlikely to try to lure one of the current mentors of the Bundesliga teams and will search among the currently unemployed. But here the choice is quite large. Spartak can invite both a young and promising specialist, as well as an experienced one. In the first case, one can note the 34-year-old Domenico Tedesco, who in the 2017/18 season led Schalke to the Bundesliga silver medals. You can also recall about Marcus Weinzirl, who managed to work at Stuttgart. In addition, ex-coach of Bayer and Wolfsburg Bruno Labbadia is free.

But do not forget about the old guard. So, the management of Spartak may well want to transfer the team to the “hedgehogs” of Felix Magat. He was always famous for his tough character and iron discipline, which now certainly will not hurt the red and white.

In addition to his exactingness for athletes, Magat was always famous for his ability to achieve results. This is evidenced by the fact that during his career he became the champion of Germany three times - twice with Bavaria and once with Wolfsburg. If the Iron Felix really can quickly restore order in Spartak, Carrera’s popular love and laurels are guaranteed.

At the moment, one obvious minus of cooperation with Magat can be noted. During his career, he only twice stayed in the club for more than two years. The teams very quickly got tired of his demands and were unable to work at such a pace and atmosphere for a long time. Felix lasted the longest in Stuttgart and Bavaria, but in recent years he had never spent more than a year in the team. This happened in his second parish at Wolfsburg, and later in the English Fulham and the Chinese Shandong Luneng.

Stanislav Cherchesov

The possible return of the current coach of the Russian national team to the camp of red and white has been actively discussed over the past few months. As in the case with Parfyonov and Shalimov, Spartak is his home, as a result of which his invitation seems quite reasonable. What distinguishes him from the above-mentioned specialists is the fact that earlier he already had the opportunity to lead a national team. True, that was at the dawn of his coaching career and due to the lack of proper experience, he was not able to succeed.

Now Cherchesov is considered one of the best coaches in the country, and the success of the Russian team in the home championship of the planet elevated him to the status of a legend. Over the years, Cherchesov gained enormous experience and gathered around himself loyal like-minded people. Thus, there is no reason to doubt his readiness for the second coming to Spartak.

This is also supported by the fact that very soon Cherchesov threatens to hit the ceiling as a mentor to the Russian national team. At the World Cup, the team achieved unprecedented success, and in 2020 will try to perform no less successfully at the championship of the continent. But only then she will have the hardest selection for the tournament in Qatar, the failure of which can seriously weaken the position of a specialist.

In light of this, it is most likely that Cherchesov will head Spartak after the 2020 European Championship, but do not promise that he cannot accept the team already in the fall of 2019. Yes, the head of the Russian Football Union (RFU), Alexander Dyukov, said that he was "more likely an adversary" of combining posts, but this sounded not categorical.