“Boys are becoming more mature”: experts on the CSKA crisis, team mistakes in defense and the possible departure of Goncharenko

“It's easiest to blame everything on Goncharenko. Everyone is to blame for the defeat of CSKA

CSKA lacks stability and balance in the current season, says Dmitry Khokhlov, a former footballer of the army team and former Dynamo head coach. According to him, this may be due to errors made during the pre-season preparation. 

- I would not say that Viktor Goncharenko does not manage the team. He is an experienced trainer. We saw how he built this team from scratch. But CSKA lacks stability and balance. Perhaps the matter is in the youth of most football players. Or maybe some players do not fully understand the requirements of the coach or simply can not fulfill them.

- The game of the army in the center of defense does not hold water. How to solve this problem?

- Since the weak link of the team is defense, it means that acquisitions in this line are required. There is no other way to solve the problem. There are talented students on the way - give them a chance, no - look for point amplification on the side. Of course, Igor Diveev with Vadim Karpov will progress, but it will take time. Therefore, if the result is required here and now, beginners are needed. Otherwise, it remains to wait.

- Especially often criticized Karpov.

- He is scolded mainly for the last game with Zenit. Yes, Vadim lost a lot of martial arts to Artyom Dziube, but let's not forget that Dziuba is one of the country's strongest forwards. Karpov in confrontation with such a master so far lacks either power or experience.

- Do not you think that young CSKA players have stopped progressing this season?

“I can't say that.” At the beginning of the season, growth, albeit small, was, although the team lacked stability. I’m not going to evaluate the performance of CSKA in the spring, as the coronavirus pandemic interfered with the RPL calendar. Perhaps mistakes were made in the preparation of both the team and individual players.

- Don't you think that the army team just lacks experienced players?

- Of course. In any team should play "uncles", which at one time were Sergei Ignashevich and the Berezutsky brothers. They can tell young partners how to behave on the field and beyond. CSKA also conducted an almost total rejuvenation of the composition.   

- The media often write that very young football players are gathered in CSKA and they need time. Do not you think that this psychologically affects the team?

- It is just about this that journalists, and not experts, mainly speak. Youth is an all-Russian excuse. In Europe, people are already playing hard at the age of 18-19, performing in European competitions. And with us - you are 25, and you are still considered young and promising. If you entered the field in the RPL, there should be no excuses.

- How much can Goncharenko be blamed for the failures of CSKA if the club practically does not allocate money for transfers?

- Any coach wants to see high-class players in his team, but we do not know what agreements existed in the club. Only Goncharenko and Eugene Giner can talk about this. It’s easiest to blame everything on the coach. I think everyone is to blame for the defeats.

- Should the leadership of CSKA try to keep Goncharenko?

- He established himself as a very good coach. Such specialists are not scattered. And whether Goncharenko needs to be kept in this situation, Giner knows better than us.

- Sergey Ovchinnikov looks like a man who is ready to replace Goncharenko?

- The transfer of command management to a person from headquarters at the moment seems to be the best option. In the course of the season, it will be difficult to adapt to the requirements of the new coach from the outside. Therefore, it is logical if CSKA finishes the national championship under the leadership of one of the assistants Goncharenko.

“CSKA spent the first year on the courage, and then there were problems”

In turn, the former striker of the army and the Russian team, Dmitry Kirichenko, noted that CSKA needed a quality boost, without which it would be difficult for any coach. Also, in his opinion, the team needs experienced performers.

- CSKA has been modest in the transfer market in recent years, if you do not take into account the purchase of Nikola Vlasic. Yes, you can wait for the young guys to grow up, but we are used to the fact that CSKA is always striving to achieve the best results here and now.

- What are the problems of the team in the center of defense?

- Both with the slowness of the central defenders, and with the absence of a “destroyer” in the center of the field. CSKA in the supporting zone has creative players: Ivan Oblyakov, Ilzat Akhmetov, Kristiyan Bistrovich. They accelerate attacks well, but do not cope with defensive tasks, lose a lot of struggle. In defense, there are 20-year-old Diveev and 17-year-old Karpov. I know Igor very well, and I’m sure that he will reach a high level. In the meantime, they will make mistakes.  

- At the beginning of the 2000s, the young Berezutsky brothers played with you in CSKA, who at first also made a lot of mistakes.

- But next to them were experienced football players, for example, the same Ignashevich, who at 24 was the established master. If Vasya and Lesha were three years younger, they, of course, would have greatly helped the young defenders of CSKA. What is missing is the same Pontus Wernblum, who drove everyone around the field.

- Do not you think that young CSKA players have stopped progressing this season?

- There is a very good term - “second season syndrome”. It is applicable to the situation prevailing in CSKA. The red-blue spent the first year on the courage, and then problems arose. In the current season, expectations from the team have increased, and the game, at best, has remained unchanged. In this situation, Goncharenko can be understood. Nerves are not iron. He does what he can, but not everything turns out. Viktor Mikhailovich is a high-level specialist, but any coach needs football players.

- Sergey Ovchinnikov looks like a man who is ready to replace Goncharenko?

- In any case, I wish Sergey good luck. I know him well, but you cannot go far on charisma alone. Need some amplification. 

“Is this a young team? People play in the Premier League for three years " 

Former mentor of the army double Alexander Grishin refused to call CSKA “young team”. According to him, wards Goncharenko is high time to find stability. At the same time, the specialist admitted that he does not expect CSKA to dramatically improve the results if he replaces the Belarusian with Sergey Ovchinnikov.

- The main problem is that, no matter how trite it may sound, the team misses a lot and scores a little. Goals are given to the army team with great difficulty. As an example, we can recall the incredible mistake of Fedor Chalov in the match against Zenit. I would not talk about the lack of skill. After all, in 2018, these same players twice beat Real Madrid and fought for the championship. Perhaps mistakes were made in the preparatory period.

- What are the problems of the team in the center of defense?

- The fact is that all the central defenders, who are now assembled in CSKA, do not have high speed. Even the Berezutsky and Ignashevich were faster. Therefore, rivals with high-speed attackers easily overcome the defensive redoubts of the army. Because of this, the red-blue cannot organize a high pressure, since almost any pass behind the back turns into a missed ball. Hence the scheme with five defenders. Plus, there isn’t enough “destroyer” in the supporting zone, like Wernbloom was.

- Do not you think that young CSKA players have stopped progressing this season?

- You don’t have to go far for examples. Last season, RPL Chalov scored 15 goals, this time - five. Perhaps some psychological problems make themselves felt. It’s a sin to hide, if the team has not won since November, we can say that it hit the peak.

- The media write that very young football players are gathered in CSKA, and they need time. Do not you think that this psychologically affects the team?

- Is this a young team? People play in the Premier League for three years. Once upon a time, it's time to find stability. It is one thing if they spent the first season together. This applies only to the boy Karpov. And for a year and a half, CSKA did not have such failures.

- Should the leadership of CSKA try to keep Goncharenko?

- And how to keep him if a person does not want to work in a club? If Goncharenko wants to leave, you need to let him go. Nothing terrible will happen. It is difficult to say whether the Ovchinnikov will be able to replace Belarusians with equal value. I do not think that this permutation will give the team an impetus. It’s a month to play, to change something is unrealistic. Any coach who comes to CSKA now will do nothing. And Ovchinnikov did not work anywhere else, except for Kuban, Minsk and Bryansk Dynamo. Yes, and there won nothing.

- There is no feeling that Goncharenko has exhausted himself in CSKA?

- Since he announced that he was leaving, there are some reasons for this. But recently, he worked fine, and the team achieved the result. Mutual fatigue? Where does she come from if you do your favorite job? You’re not loading coal into wagons. I repeat, a mistake could have been made in preparation for the championship. Correcting it now will be difficult, because the matches will go one after another. The training process by and large will not be - only recovery and games.

- Could Goncharenko get tired of the constant savings of the club? For example, in early June, General Director of CSKA Roman Babayev said that CSKA will have to "tighten the belt."

- By and large, in CSKA and now a good composition has been assembled. The children are 21-23 years old. This is the most football age. And they will only get better.

“They beat Real Madrid twice and thought it would always be like this.” 

But the long-term coach of CSKA goalkeepers Vyacheslav Chanov believes that army fans should not sprinkle ashes on their heads. The specialist is confident in the progress of the team, but believes that the wards Goncharenko caught the "little star".

“We see the boys becoming more mature.” Sometimes young people, entering the field, do not always understand all the responsibility that has been placed on them. I think everything is fine at CSKA. Everyone calls the army "kindergarten", but this "kindergarten" is growing.

The only problem is the lack of experienced football players, because any team should have such “uncles”. Now only Igor Akinfeev is forced to drag this burden on himself. An experienced goalkeeper, central defender, central midfielder and striker must be present. But, again, promising, interesting guys are gathered in CSKA. We just need to wait a bit. At the same time, the army team practically do not buy anyone. The club relies on their own pupils. And, despite this, the red-blue with their boys are in the top five of the RPL standings. And they are opposed by teams that are able to invite strong players from Europe.

- How correct is it to refer to the lack of experience among CSKA players if most of the young players in the team are more than 20 years old?

- The question is different. I repeat, CSKA relies solely on its own pupils, of which several years ago we did not know anything. If at that moment Giner bought three or four players, they would never have heard of them. But CSKA has always been distinguished by a cool selection of players and good selection work.

- When will the young players of CSKA finally grow up and will be ready to give a result?

- Everything is individual here. The same Akinfeev began to play at the age of 16. I think the team is on the right track. Call me back in a year and a half, and see where red-blue will be. And all the negativity that is going on with them now is stupidity.

- But the same Chalov has been playing in the RPL since 2016. Has he not yet matured?

- Young children often do not understand what awaits them in the future. As the saying goes, "little starry." They played in the Champions League, defeated Real Madrid twice and relaxed, thought that it would always be so. In general, this is a normal situation.

- CSKA defenders make a huge number of mistakes this season. How to solve this problem?

- This is a difficult moment. Indeed, Diveev and Karpov are being criticized a lot. But, believe me, they will still grow into high-class masters. Give them some time. Remember how the Berezutsky brothers scolded when they started their careers. And as a result, Vasya and Lesha played a huge number of matches for both CSKA and the national team. Young people need to be trusted. They must go through errors.

- Should the leadership of CSKA try to keep Goncharenko?

- Only club management can decide this, but CSKA has a wonderful one. Goncharenko is a big plus that he managed to work together with the "pioneer squad". I think he is ready to achieve more with him. We do not yet know whether Goncharenko will leave or not.