Lutsenko's debut with Mostov and Sobolev's absence due to the conflict with Dzyuba: who was called up to the Russian national team for the League of Nations matches

The head coach of the Russian national football team Stanislav Cherchesov announced the composition of the team for the upcoming Nations League matches with Serbia and Hungary, which will be held on September 3 and 6. The list includes 26 players. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the national team has not convened since November last year, and during this time there have been significant changes in the team.

Why the national team Mostovoy and Lutsenko

First of all, attention is drawn to the presence of two players who have not previously played in the T-shirt of the Russian national team. For the first time, Zenit midfielder Andrei Mostovoy and Tula Arsenal striker Yevgeny Lutsenko have been summoned to the national team.

Lutsenko's challenge can be explained by his statistics. After a coronavirus hiatus, he was one of the best strikers in the RPL and has scored in six straight games. For some time he even claimed to become the top scorer of the past season, but lost two goals to Serdar Azmun and Artem Dziuba. In the new championship of Russia, Lutsenko is not yet so effective - he chalked up one goal and one pass to his account. During his career, the 33-year-old striker has never played for top clubs, but managed to break into the national team, albeit so far as the fourth striker.

Mostovoy's debut in the national team became possible after his successful loan at Sochi, where he played 26 matches and scored six goals. In the offseason, he returned to St. Petersburg and so far spent 46 minutes on the field. Probably, Cherchesov wants to give the young midfielder a chance to get acquainted with the national team and feel like a part of it, but his entry into the field is unlikely. However, four more Zenit players have been summoned to the national team. The fact that he is well acquainted with them from training and joint meetings may promise some prospects in the near future. The specialists often preferred to let several teammates out on the field at once.

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Why are consolidated agents Kuzyaev and Neustädter called

In addition to Mostovoy and Lutsenko, one cannot but pay attention to two more players. At the moment, defender Roman Neustadter and midfielder Daler Kuzyaev are free agents. 

Calling two athletes without a club may seem somewhat strange, but it is not at all devoid of logic. Kuzyaev at the end of last season was an important part of Zenit's championship line-up, but did not renew his contract with the champion. Now the midfielder is looking for a new club, which, according to some information, may be the Spanish Alaves. A month has passed since Daler's last appearance on the field, and the player hardly had time to lose his form.

In addition, after the injury of Dmitry Barinov, an extra defensive midfielder will not hurt. And this even taking into account the presence in the application of Roman Zobnin, Yuri Gazinsky and Magomed Ozdoev. Cherchesov will receive another worthy candidate for a place in the middle line, and Kuzyaev himself will receive the necessary practice.

The staff shortage can also be explained by the invitation of Neustädter. He is declared as a central defender, and this position is traditionally considered one of the most problematic for the Russian national team. In addition to the ex-Schalke footballer, only Georgy Dzhikia, Andrei Semyonov and Yegor Sorokin are among the representatives of this role. Last season Roman had a stable playing practice at Dynamo, and he is no stranger to the national team for a long time, so it is not surprising that the coaching staff considered his challenge justified.

Why Sobolev is absent

In addition to Lutsenko, Artyom Dzyuba, Fedor Smolov and Nikolai Komlichenko were called up to the position of the striker. At the same time, one of the best Russian forwards at the moment, Alexander Sobolev, did not get into the national team, who finished last season with 12 goals in the RPL, and scored two more goals in the new one.

Cherchesov taught that players with stable playing practice can always count on a challenge, which at the same time give a result. Sobolev corresponds to this characteristic, but the last time he was in the national team was back in October last year and did not enter the field at the same time. Now he is already one of the leading strikers of Spartak, who started the season in the RPL without defeat.

However, Sobolev's return is hindered by his difficult relationship with Dzyuba. In May, Alexander gave an interview in which he said that he did not like comparisons with Artyom, and also said that he did not support his teammate Alexander Kokorin after the incident at Coffeemania. And in the semifinal match of the Russian Cup, the conflict flared up with renewed vigor.

Since then, the athletes have not settled it. For Cherchesov, in addition to the quality of the players themselves, the atmosphere in the national team is also important, which is why he already refused to invite Igor Denisov when he was one of the leading defenders of the country. Therefore, in order to join the national team, Sobolev will need to try to make peace with Dzyuba and convince the coaching staff that they are ready to play side by side.

Should we be surprised at the absence of CSKA players

In the current squad, there was a place for only one CSKA player. Without Mario Fernandez, the right flank of the defense is still difficult to imagine, and therefore he received a guaranteed challenge. At the same time, the army club taught that it knows how to bet on young Russians and make them stars at the RPL level, but this time none of Viktor Goncharenko's team got into Cherchesov's lens.

It is easy to explain the absence of Igor Diveev, Ivan Oblyakov, Konstantin Kuchaev and Fyodor Chalov. They have been called up to the youth team, which will face important matches in the selection for the European Championship with Bulgaria and Poland. At the same time, it is unlikely that Cherchesov had big regrets due to the lack of army men. After the coronavirus pause, CSKA cannot boast of stability, and in defense it is even experiencing serious problems.

Why does the national team need Anton Miranchuk and Zhemaletdinov

Quite unexpected is the call to the national team of two Lokomotiv players - Anton Miranchuk and Rifat Zhemaletdinov. They have a stable playing practice under Marko Nikolic, but both attacking midfielders do not yet have statistics that would give a pass to the national team. For two they scored one assist, which did not save the “railroad workers” from defeat to “Zenith” in the match for the Russian Super Cup.

Taking into account the role played by the full-backs in the development of the national team's attacks, it will be difficult for Miranchuk and Zhemaletdinov to rely on their play on the flank to be in demand. Other more experienced wingers may well be in their place, and so far their challenge looks like an advance for the future.