"It will be better for both the club and the Russian national team": why Karpin left Rostov after two defeats at the start of the season

Unexpected departure from "Rostov"

The information that Valery Karpin is leaving Rostov really shocked the Russian football community.

On the one hand, the yellow-blue at the start of the new RPL season suffered two defeats in a row.

On the other hand, few could have imagined that this would lead to such a step.

The news of the departure was published on the club's official website on Monday evening and almost immediately caused the portal to collapse due to the influx of users.

Many did not believe in what had happened and wanted to study the official source.

As reported

RB-Sport, the specialist himself initiated his parting with the team.

According to the newspaper, two Spanish assistants, Jonathan Alba and Luis Martinez, who will also work in the Russian national team, are leaving with him.

But the coach of goalkeepers Vitaly Kafanov so far, allegedly, remains in Rostov-on-Don.

It is worth noting that Karpin and the club president Artashes Harutyunyats said goodbye as respectfully as possible and called each other close friends.

Commenting on the situation, the mentor admitted that a week of combining posts was enough for him to understand that he would not be able to devote all his strength and emotions to the yellow-blue.

“This is a very difficult, painful decision for me.

But it will be better for everyone - both for FC Rostov and for the Russian national team ... I took on a serious responsibility, a heavy burden.

If I cannot devote all my strength, thoughts, time to the team, this is the risk of causing harm.

You have to be honest with yourself and football, ”Karpin said.

“I would like to thank Artashes Vladimirovich for the opportunity to stay so much time at the helm of such a wonderful team.

I was given truly boundless trust and support.

Artashes Vladimirovich is the best president, but, more importantly, a friend on whom I can always rely, ”the official website of the club quotes the mentor.

In turn, Harutyunyants stressed that it was not easy for him to let go of the coach, but there was no choice left.

“Together we have come a long and difficult way, but in all situations we have always supported each other.

On my own behalf, I want to thank Valery Georgievich for his enormous contribution to the development and formation of the club, ”the functionary said.

A warm post on her Instagram page was also published by the wife of the now former “Rostov” mentor.

Daria Karpina thanked the local fans for their support and noted that her family would stay in Rostov-on-Don for the time being.

Karpin's place in the history of the club

For Rostov, Karpin really became an iconic coach, although the team under his leadership did not win a single trophy and did not take medals in the national championship.

But the yellow-blue ones have always remained a bright, recognizable team with their own handwriting.

And the club helped the specialist himself to retain his place in the profession.

At the end of 2017, he became the head of the club, having only a not very successful business trip to Mallorca and a disastrous season in the FNL with Armavir Torpedo as a liability after working at Spartak.

The mentor received the southerners dangerously close to the zone of transitional matches, but saved them from being relegated from the RPL.

Rostov finished the next season in ninth place.

Then for the first time the chronic illness of the yellow-blues appeared at Karpin: they had a great first round, but in the spring they lost a lot of points.

But in the 2019/20 national championship, the team climbed to fifth place and for the first and last time under Karpin got into European cups.

At the same time, the coach made a radical attempt to rebuild the team's game.

She began to act with an emphasis on attack and moved away from the formation of three center-backs.

In the last full season under the guidance of a specialist, Rostov failed in the Europa League, losing to Maccabi from Haifa in the 3rd qualifying round of the tournament, and was content with the ninth place in the national championship.

The results were also negatively affected by the massive sale of leaders.

Last year, Eldor Shomurodov, Alexei Ionov, Evgeny Chernov, Baktiyor Zainutdinov, Dmitry Chistyakov, Ivelin Popov and Roman Eremenko left Rostov-on-Don.

In fact, the mentor had to build a new team.

Another achievement of Karpin has nothing to do with football.

With him, the yellow-blue ones became one of the most media clubs in Russia, and he himself willingly took part in various activities.

For example, in the spring he agreed to shoot the documentary series "Rostov-on-konu" inside the team.

The southerners did not start the new season in the best way.

They were defeated by Dynamo (0: 2) and Zenit (2: 4).

We can say that at the start of the season we were unlucky with the calendar.

At the same time, in both matches, they looked decent and could well score points.

In the confrontation with the Muscovites, the hosts held the initiative, but failed to realize their chances.

They also fought the reigning champion.

It is difficult to say how the meeting would have ended if not for the controversial first goal of Alexander Erokhin.

The perfect solution for the Russian national team

Having accepted the Russian national team, Karpin did not hide: he doubts whether he will succeed in combining work in two positions, first of all, emotionally.

At a press conference, where the specialist was officially presented as the mentor of the national team, he repeatedly emphasized that this step is largely forced.

“What worries me the most is psychological rather than physical fatigue, whether I have enough emotions for both Rostov and the national team.

After much deliberation, we decided that enough is enough, especially since the selection will end in November, ”the specialist said at the time.

The president of the RFU, Alexander Dyukov, also spoke out categorically against the combination.

According to the functionary, at the end of the year the coach had to decide on a permanent place of work.

“We went to meet Valery Georgievich, realizing that it would be wrong for him to put the club in a difficult situation, leaving him a few days before the start of the new season.

Therefore, such a decision was made.

In December, we will either agree to continue cooperation and he will leave Rostov, or we will look for a new coach, ”Dyukov explained.

As a result, the alignment was delayed by only ten days.

But now the mentor will not have to be torn into two fronts and on the eve of the decisive matches of the 2022 World Cup qualifying stage he will be able to focus on the Russian national team, which will certainly benefit her.

And the RFU can plan cooperation with a specialist for a longer period, even if he does not fulfill the task and does not lead the team to the world championship.

Karpin's decision to leave his job at the club and focus on the national team was supported by most of the experts.

So, the former helmsman of Lokomotiv and the Russian national team, Yuri Semin, called his colleague's step "reasonable."

“He understands the great importance of working in a national team.

Valery made a decision in a stressful situation.

Throughout his career, as a footballer and coach, he took risks.

I support the decision to leave Rostov and focus on the national team.

I wish him good luck, "- quotes the words of Semin" Championship ".

In turn, the ex-captain of the national team and Karpin's teammate in "Spartak" Alexander Mostovoy stressed that the combination would only go to the detriment.

“You have to choose from the very beginning: team, national team or free.

This is the national team of a country with a population of 150 million.

Everyone said that it would pull, pull, and now it is.

I didn’t cope with the stress of combining ”, - said Mostovoy.

Finally, another former coach of the national team, Boris Ignatiev, considers the coach's departure from the club "a big plus" for Russian football.

“I think he figured everything out, compared, felt the difficulties he faced, and so he decided. Did Karpin throw Rostov at a difficult moment? He just did it based on his situation. I think here he thought more about the club, taking into account the fact that the yellow-blues can continue to go downhill. Valery Georgievich has a lot of experience, so he understands where the club can slide, honor and praise to him, "- quotes a TASS specialist.