Karpin's statement about Dziuba, injuries of Magkeev and Petrov and the ban on sugar: how the Russian national team is preparing for the match with Croatia

"We will do our best to get to Qatar"

Valery Karpin addressed the fans on the eve of his debut at the head of the Russian national team match of the qualifying stage of the 2022 World Cup with Croatia.

“Friends, there are important meetings ahead for the right to play at the World Championship.

We really hope for your support.

And on our part, we will make every effort to get to Qatar, ”the press service of the national team quotes the specialist as saying.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the team finally got together in full force.

The last to arrive at the base in Novogorsk were the legionnaires Alexei Miranchuk and Andrey Lunev.

Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen, whose colors they defend, played their national championship matches on Saturday.

At the same time, Denis Cheryshev from Valencia and Alexander Golovin from Monaco arrived a little earlier.

Preparations for the key meeting started on Friday.

At the disposal of Karpin, more and more new wards gradually turned out to be, and he only had to get acquainted with some of them.

On Sunday, the team already worked in the roster of 26 people, including three goalkeepers.

Unfortunately, there were some injuries.

First, Lokomotiv's central defender Stanislav Magkeev was injured, replaced by Zenit footballer Dmitry Chistyakov, and then Sergey Petrov from Krasnodar.

In this situation, the call was also received by the performer of Petersburgers - Alexei Sutormin.

In both cases, we are talking about muscle damage.

Moreover, on Saturday Marinato Guilherme missed the lesson due to discomfort in the Achilles area, but serious health problems were avoided.

Good news came these days.

So, it became known that the game with Croatia, which will be held on September 1 at the Luzhniki stadium, will be able to visit not a few thousand people, as originally planned, but more than 20 thousand.

At the same time, only fans who have had a coronavirus or who have been vaccinated will have the opportunity to get to the upper tiers.

To enter the stadium, they will have to present an appropriate document (certificate or certificate from the "Gosuslugi" portal) and a passport.

But in order to watch the game from the lower tiers, a ticket is enough.

“Now I'm going to joke.

I will be a clown "

However, the main event of the first training camp at Karpin was an open training session, as well as a press conference by the coach himself, during which the specialist answered all the burning questions.

In particular, he stressed that he does not yet know who will become the new captain instead of Artyom Dziuba, who did not receive a call.

“Let's decide with the team.

All questions regarding goalkeepers are for Vitaly Kafanov.

I find out about the first issue the day before the game, on August 31, in the evening - at 11 o'clock. Three days of training, of course, is not enough.

Anyone will tell you.

Whether or not we succeed in changing something - we'll see on the game.

After that, everything will become clear.

Will we have time to work out two or three schemes?

Here I would like to work out one, ”Karpin said.

Of course, they could not fail to ask him once again about Dzyuba himself, in particular, about the positive atmosphere that the forward created in the team.

In response, the coach promised to personally replace the former ward in this regard.

“Will Dziuba's absence help others to open up?

Perhaps.

Or maybe not - who knows.

The footballers say that they lack Artyom's jokes, but now I will joke.

I will be a clown, ”added the specialist.

At the same time, Karpin's arrival in the national team was accompanied by a rather large scandal.

Many members of the previous headquarters lost their jobs.

Among them, doctors Eduard Bezuglov and Mikhail Butovsky left the national team.

This happened, allegedly, due to a conflict with the new fitness coach Luis Casais Martinez.

During the briefing, the mentor touched on this topic.

“The doctors have gone to their clubs.

Why is a question for them.

This is their decision.

Yes, we requested data, medical history.

Each physician should have it for patients, that is, candidates for the national team.

I need this information.

They did not provide this data and left.

Didn't work with Luis Martinez?

This is the wrong message.

I wanted the information Louis was asking for.

If the doctor has no medical history of the patients, what to talk about?

I would like people to stay.

But since they do not want to, we will not hold anyone by force, ”Karpin stressed.

He also spoke about the ban on Yuri Zhirkov to study at the base in Novogorsk at the same time as the Russian national team.

According to the expert, nobody kicked out the bronze medalist of Euro 2008.

“I had a conversation with the administrator.

Zhirkov and the physiotherapist asked if they would interfere.

The administrator replied that Yuri's continued work here would not be the best option.

The conversation ended there.

They told me about it too.

I have already learned about the rest from the press, ”the coach admitted.

In the meantime, it remains to summarize that there are really enough changes in the national team with the arrival of a new helmsman.

For example, he decided to more closely monitor the nutrition of the wards.

In particular, now they are forbidden to consume flour and sugar.

“These are professional footballers.

Before that, maybe they drank vodka, but I have nothing to do with it.

I eat sugar myself, I'm not a football player.

We ate borscht yesterday, great.

I don’t remember what borscht is in Tarasovka, ”the coach summed up.

"Valery Georgievich really watches weight"

The athletes themselves are still mostly positive about working with a new coach.

So, midfielder Rifat Zhemaletdinov said that under Karpin "it became more fun", and he himself began to feel "more liberated." 

“Before that it was harder ... Valery Georgievich really monitors the weight, some products were removed from the diet.

Sugar was banned altogether.

We have already been interviewed.

With the cakes it became more difficult.

In general, only positive emotions come from the coaching staff, "the Sport-Express football player quotes.

In turn, Cheryshev, who had a great start to the new season of Examples with Valencia, also confirmed that with the arrival of a new coach, “emotions in the national team are different.”

“Valery Georgievich called me the other day, asked about the condition.

That is, we got to know each other a little.

We worked with Nikolai Nikolaevich Pisarev as a youth.

Viktor Savelyevich Onopko is a friend of my father, so we also know each other well.

We will meet again now, ”the midfielder rejoiced.

But Daler Kuzyaev directly admitted that the national team still lacks Dziuba.

According to the Zenit midfielder, his teammate has always been responsible for the atmosphere in the national team.

“Each mentor has his own requirements for the training process ... Karpin has not yet said who will receive the captain's armband.

I didn’t think about it.

Maybe someone charismatic - for example, Geogiy Dzhikia.

Probably, they will trust him, ”Kuzyaev suggested.

At the same time, some performers with the arrival of Karpin were able to return to the national team.

One of them was the experienced Lokomotiv goalkeeper Guilherme, whom Cherchesov quite unexpectedly did not include in the application for Euro 2020.

The goalkeeper said he was not surprised by the challenge.

“I didn’t finish my career in the national team, so I was always ready.

I was upset that I did not make it to the continental championship, but I always wanted to return.

There are five goalkeepers at the training camp now.

The competition for a place in the start is great.

I will work hard and do my best to show the best game.

All the goalkeepers of the national team are of a high level, their qualities allow everyone to become the first number.

And who will play, the coaches will decide.

Whoever starts at the start will receive support from all the goalkeepers of the national team, ”the press service of the national team quotes Guilherme.

The Russian Champion also stressed that he was very pleased to work with Vitaly Kafanov.

He called the well-known specialist a “legendary trainer”.

“He is very experienced and all the goalkeepers know him, even those who have not crossed paths with him.

I was very, very lucky to be able to cooperate with Vitaly Vitalievich.

Every Russian goalkeeper would like to train with him.

I will work and enjoy the process.

At any age, the goalkeeper has a lot to learn from professionals like Kafanov, ”Guilherme added.