For the home match with Malta, the last in September in the qualification of the World Cup-2022, the Russian national team is approaching with another loss in the composition.

This time, one of the leaders of the team, Alexander Golovin, was out of action.

On Monday, the footballer underwent an MRI scan, which identified an injury.

“After the game with Cyprus, he had a slight injury to his thigh muscle, which would not allow him to take part in the next match.

Alexander returns to the location of the club for treatment and full preparation for the next games ", - quotes the words of the senior doctor of the national team Vladimir Khaitin, the official website of the RFU.

In the meeting with Cyprus, the Monaco midfielder left the field in the middle of the second half.

But at a press conference, Valery Karpin said that the ward asked for a replacement during the break.

Unfortunately, this loss is far from the first at the current training camp.

Previously, Stanislav Magkeev, Sergey Petrov, Dmitry Chistyakov, Daniil Fomin, Mario Fernandez and Alexey Ionov received various injuries.

The last two were forced to miss the fight in Nicosia.

The domestic national team returned home from Cyprus on Sunday evening.

In the morning of that day, athletes who did not appear on the field or were limited to substitutions, held a lesson in a heat of +35 ° C.

And on Monday, the Russians already at the base in Novogorsk organized a pre-match training session, partially open to the media.

15 minutes was enough for journalists to understand that Fernandez is again working on an individual program.

This was followed by a traditional press conference with the participation of Karpin and striker Fedor Smolov, who gave two assists in a duel with the Cypriots.

It is curious that Georgy Dzhikia and Dmitry Barinov, who took part in the two previous briefings, eventually received the captain's armband.

Karpin did not hide the fact that, with a high degree of probability, the Lokomotiv forward could also receive such an honor if he “appears at the base”.

“Fedor is here today, because I decided that he would go to the press conference.

Will he get a bandage? ... All of us are captains, ”the specialist emphasized.

Smolov could not help asking about his absence from the field in the match with Croatia.

The striker emphasized that he took this with understanding.

Then the conversation turned to the topic of Euro 2020, which the footballer missed.

“I see no reason to return to the past.

Moreover, not everything depended on me.

Glad to be in the national team again.

Thanks to Georgievich.

He understands.

The controversial post on Instagram was posted by me after the announcement of the application, but the message had nothing to do with the national team.

It turned out to be a difficult season, and I was rightly criticized.

We finished it successfully, so I decided to publish such a post with a quote from a musician with whom I communicate personally.

Why did he improve this year?

I managed to go through full training camps.

This is important, ”Smolov explained.

But Karpin brought the fans another unpleasant, but expected news.

Fernandez will almost certainly not play against Malta either.

“He asked for a substitution in the match with Croatia.

I felt discomfort.

It got better, but not enough to train.

Most likely, tomorrow Mario will not enter the field.

Golovin?

We hope that by October he will return to the national team if he recovers and plays, ”the coach said.

At the same time, he attributed a large number of injuries to the increased workload in the clubs, but not in the national team.

“We haven't had a single workout with at least an average load.

All classes are average or just restorative.

We play and recover.

What day should we train at all? "

- asked Karpin.

They asked the mentor about whether he liked working with the national team at all and how much it differs from the activities in the club.

“The intensity is very serious.

It's quieter at the club during the week when there are no matches.

Everything is much more responsible here.

But it is still difficult to assess - the head is on fire.

I can only say: after these 10 days in the national team, I will have to go to the forest, turn off the phone and disappear for three days.

You need to restore your nerves and health.

But for me, of course, everything that happens is interesting.

So many football players of such high quality have never worked under my leadership.

These are the best performers in the country.

They are definitely masters, ”the coach shared his opinion.

A lot of discussions on the eve of the meeting were also caused by the critical statements of well-known commentators Georgy Cherdantsev and Konstantin Genich.

The journalists were unhappy with the actions of the national team in the match with Cyprus, especially in the last half hour.

According to the mentor, he heard about criticism in his address.

“I don’t read anything, and even more so now.

But I heard about it.

How do I feel?

Part of the profession.

Imagine what would happen if we suddenly lost.

Over the years, the habit has developed: we need to concentrate on what we are doing, improve the bad moments that we don't like.

I cannot and cannot react to everything that happens outside the national team, ”Karpin added.

In particular, many complained that in Nicosia, in the second half, the domestic team began to experience serious problems with functional readiness and actually pressed against its own goal.

At the same time, the specialist once again thanked for the postponement of the sixth round of the RPL.

“I knew that there would be no time to train and prepare.

I realized this after talking with Leonid Slutsky.

What to do?

Football players should do it.

They absorb everything.

I believe in their conscientiousness.

It's ridiculous to talk about being tired after 20 matches.

There are many more meetings in Europe.

Of course, they get tired there too, but that's okay - they play, "Karpin said.

But Smolov admitted: it is extremely difficult for the Russians to play every three days with maximum intensity.

“There are both objective and subjective reasons for this ... But we are working on this with the coaching staff.

I am sure everything can be fixed, ”the forward expressed hope.

As a result, the coach even got into a skirmish with one of the journalists.

He asked how the national team will look in October, when the number of meetings in all tournaments will only increase.

In response, the mentor emphasized: increased fatigue has nothing to do with this.

“Here you have to look at what is meant by fatigue, arguing that in October it will get worse.

Why do you think so?

Okay, more matches.

Think tired of it?

If you go out on the field now, how long will you hold out, five to ten minutes?

I’m enough for three, you’re enough.

Why?

Answer the question yourself ... Well, that's it, draw your own conclusions, "Karpin burst out.

Finally, both made a curtsey on duty in the direction of the inferior opponent in the class.

So, Karpin said that the Malta national team now and 25 years ago is "heaven and earth".

And Smolov stressed that the national team respects any opponent.

However, the Malta national team in the current qualification is definitely not a whipping boy.

In five meetings, she scored four points, defeating Cyprus and drawing with Slovakia.

Therefore, the Russians should not relax.