A day after being included in the expanded composition of the Russian national football team, the striker of the St. Petersburg Zenit Artyom Dzyuba announced his rejection of the invitation to the matches with Slovakia and Slovenia, which are to be held on October 8 and 11. According to the footballer, he notified the head coach of the national team Valery Karpin that he did not have time to get in optimal shape, and therefore he would not be able to demonstrate his maximum and help his partners.

“The previous season was very difficult and long.

There were high expectations from the Euro, serious preparation, we gave our all, but the result was unsuccessful.

All this affected both the physical and the emotional, so it was difficult to enter the new season.

Now, little by little, I began to return to its previous form, but I feel that I have not yet fully typed it.

The national team has the most important games ahead, so it would be wrong to go and take someone else's place now, "Match TV quotes Dzyuba.

The 33-year-old striker dismissed speculation that he had put his career on hold.

Artyom wished his partners in the national team good luck in the upcoming matches and promised to come fully armed for the next training camp in early November.

“I have always dreamed and still dream of playing for my country and I hope to join our team more than once and score more than one goal,” added the striker.

Interestingly, immediately after the announcement of the expanded squad, Dziuba scored a double in the match of the eighth round of the Russian Premier League with Rubin and acted extremely useful in playing along.

Meanwhile, Fedor Smolov, on the contrary, could not help Lokomotiv to get an important victory in Yekaterinburg over an obvious outsider, although he spent all 90 minutes on the field and struck the same number of shots on goal - five.

Karpin later confirmed that he had a conversation with the former captain of the national team and that he told him about the desire to concentrate on work at the club.

At the same time, the specialist expressed his readiness to call Dziuba to the next training camp, if he deserves a place with his game.

Nevertheless, the incident gave the media a reason to once again recall the long-standing conflict between the player and the mentor. Moreover, the coach himself the day before the announcement of the list admitted that there are still disagreements with the player, although they do not affect his potential game for the national team. According to Karpin, only the current form of the striker matters.

“I dislike Dziuba? Therefore, I included it in the extended list. Apparently so. I contacted him and asked if he was ready to play for the national team. He replied that he was not ready yet and he needed to get in shape, so he decided at the moment to focus on Zenit. Is this strange? This question is not for me to ask. Why did I include Dzyuba on the extended list before I spoke to him? What is the point of communicating with him if this is not the final list? I called him in order, perhaps, to include him in the final list, "Karpin later explained on the air of Match Premier.

However, many assume that Dziuba's refusal to play for the national team is somehow connected with an offense at Karpin, and the words about bad form are nothing more than a cover. This point of view, in particular, is shared by the former Spartak forward Roman Pavlyuchenko. And ex-Manchester United midfielder Andrei Kanchelskis does not believe at all in Dziuba's possible return to the national team.

“Not the most beautiful gesture on the part of Artyom.

Of course, the words about poor physical shape are not true.

We all understand that Dziuba is cunning.

This is pure resentment against Karpin, and it's not even about the old conflict.

Artyom was simply offended by everyone and everything because of not calling for the first training camp.

He was the main acting figure of the national team, the captain, and he was not invited to the new team.

Of course, he took it very painfully ... I don't believe that Dziuba will return to the national team.

Today he, most likely, finished his performances for the national team, ”Sport24 quotes Kanchelskis.

The Locker Room Telegram channel suggested that the forward made an ambiguous decision, as he knew in advance that he would not be included in the final list.

And on social networks, the thought flashed about Dziuba's unwillingness to associate himself with the potential failure of the national team in the event of her missing the World Cup.

In turn, the honorary president of the Russian Football Union, Vyacheslav Koloskov, does not see any logic in the footballer's act and considers him disrespectful towards both the coach and his teammates.

“Artyom’s act cannot be explained logically - he was the team captain, one of the leading players, was the ringleader and played for the team with pleasure, even in the locker room he spoke some speeches.

Now it is necessary to put an end to Dzyuba.

That's all, this is his personal choice, we must forget this surname, "Koloskov said to the Championship.

Dziuba was criticized by the former Zenit coach Vlastimil Petrzela.

He is sure that the refusal of the invitation to the national team has nothing to do with the current state of the striker.

"This is mistake!

I don't understand why he gave up the Russian national team.

It seems that he was offended by Karpin.

Dziuba is doing the wrong thing - you cannot give up the national team, ”- quotes Petrzhela“ Sport-Express ”.

The blue-white-blue striker was defended by his first coach Alexander Shuplyakov.

In his opinion, Artyom did not say his last word in the national team.

“I totally disagree with the criticism of Artyom.

He is not a traitor.

Seeing that Smolov is now the top scorer, he analyzed and decided that he did not want to sit in Fedor's shadow.

Dziuba does not want to be on the sidelines and sit on the bench - this is understandable, ”Sport24 quotes Shuplyakov as saying.

The ex-president of Lokomotiv Ilya Gerkus urged to respect Dziuba's decision, since the striker had always worked hard in the national team and helped her to achieve results.

Match TV commentator Dmitry Shnyakin believes that people will not believe Dzyuba because of his scandalous reputation.

At the same time, according to him, the player's decision is not devoid of logic.

“Are you sure that Dziuba would have played at the heart of such a powerful match for him in Kazan, if not for Azmun's injury?

And then the training camp of the national team, which, firstly, Dziuba did not get into (only in the extended list).

There would be a completely different job that would help the striker to reach the peak.

The club is another matter: there are familiar coaches, rehabilitation therapists, a less stressful environment and the opportunity to smoothly gain strength before the Champions League games, "Shnyakin wrote in his Telegram channel.

The journalist also drew attention to the fact that Dziuba could not play a major role in Karpin's team in any case, since the coach needs players who can act useful when organizing pressure.