The Russian national football team did not concede a single goal and scored 10 points in four meetings of the qualifying tournament for the 2022 World Cup after being led by Valery Karpin.

However, many fans and experts are worried that the team not only looks vulnerable on the defensive (in 360 minutes, the opponents struck 65 shots at our goal), but also experiences colossal problems with organizing the attack.

Before the match in Maribor with Slovenia, a victory in which practically guarantees the Russians a minimum of participation in the joints, former players of the national team Alexander Samedov and Dmitry Bulykin tried to understand the roots of the existing problems.

Samedov: "Barinov played a very strong match in Kazan"

- One gets the impression that the flanking defenders in Valery Karpin's national team do the greatest amount of work, and sometimes they act very effectively in attack.

Were you surprised that Sergei Terekhov and Alexei Sutormin, who at the beginning of the year were nominally the third players in their positions in the national team, had a successful meeting with Slovakia?

- If we talk about their actions in the attack, then, indeed, both were one of the best, but for some reason everyone forgets that, first of all, the guys are full-backs, not lateral ones, so they should be judged primarily as defensive players.

The same Terekhov was very active, good at tackling, constantly trying to play ahead, but sometimes let his rivals go behind their backs.

In our half, we had certain problems.

Let me emphasize: of course, this is not only Terekhov's and Sutormin's fault, but there were plenty of chances at our gates.

- Don't you think that this is happening because the national team sometimes sinks too low and meets the opponent almost at their own penalty area.

Another thing is that the players are confident in themselves and hardly panic

...

- You should panic when some top rival comes up against you.

Slovakia is a good team, but it would still be strange if Karpin's wards were very nervous in front of their fans.

Of course, there was excitement, yet we are fighting for the first place, and now the main thing is the result.

The guys are focused and give their all on the field without a trace, they want to fight to the end for a direct entry to the world championship.

However, teams of approximately equal class met in Kazan.

- Why is the team locked in defense for some time in all autumn matches, especially after they open an account?

- I think that not all players yet understand some tactical moments.

Need time.

Still, the new coaching staff, requirements, scheme.

Although the result is still being achieved.

Probably, for some, psychology also works: it is more important to defend the result and keep the gate intact.

- Dmitry Barinov in the national team increasingly plays the role of a central defender

.

How reasonable is Karpin's decision?

- If we talk about the meeting with Slovakia, then Dima played it very hard.

As for the chances, after the transition to the game in the center three, there were significantly fewer of them, but they were still there.

We have to be objective: on Friday we were lucky, the opponent had enough chances to at least not concede.

But lucky is the one who is lucky.

- Zelimkhan Bakaev does a decent amount of work on the field, but it is difficult to call him the player who can make the result. 

Why does the coaching staff trust Spartak's insider information? 

- Zelimkhan is quite a motor player, he works out a lot, opens up great, has a good shot.

But the most necessary quality in organizing counterattacks is to be able to handle the ball under pressure.

Bakaev is doing well with this, he is capable of pushing through, gathering rivals on his own.

Well, the amount of rough work that he does is colossal.

Bulykin: "A player like Dzyuba will always come in handy for the national team"

- Fans and experts were unhappy with the team's performance in attack in the match with Slovakia, but can any of the players in the attacking group really be blamed?

- There are many reasons why the national team does not score and we can talk about them for a long time.

Naturally, the absence of leaders affects - Alexey Miranchuk and Alexander Golovin, who can lead the team.

Besides, no doubt the attackers could do better.

Probably, the combination of these problems affects the lack of a large number of chances and goals.

However, it is good that there is a result.

- Is it worth blaming the attackers if the ball almost never reaches them, and there is no player in the team who can give the last pass?

- In each scheme, it is still worth starting from the type of forward. Naturally, the attacker must always be supplied with balls. When Artyom Dzyuba, Anton Zabolotny or Alexander Sobolev are at the forefront, this is much easier to do. They are tall and fight for any overhang and cross - create more opportunities for a goal. If Smolov is on the pitch, then it is necessary to create space for him, to play the ball well, and mutual understanding should be at the level. Fedor needs quick assistants who will give sharp passes. By the way, Arsen Zakharyan can do this too. In fact, the guys know how to score, it's just the way the matches are going.

- Smolov looked unconvincing in Kazan.

He has not scored in seven matches in a row in all tournaments, and the last time he distinguished himself just for the national team in a meeting with Malta.

Shouldn't Karpin think about releasing someone else from the first minutes in Maribor?

- It all depends not on the previous game, but on the mutual understanding and readiness of the performers.

The output of a forward is determined by what kind of football the coach will play in general, and what defenders will oppose us.

There are many principles by which the composition is formed.

- The head of the RFU Alexander Dyukov and journalist Vasily Utkin noted that Dzyuba would be very useful to the national team.

Especially if you remember what kind of football the team played in the second half with Slovakia.

Do you share this point of view?

- Artyom is a quality footballer.

We see how he plays at Zenit.

The main thing is to use it correctly.

If they make good passes to him, then he scores a lot.

And even when he is not scored, he still brings a lot of benefit to the team: he fights, wins the top, keeps the ball.

Therefore, such a player is always useful for the national team.

But it does not exist, which is why it is necessary to use those who are in the composition.

Although the game would have been different with him.

- After Euro 2020, many advocated that the new coaching staff did not call Dziuba to the national team.

Why, then, is everyone now unhappy with the fact that the player himself refuses to play?

- In general, we have a lot of dissatisfied people who always express their negativity.

And even when Dziuba scores two or three goals, he is still criticized.

If this comes from a specialist, then it is accompanied by competent argumentation, and you should not pay attention to the words of ordinary haters.

One way or another, from love to hate, one game.

Therefore, it is necessary to overcome everything and move on.

- Nevertheless, is Artyom behaving correctly, refusing to help the national team at the moment when she really needs him?

- Who knows, maybe his knee hurts or he has a micro tear of some kind.

It is possible that in recent matches he played injections.

Only Zenit's doctors and coaches have complete information about his condition.

If Artyom says that he cannot help, then I am inclined to believe him.

Suddenly he is really psychologically or physically not ready.

- Do you admit that he refused to go to the national team because of his relationship with Karpin?

“I don’t know, maybe so.

However, we can only guess and accept what we are told.

You can argue for a long time whether this is true or not.

The main thing is that it is not in the composition, which means that you need to look for a replacement.