Reflections aloud: will Karpin leave the Russian national football team before the play-off matches for the World Cup

Firing position

The defeat of the Russian national football team in Split is still the main sports topic in the Russian media.

And the head coach of the national team Valery Karpin gave a reason to continue the discussion.

The 52-year-old specialist unexpectedly said that he did not rule out the option of leaving his post, without waiting for spring, when the playoffs of the qualifying tournament will take place.

“I don’t know if I’ll be the coach in the play-offs.

Think.

Anything can be assumed.

Let's say I have some kind of contract.

I'm not talking about the national team - with Rostov, with anyone.

I declare - that's it, I don't want more.

Do you think someone will hold me back by force?

I need to rest, calmly analyze, and then think.

It cannot be ruled out that in a week I will say that everything is fine, and in December I will say no, ”Karpin said during a live broadcast of the“ Comment.Show ”program on YouTube.

Initially, the appointment of a mentor turned out to be a little chaotic.

After the end of the European Championship, the Russian Football Union dragged its feet on the work of Stanislav Cherchesov, although the national team was defeated twice and took the last place in the group.

However, after the final press conference, at which the specialist in recognition of many looked as unconvincing as possible, rumors spread that his days were numbered.  

Cherchesov's resignation followed a week later - on July 8, and Karpin accepted her only two and a half weeks later.

At the same time, he initially planned to combine positions, as he continued to coach Rostov, but left the club on August 2.

From which the conclusion suggests itself that the situation has developed too rapidly, and the specialist did not have the opportunity to weigh the pros and cons before a responsible appointment.

The head coach has always become the object of harsh criticism after the first failure.

Over the past couple of decades, none of them have left the national team on horseback.

Leonid Slutsky, Fabio Capello and even Guus Hiddink left amid poor results.

Therefore, Karpin signed a contract only until December 31, 2021, but with the possibility of extending until March, subject to entering the play-offs.

Rebuild on the go

Valery is undoubtedly right when he says that no one will keep the coach by force.

In the same way, it is difficult to make his players play good football if they are not capable of it.

The level of Russian football has dropped significantly in the past few years, as evidenced by numerous defeats in European competitions, the UEFA coefficient table and the FIFA rating.

However, if you think in terms of results, it is difficult for a specialist to make claims.

Five wins, one draw and one defeat (with a minimum score away from the favorite) - the team performed in its own power.

Perhaps even a little better.

At the moment, Russia is objectively weaker than Croatia, as both face-to-face meetings showed.

The result of the decisive match is logical and logical.

But at the same time, even ten minutes before its end, it was Karpin's team that led the group H. It was not enough to jump over his head, which later, by the way, was succeeded by Serbia and Switzerland.

But do not forget that Georgy Djikia and his partners made an effort to improve themselves, leaving Slovakia and Slovenia far behind, and avoided “unnecessary” loss of points. 

What complaints can there be against the coach?

He promptly agreed to accept the team, renewed, deciding on cardinal and long-overdue changes.

And it's not just about refusal from Artyom Dziuba, who stopped receiving invitations.

Roman Zobnin and Alexander Sobolev, who had reduced their demands, also lost their places.

One has ceased to appear in the starting lineup, the other is not called at all.

The most criticized defender of the Cherchesov era, Andrei Semyonov, does not receive calls.

Matvey Safonov became the main goalkeeper.

And not everyone would dare to call Sergey Terekhov, Konstantin Tyukavin, Arsen Zakharyan and Alexey Sutormin to the national team.

Karpin does not hold neither in the courage of decisions, nor in the freshness of his eyes.

Although sometimes he was lucky.

Especially in the match with Slovakia, the outcome of which was decided by Milan Skrinjar's own goal.

Fart ended in Croatia.

But this was to be expected for many reasons.

Moreover, the specialist has always experienced problems in decisive matches.

You can recall the departure of Rostov from the Europa League from Maccabi, as well as the games of Spartak against Legia and St. Gallen.

Failures at the most crucial moment became a kind of hallmark of Karpin's teams.

Thinking or bargaining? 

The coach understands that the surest chance to get to the World Cup has been missed.

Now Russia will have to win two matches against motivated opponents, and in the second meeting it will most likely have to play against one of the giants.

This means that unpleasant thoughts are already in the subconscious.

Failure to hit, on the other hand, can automatically lead to the end of the contract.

What is the point of concluding a new agreement if the task has not been completed?

It is appropriate here to recall Fabio Capello, when the RFU unexpectedly extended contact with the Italian before the disastrous World Cup, and then long and painfully tried to break it.

Karpin cannot but understand that right now the moment has come when, against the backdrop of successful results, a new agreement can be obtained.

The coach, by his behavior, sends a signal to the RFU that the organization should force the extension of the contract before the play-offs.

In fact, the mentor did not say or demanded anything like that.

Maybe he's just taking advantage of the situation.

Alexander Dyukov and his assistants are obliged to take note of the information and think about which way to go further if the current mentor leaves the team in December.

But it is unlikely that the head of the RFU today has a list of potential candidates for replacement on his table.

In addition, Karpin's departure will in any case negatively affect the national team.

He already groped for the composition, established game connections, showed adherence to principles and became one of his own.

The new one and his assistants will simply need time to build the process for themselves.

And he will do this after the joints. 

Russia can miss the World Cup with or without Karpin.

Regardless of whether she is lucky with the draw or not.

The previous format of the playoffs left a chance for a mistake, the current one will not forgive the slightest.

Either you win, even in extra time, even on penalties, but you win, or you watch the world championship on TV at home.

Nevertheless, the March confrontation should become a reference point for the RFU.

Entering the 2022 World Cup should not guarantee a new agreement for a specialist, and absenteeism should not mean parting.

You cannot be guided by individual matches and emotions after them.

The example of Cherchesov, who worked at the helm of the national team for five years, clearly confirms this.