"The issue has been resolved positively": Karpin will continue to work with the Russian national team until the 2022 World Cup play-offs

After the defeat to Croatia in the last round of the group stage of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, the head coach of the Russian national team Valery Karpin did not rule out his departure from the national team.

The specialist gave himself a week for reflection and after that he promised to give a final answer.

However, already on Sunday afternoon, information appeared that the mentor would remain at his post at least until the joints and would announce this in the evening live on the “Comment.Show” program on YouTube.

This was reported by a source of RBC.

As a result, the forecast came true - the coach said that he would continue to work.

“The issue is closed, it was resolved positively.

Okay, we are preparing for the joints ... Over the past three or four days, work has been carried out on the upcoming meetings in March.

We need to think about which stadiums we will hold them, what are the pros and cons.

It is important to understand whether it is possible to postpone the RPL tour and where our training will take place.

The weather at this time in Moscow is not the best, therefore, perhaps, the game itself will have to fly from another city, "answered Karpin.

Moreover, he called his interview a week ago a mistake.

“The coach of the national team is not a doll without a heart and brains, unable to take a step to the side.

I am a living person who also makes mistakes.

And having given that interview, I made a mistake ... If several days had passed after the meeting with Croatia, this would not have happened.

I could think so, but I would not say about my experiences publicly, "- said the helmsman.

According to the specialist, communication with experienced colleagues, in particular Oleg Romantsev, who, at the head of the national team, went through a painful failure in qualifying for Euro 2000, helped him make the final decision.

“We rarely communicate, but he typed it himself.

We talked about everything.

He recalled the fatal draw with Ukraine at Luzhniki.

He said that under no circumstances should one leave, since I had just met the players and understood how they behave in stressful situations ... With Alexander Dyukov, no.

With (General Secretary of the RFU. - 

) Alexander Alaev phoned one day after the broadcast.

We have already discussed what steps should be taken to the joints.

We talked on the phone, then met in Moscow.

He asked: "Georgich, what was that?"

I replied: “Let's go,” the coach said.

At the same time, he assured that his speech after the defeat from Croatia was not deliberately planned in order to achieve the desired reaction from the charges.

Moreover, he talked to some of them on the way to Moscow and openly expressed his concerns.

“I thought and think that they will react normally.

Not to everyone, but to many he voiced this on the plane.

Emotions don't just go away.

In front of everyone in the dressing room, he did not announce anything, he spoke only with someone.

It was important for me to understand the reaction of the players.

I asked them what they thought about this, explained that I had doubts.

But after the match it cannot be otherwise, "Karpin emphasized.

At the same time, one of the main claims to the charges on his part was excessive tightness and timidity in the decisive meeting.

This time, the coach looked much more confident and calm and stressed that his headquarters had a plan on how to psychologically prepare the team for the play-offs in March.

“There is no one hundred percent working method ... We will meet, talk with one, the second, separately, in groups.

I am not going to enroll in psychology courses and will do everything myself, or with assistants.

The work starts now, before everyone goes on vacation ... I think it was better to make the joints right after the defeat from Croatia.

Otherwise, people will have time to forget this meeting.

Communication must be maintained until March, plus or minus constantly.

It will be necessary to go to the winter training camp of the clubs, to meet with the candidates, ”the mentor explained.

At the same time, he not only did not allow himself to criticize the players, but, on the contrary, quite modestly assessed his level as a coach.

“Just like the player was - an ordinary one.

Nothing supernatural ... There was no internal dialogue.

Perhaps the choice fell because there was no one else, ”Karpin reasoned.

When the conversation turned to the psychological state of the players, the specialist could not help asking how the author of the fateful own goal in Split Fyodor Kudryashov survived the failure.

According to Karpin, he called the defender in Turkey and had another conversation with him, but he still has a very difficult time.

Separately, the coach spoke about another legionnaire of the national team, Alexander Golovin, who in the national team cannot take on the burden of leadership.

He did not condemn the ward and only stressed that in Monaco the midfielder acts in a completely different position.

“You can't take one player off the whole team.

After all, Croatia had unsuccessful matches, and Luka Modric, alone there, did not show anything and did not draw partners on himself ... Golovin came to the training camp only in September and November, that is, I have known him for a total of two weeks.

And before that, he was the leading performer of the national team?

It’s just that I didn’t follow him on purpose, ”admitted Karpin.

The topic of leadership in general took an important place in the coach's monologue.

He was once again reminded of the decision to change the captain after each game.

But the specialist refused to call the innovation erroneous and recalled that the players themselves asked for this when he headed the national team.

“There were always leaders on the pitch, regardless of who came out with the bandage.

With Croatia, the topic became a loop - it was received by Georgy Jikia.

The footballers said that this is better and more correct.

This is totally normal.

Why not?

What does it mean that responsibility has blurred?

Perhaps, on the contrary, it was distributed among all? "

- explained the coach.

They could not help but ask him about the successful performance of the "youth team", which sensationally beat Spain in qualifying for Euro 2023, demonstrating a rather daring football.

However, according to Karpin, this does not mean that the composition of the main team urgently needs to be refreshed.

“Konstantin Tyukavin scored against Spain - that's good. But let's see what happens next. More recently, we have Golovin, the Miranchuk brothers, etc. We get good guys every five years, but we need to develop further. It is important that the current generation also does not stand still. Are you ready to stake on youth? Someone is definitely able to help us. If Tyukavin is okay in March, he will play. The point is not to rejuvenate the national team, not paying attention to the result. Yes, Hamid Agalarov continues to score, but the striker is important not only for this. And then he is a person with us draws up a double, and everyone says: "he is fine." It is important, after all, at what level he did it. You can upset Chelsea, but you can - Malmo, - said the mentor, drawing a parallel with Zenit's performance in the Champions League.

From the discussion of domestic young football players, Karpin went directly to the play-offs.

He admitted that he was calm about the fact that such strong rivals as Portugal and Italy got there.

“Spain could have accompanied them if Georgia had not beaten Sweden.

OK.

Portugal or Serbia, who is better for us?

Serbia is considered, but in reality it may be different.

You need to play with any opponent.

The same Serbs prevailed over the Portuguese, and Switzerland was ahead of Italy.

What happened to the European champions?

Maybe they also need a psychologist ”?

- suggested the mentor.

According to him, it is preferable for the Russian national team on paper to meet in the semifinals with North Macedonia, however, what will happen on the field in the confrontation with this opponent is difficult to predict now.

The conversation ended on an optimistic note.

Karpin expressed a rather unexpected point of view: a defeat by Croatia could benefit the national team in terms of gaining important experience.

“After defeating Slovakia in the match with Slovenia, we showed a different game.

That is, the guys heard and saw everything.

We then carefully analyzed what had happened and talked.

As a result, we got a meeting that was completely different in content.

Will this happen at the joints?

God forbid, ”summed up Karpin.