“Karpin is the main star of the team”: Balakhnin on the rise of Rostov, the progress of youth and downed pilots

- How can you explain the successful start of Rostov, which, after ten rounds of the RPL, is in second place?

- I did not expect that Valery Karpin's wards would start so cheerfully.

In my opinion, the secret of success lies primarily in preparation, both functional and tactical.

We see that the team is in good shape and able to work at the same pace for 90 minutes.

The second point is the stability of the composition.

And finally, another important factor was the return of the head coach.

Valery Georgievich makes a great contribution to the success of the team.

Although, to be frank, the match with Krylya Sovetov did not give the impression that the southerners were in second place, and the Samara residents were tenth.

But this is the general trend of our championship.

At the top there is a Zenith, and below - all the others.

- That is, the rise of Rostov is luck to some extent?

On the contrary, I would not say that fortune favors him.

The yellow-blues deservedly get their points.

But, of course, in some moments the skill of individual performers plays a decisive role.

See how many goals were scored thanks to the skillful drawing of set pieces.

Including this helped to settle on the second line.

On the one hand, it cannot be said that Rostov is fully consistent with this position.

On the other hand, all giants allow misfires.

For example, CSKA completely unexpectedly lost to Torpedo, who closed the table.

- Do you think Rostov is able to stay at least in the top 5 at the end of the season?

“You can't be sure of anything.

Wards Karpin waiting for serious competition in the fight for awards.

Let's take the already mentioned army men.

Objectively, in terms of the game, they look stronger and are able to get around the yellow-blues.

Moreover, to add Krasnodar, Dynamo, Sochi, Spartak in the state ... It's hard to say who will be higher.

At this stage, Rostov is absolutely right in second place.

- In four matches with teams that finished in the top 6 in the last RPL draw, Rostov did not suffer a single defeat.

Plus, Spartak was beaten.

Does this mean that the yellow-blues can be called their equal?

- I repeat, only Zenit has no equal in the RPL.

The rest can lose points at any moment.

The level of the national championship has recently fallen.

However, a successful confrontation with opponents from Moscow, of course, cannot but give a charge of self-confidence.

But only due to matches with them you can’t fly high, you need to take your points.

And it is thanks to this that Rostov pleases the fans.

While he manages without disruptions and looks more stable than his pursuers.

- Is it possible to say that everything in Rostov-on-Don revolves around Valery Karpin?

- I agree with this.

He is her main star.

This was clearly visible after the departure of the coach to the Russian national team at the beginning of last season.

The yellow-blues failed before our eyes, although he was replaced by an experienced Yuri Semin.

Football players show the result, of course, not so much because of the charisma of Valery Georgievich and not only thanks to him personally.

Every person on the team is important.

Very qualified specialists, analysts and physical trainers are gathered there, for example, the Spaniards Fernando Lopez and Alvaro Sajabero.

After their return, the southerners immediately began to play.  

Is Karpin also growing with the team?

He came to Rostov after an unsuccessful period in Armavir Torpedo, and now he heads the national team.

- When you work at a high level, especially in the national team, you want it or not, but you will progress.

Being in such circles could not pass without a trace for him.

After all, you constantly see players who are higher class than your wards, and strong teams.

- How did the coach manage to give a result despite the departure of almost all foreigners and a serious rejuvenation of the squad?

“There is nothing to be ashamed of here.

Again, this is a general trend.

Now young guys have the opportunity to get practice in almost all RPL clubs, except for Zenit, since a large number of foreigners left, as happened in Rostov.

And thank God, the yellow-blue made sure to find a replacement for them, in advance.

Even last season, Viktor Melekhin, Alexander Silyanov, Kirill Shchetinin and others regularly entered the field.

Now they have grown up and look much more confident.

On the one hand, the level of RPL has decreased, on the other hand, young people have got a chance that they would never have waited for before.

- Semin especially praises the 18-year-old Melekhin as part of Rostov.

In his opinion, the central defender is able to grow to the first team.

- He is still damp, but this cannot be ruled out.

Many interesting guys have appeared in Russia who can turn into great masters.

But I think making bold predictions now is a thankless task.

We saw a lot of players who started brightly, and then went nowhere.

Take the same CSKA Moscow in 2018, which beat Real Madrid twice.

Of course, the people from that cast didn't get lost, but they didn't become stars either.

And how they all praised!

Or a more recent example is Anton Zinkovsky.

In "Wings of the Soviets" he was the leader and chief assistant, and in "Spartak" he does not get out of the reserve.

Therefore, you should not sing praises ahead of time.

- Young teams, as a rule, are characterized by a loss of stability in results.

"Rostov" is threatened?

- The composition of Karpin is quite even.

It also has enough experienced guys: Khoren Bayramyan, Dmitry Poloz, Sergey Pesyakov, Maxim Osipenko.

Therefore, it is not worth talking about such a problem.

- At the same time, Rostov had a successful transfer campaign in the summer.

So, Daniil Utkin immediately became its leader.

Why

- Krasnodar is very kind to its own pupils.

However, even after a year in Grozny, his native club did not renew his contract.

There is a slightly different approach to the game and performers of a different plan are required.

- Did you expect them to play so quickly in the center of the field with Daniil Glebov and get into the national team together?

- Glebov feels good together with everyone.

He is still more responsible for destruction and defensive actions.

In my opinion, with the advent of Utkin, Glebov sank even deeper.

He is a versatile guy and clearly does his job.

But Utkin is still called upon to create and organize attacks.

At the same time, he creates most of the moments when drawing standard positions.

- Nikolai Komlichenko scored six goals in the RPL this season and is one of the top scorers in the tournament.

The team lacked just such a textured striker?

- Here is the story, as with Utkin.

The forward was preparing for the season with Dynamo and went to all training camps, but for one reason or another he did not fit, he lost the competition.

In Moscow, he could have sat on the bench, but Rostov brought him back by buying out the contract.

Undoubtedly, the team needed a driving player.

This speaks volumes.

- That is, Karpin competently works with the so-called downed pilots?

- Not quite the right expression, but the essence is true.

The yellow-blue gather in their ranks people who did not fit the giants and are eager to be rehabilitated.

Then they leave for big money and return to the national teams.

This is already a permanent story for the club.

And now the guys in the team are also progressing, although they could degrade in the reserve.

- In the next round, Rostov will face off against Zenit on the road.

Do you believe that Karpin's wards will take away points from the current champion?

- Now it is difficult to make predictions, since the meeting will take place only in two weeks, and it is not clear in what condition the players from their national teams will return.

But there is always a chance.