Over the past six months, Georgy Dzhikia has made his way from one of the leaders of Spartak and an indispensable central defender to a reserve. And the captain’s future is completely shrouded in fog. At the end of May, his current contract with the club expires, but no one has announced its extension. Red-White General Director Oleg Malyshev only promised to discuss the current situation and make the best decision for everyone. But at the same time, the manager quite clearly indicated the current status of a veteran.
“To be honest, this is one of my favorite football players. But due to certain circumstances, at the moment he is not a player in the main team,” Malyshev emphasized in an interview with RBC.
And head coach Guillermo Abascal called for asking all questions on this topic to management. According to media reports, Spartak will not offer the old-timer a new agreement until the summer. At the same time, his current contract contains a clause on automatic renewal if he plays 60% of the matches in the current RPL draw. But for now, Georgy was content with only six, which is clearly not enough, and he added three to his credit in the National Cup.
Until recently, something like this would have been impossible to imagine, because the Lokomotiv graduate held up the entire defense of the Muscovites. Last season of the national championship, he played only 22 matches, but this turned out to be primarily due to injury and not the best functional state. But in the previous four, he did not lower the bar below 26. Partners changed (Samuel Zhigo, Ilya Kutepov, Pavel Maslov), but Dzhikia himself remained.
Everything changed after the arrival of another left-footed central defender, Srdjan Babic. Abascal chose him as the basis, and chose Alexis Duarte as a partner for the newcomer. At the same time, the specialist, before the start of winter training, once again emphasized that he was ready to use a Serb and a Russian in a duet as a last resort.
“A left-footed, right-footed player in central defense is our preference. Of course, there may be situations where two right-footed defenders are paired, but one of them is good with his left. Our situation is not like that. Therefore, we want the players to play with their strong legs,” the coach explained.
Many are sure that Jikia is stronger than Duarte, and they blame the Latino for a large number of mistakes. In his debut season, he actually allowed them regularly. For example, in a meeting with Krasnodar, he allowed João Batchi to easily run away from him along the flank and shoot accurately. And in the derby of two capitals with Zenit, he knocked down Malcolm in a hard tackle and received a red card.
But in the current situation, it is difficult to remember truly gross blots in the performance of a legionnaire. On the contrary, he matured and gained self-confidence. Moreover, in many key defensive metrics he is one of the best in Spartak (mountain combats won - second place (1.9), tackles - shares fifth with Ruslan Litvinov (1.1), interceptions - second (0.9) , takeaways - first (3,4)). Jikia is inferior to his partner in almost all indicators with the exception of blocked shots (1.3), although it is not very correct to compare them.
According to former defender of the red-and-whites and the Russian national team Yuri Kovtun, Georgy still looks preferable.
“As for Babich, there are no questions about him. He is a high-level defender by all criteria. The Spaniard wanted him on the team and got it. But the Paraguayan, on the contrary, was criticized by many for his mistakes. The Russian also cannot do without them, but he rarely makes productive ones. Besides, he always fights on the field,” Kovtun emphasized in a conversation with RT.
Another former Spartak football player, as well as the coach of the farm club, Evgeniy Bushmanov, believes that only the coaching staff is able to answer the question of why the Latin American was chosen over the captain.
“The fact is that in football everything changes very quickly and in order to judge, you need to be in the presence of the team every day and be able to compare. Today Jikia may be better than its competitors, but tomorrow it will begin to yield to them. It all depends on many factors: form, mood, etc.,” the specialist noted.
A significant advantage between a Paraguayan and a Serb is age. The Russian crossed the 30-year mark in November. While Babich is only three years younger than him and is in his prime, the Paraguayan is only 23 and has everything ahead of him. But RT experts are sure: it is premature to talk about the loss of the Russian champion’s strongest qualities.
“It’s clear that you can’t maintain your speed at the same level, but you gain valuable experience. After 30, you read the situation on the field much better, foresee how certain episodes will develop. George's strong qualities are still there. Here, rather, the question of relationships with a mentor and internal motivation arises,” Bushmanov added.
Kovtun said that the lack of constant practice rather negatively affects the football player. Being forced into the reserves deprived him of self-confidence.
“I wouldn’t talk about aging. On the contrary, at the age of 30, a defender reaches his prime. You have enough strength, and in addition, experience and meaningfulness appear. You begin to read the game: where is it better to secure your partner, where to clear the ball, etc.,” the former defender of the Russian national team emphasized.
However, at the moment, it is unclear where Jikia will continue his career. For a long time there were rumors about a possible return to his native Lokomotiv. The railroad workers really had difficulties in defense last year. Only in the fall did Mikhail Galaktionov form a more or less reliable pairing: Evgeny Morozov and Lucas Fasson. But Georgiy is able to replace both at the core.
However, the capital club made a choice in favor of Gerzinho Nyamsi. The newcomer spent most of his career in Ligue 1 and even won the French Cup with Rennes. In addition, he played several matches for the country's youth team.
According to the famous agent Alexei Safonov, the Russian is capable of strengthening almost any domestic team, but will not agree to every proposal received, given his status at Spartak.
“If a person has spent many years in one team, he is unlikely to go to another for the sake of two kopecks. I don't see the point in this. There are different situations. Perhaps his authority is higher than that of Abascal. Moreover, Spartak historically did not part with its Russian leaders very gracefully. Here you can remember Andrei Tikhonov, and Yegor Titov, and other stars. They liked to “cut meat alive,” the agent complained.
But he considered the option of moving to Krasnodar almost unrealistic. Safonov recalled that the southerners fighting for the championship relied on the Junior Alonso - Vitor Tormena duo and, other things being equal, will give a chance to the students of their own academy. But he did not rule out leaving for other countries.
“If I were managing his affairs, I would consider two options: RPL and abroad. An experienced Russian is quite ready to go, for example, to Saudi Arabia. In France it would be more difficult for him, since the speeds there are completely different,” the agent concluded.
Other experts called on Spartak and the captain to come to a consensus. Thus, Bushmanov expressed concern that the club is not going to retain the veteran at any cost.
“We still know him as a professional with a capital P. It’s clear that it’s unpleasant to sit on the bench, especially considering your previous status. But Georgy, in spite of everything, is rooting for the common cause and wants the red and white to win. Moreover, it is not a fact that Abaskal himself will remain in Spartak,” the coach noted.
Kovtun believes that Dzhikiya did not give reasons to put himself on the bench and, under all previous mentors, it was no coincidence that he was a key performer.
“The parties need to find a compromise. The captain is definitely capable of helping the club. It makes no sense to take another foreigner to take the place of the leader of a team around which it has been built for many years,” he concluded.