Our panel consists of:
Saul Pope (@SaulPope): Writer for WhenSaturdayComes and owner of SaulPope.wordpress.com
Aleks V (@AleksVee): Founder of Goalchatter and writer at RussianFootballNews
Joel Amorim (@Vostok1981): Founder of TheOldNumber10, Writer for RussianFootballNews, BettingAdda,Futnsoccer and The Secret Footballer
Andrew Flint (@AndrewMijFlint): Writer for TheseFootballTimes, RussianFootballNews andBackPageFootball.com
Toke Theilade (@TokeTheilade): Chief Editor at RussianFootballNews, featured at Futbolgrad, ThinkFootball and TheseFootballTimes
Thomas Giles (@thomas_giles_uk): Writer at RussianFootballNews
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Question 1: Dinamo Moscow has tried Stanislav Manolev (now at Kuban), Aleksei Kozlov, Tomas Hubocan and latest Boris Rotenberg Jr. one the right back this season. Who is their best option?
Aleksei Kozlov was a part of Russia’s World Cup squad, but has struggled this season.
Saul: I would say Rotenberg is currently the best option, strange as that may sound. Despite the (not unfounded) claims of nepotism, he is actually playing OK (note: not brilliantly) at the moment, though it is odd that he has been subbed off so many times. He’s also very determined and has been for years if you read his old interviews, so I imagine he is really relishing this opportunity.
Aleks: I think they all have something to bring to the game. Hubocan is one of Dynamo’s best defenders. However, his primary position is in the center of defense; Douglas hasn’t been consistent, and Dynamo don’t have many options for a CB to play alongside Christopher Samba.
Joel: I believe that is fair to say that Stanislav Manolev was the best right back Stanislav Cherchesov has had in his team this season. The Bulgarian international is fairly more skilled than all the rest and his ability to cross, together with his good passing, allow him to take part in the team’s attacking movements quite frequently. Although Manolev is not nothing but a shadow of what he was some years ago while at Litex Lovech and even on his early days at PSV, the versatile Bulgarian right back was, as far as I am concerned, the best option Dinamo used to have for that particular and demanding role.
Andrew: It is an odd conundrum, but one mostly of the club’s making in my view. Poor Boris Rotenberg Jr; damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. Having his father running the club means he will never be entirely free from accusations of achieving his place through nepotism even if he did perform well, but in truth he hasn’t merited any faith with his time on the pitch. Igor Denisov’s disgruntlement was said to have centred around his selection, and in a sense one can see why, even if the Russian international didn’t exactly handle it well.
Toke: Personally I prefer Kozlov, but the right back is one of Dinamo’s weak spots. I think Hubocan is best as a central defender, but his versatility allows him to be moved to both back positions. I admit it is close between Rotenberg and Kozlov right now, and I respect Rotenberg for fighting his way into the starting lineup. Rotenberg would never have played for Dinamo if it wasn’t for his last name, but his last couple of games has been achieved through hard work and persistence.
Even though Kozlov has not played his best season so far, I still rate him much higher than Rotenberg though. Kozlov’s top level is simply much higher than Rotenberg’s. This has been perfectly illustrated in the last couple of weeks, where Rotenberg has been the first choice, but still not allowed to play 90 minutes more than one time. It would surprise me a lot if Rotenberg starts next season as first choice.
Thomas: Dynamo haven’t had a very good ‘goals against’ record this season which is possibly down to their constant changing at right back. I believe it was right to get rid of Manolev as he is getting older and would be taking up a spot which could be used by a better foreign national. I feel the same about selecting Hubocan, however, the Slovak is useful to have in the squad as he can play anywhere across the back four.
This leaves it as a straight fight between Aleksei Kozlov and Boris Rotenberg Jr who are both 28. I personally would go for Kozlov as he has experience at international level and therefore experience of playing in big games. However, with Rotenberg’s father being the club President, it would not surprise me to see him in the first team.
Question 2: Zenit has only won with more than one goal once this spring. Is AVB making the most of his offensive options?
Rondon, Danny and Hulk are a dangerous trio, but do they score enough goals?
Saul: I guess his attacking options are actually slightly limited if you think that Arshavin and Kerzhakov are no longer considered serious options up front, and Sheydayev is not ready yet for a long run in the first team. Likewise, the strongest midfielders at Zenit are more defensive than attacking at present – perhaps more defensive than I can ever remember them being. Attack will definitely be an area for strengthening in the summer, especially if, as I Tweeted Wednesday, Kerzhakov makes his way to AFC Bournemouth (!)
Aleks: I think there’s a question within a question here. Would Zenit win with a greater margin if Villas-Boas played Kerzhakov? Rondon and Hulk have been scoring great goals this season. Both players are fit and have been consistent, which is why Kerzhakov has been warming the bench. However, not giving him playing time at all suggests Andre Villas-Boas is very confident in the upcoming transfer window. Zenit don’t have many options in the attack, so I think AVB is making the most out of the best players at his disposal. Most of the games in which Kerzhakov played this season ended in wins with one-goal margins anyway. I also think AVB knows how close the title race is and is focused more on not losing than on winning games with plenty of goals.
Joel: Zenit’s game is not attractive by any means. It wasn’t back in Spalletti’s days and it currently isn’t with André Villas-Boas. The young Portuguese manager has changed his game approach a lot after his nightmarish stint at English football. While in FC Porto, André opted almost always for a possession based game style with plenty of short passes fueled by a creative midfield line and two powerful and quick wingers. For some reason, André now believes that a more skeptical approach is the recipe for success and the truth is that he and Zenit will end up by claiming the RPL title sooner or later. The way I see things, it is not fair to continue criticising him on a daily basis just because he benched some of the team’s primadonnas, because that seems to be real reason why he keeps being criticized rather than because of his more skeptical game approach.
Andrew: It’s a strange thing being so far in front of others in the league. AVB is a known pragmatist, a ruthlessly thorough tactician who leaves no stone unturned, and he will have calculated how to avoid losing the league as opposed to putting on a show of blistering attacking firepower. On paper there is an unstoppable force with Rondon, Hulk, Danny, Shatov, Ryzyantsev, Witsel et al, but with the lack of a serious contender breathing down their throats the pressure is simply not on Zenit. I don’t put this down to AVB not getting the most out of his players, but then players themselves finding that last hurdle slightly harder to motivate themselves for than they imagined.
Toke: It is difficult to criticize a club like Zenit who is leading the league comfortably. One of Zenit’s biggest weaknesses is the lack of depth in the squad. Villas-Boas do not have many options on the bench, and I think that is one of the reasons why we often see him try to defend a slim lead instead of trying to expand it. It simply takes less energy to defend, especially against the many weak teams in the Russian Premier League.
It is obvious that Villas-Boas does not trust his squad, and we rarely see him introduce new players. A guy like Rodic had only played one minute before Villas-Boas was forced to start him against Sevilla, when Criscito and Smolnikov were suspended. Offensively has a guy like Sheydaev only played 62 minutes this entire season, and it signals that Villas-Boas is not ready to give the young offensive players the chance if he is to substitute for example Hulk.
Thomas: Zenit clearly have the best attacking options in the league and it could be argued that AVB is not making the most of them. However, Zenit have the second best goals for record in the league with 53 and I don’t think people should be complaining – if the team are winning games then what is the problem? In fact, with the league nearly already won I believe AVB should experiment with his attacking options and he could perhaps even give young prospect Ramil Sheydaev a run in the team.
Question 3: After four goals in the two first matches of the season has Aleksandr Kokorin completely stopped scoring. Will he ever turn into the top scorer many people thought he could be?
Saul: All strikers go through patches like this, and the ‘celebrity’ strikers also go though their phase of thinking that they are a star already – I remember Kerzhakov having this under Advocaat and finding himself dropped to the bench before being transferred to Seville. The key question is whether Kokorin gets his feet back on the ground and understands his true level – as Kerzhakov did – or whether like, say, Maksim Buznikin, he burns out fairly early and becomes a journeyman. Perhaps a transfer to a stronger league, and no longer being a big fish in a small pond, is what he needs.
Aleks: The short answer is, no. The long answer is, Dynamo would do well to sell him while they still can, and opt for a more productive player who will be less of a burden on the club’s budget.
Joel: Aleksandr Kokorin is a fairly good footballer but he isn’t by any means as good as the media and some pundits want him to be. His talent is unquestionable; as for his consistency, things are fairly different. I always frown when I hear pundits claiming that Kokorin is one of the best forwards that Russian football has ever produced, as I don’t think it is even fair to compare him with Valeri Shmarov, Sergei Rodionov, Oleg Salenko, Vladimir Beschastnykh and even with Dimitry Radchenko, just to name a few. Although he is far from being an underachiever, I truly believe that he will never be a goalscoring machine as Beschastnykh or Rodionov once were.
Andrew: The strange case of Kokorin’s patchy form is truly confusing to me given his virtually guaranteed place in Dinamo’s lineup alongside modern legend Kevin Kuranyi. The German’s quality, experience but lack of searing pace should have suited Kokorin down to the ground, and with Capello showing him a real chance with the national team, it all seemed aligned for the young front man, but he has gone right off the boil.
Toke: No. I don’t see Kokorin as the top scorer type. Kokorin needs another striker in front of him to perform well. On the national team this has been Kerzhakov and in Dinamo Kuranyi. I don’t think Kokorin is good when he plays as lone striker, since he needs freedom to move around and find space.
Furthermore I think Kokorin is overhyped. You often hear stories about how he could play for Barcelona, AC Milan or in Premier League if he wanted to. I strongly disagree. Kokorin is mediocre and he is very far from the best clubs around the world. He has been made into a poster boy for Russian football. The saying: if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth, fits Kokorin very well.
Thomas: Kokorin is a classic example of a player being overhyped. When such a young player is put under this intense pressure they find it hard to cope. Especially when people are calling him the ‘Saviour of Russian Football’. This pressure is even more intensified when thinking about the World Cup in 2018 where people will be expecting Kokorin to carry the Russian National team. Frankly, it is not going to happen and if people are not careful, his career could be ruined before it has even began.
With this overhyping came a large pay packet from Dynamo and perhaps this makes him subconsciously think that he has already made it. At the moment he is not justifying his wages.
Question 4: Bozovic has qualified Lokomotiv to the cup final, but is nowhere near the European spots in the league. Should Lokomotiv give him another season, or is it time to find another coach?
Saul: With Lokomotiv’s budget having been cut by quite a bit and no big new sponsors on the horizon, the decision might be made for them in that they would unlikely be able to appoint a big name as a replacement. If he wins the cup then it would be hard to sack him, but then again I find it hard to imagine him doing any better in the league next season. If they are to do that then they desperately need to find a lot more goals from somewhere.
Aleks: Bozovic is no doubt a talented coach, but has been primarily known for greatly improving struggling teams and doing well in domestic cup tournaments. Lokomotiv have much greater ambitions. However, Bozovic hasn’t exactly been given a chance to prove he can do more than win the occasional cup and save relegation-bound teams. His managerial career is like a novel that stops midway – it can go in any direction. Bozovic creates a positive environment at any team he coaches. Lokomotiv would do well to keep him on, but knowing the mentality of the club’s owners, I don’t think that’s likely.
Joel: Miodrag Bozovic has plenty of experience when it comes to Russian football, but his stint at Lokomotiv has been far from being brilliant so far. The Railwaymen have been fairly inconsistent recently, as the long Winter break proved to be truly nephasth for them. The “ghost” of Yuri Semin’s golden era is still omnipresent at Lokomotiv, but, if given enough time to fully implement his ideas, Bozovic, who is by the way a real football connoisseur, appears to have what is necessary to transform the team into title contenders in a few years’ time.
Andrew: There is no denying it – Lokomotiv’s season has become a disaster. A run to the cup final is virtually meaningless for RPL teams nowadays despite what the club may say; to make the final, Lokomotiv have only beaten two premier league sides, and needed extra time to see off Gazovik Orenburg. Europe has to be the target for a club the size of Lokomotiv, so I think it will take a lot of confidence in Bozovic to keep him in charge.
Toke: Those of you who have read our previous Round Tables might have noticed that I am no fan of changing coaches. Bozovic took over Lokomotiv after a horrible start on the season, and although he has not really moved them closer to the top of the league I think it would be a mistake to sack him. It is difficult for a coach to take over midseason, and we also have to remember that Lokomotiv sold N’Doye in January and replaced him with the young and inexperienced Skuletic. Bozovic has worked under difficult circumstances.
And let us be honest what can a new coach really change? Lokomotiv over performed massively last season, and it was unrealistic to expect them to compete for the league title against this year. I think they should let Bozovic continue his work, especially if they manage to snatch the cup title.
Thomas: I believe Bozovic should be kept on as coach. Reaching the Cup Final is a great achievement for the Muscovites as they are not what they once were. Instead of changing the manager, perhaps Lokomotiv need to take stock of where they are and rebuild slowly. With the money being spent by various teams in the RPL, 7th is a realistic place for them. With more realistic expectations they will find the rebuilding process a lot easier if they keep a manager who is able to build a legacy. They would be wrong to think that sacking Bozovic would help them climb higher up the table as it is where the club as a whole is right now, not just under this manager.
