“He flew away, but promised to return,” this phrase came to mind when I learned about the resignation of the head coach of the Russian national football team, Stanislav Cherchesov. Expected resignation. Did anyone doubt her?
If Cherchesov were a man, as he always positions himself, he would have left on his own. Because after such failures, and there is no other way to describe the performance of the Russian national team at Euro 2020, decent coaches resign. However, I believe that honor and common sense fought in Cherchesovo. The latter whispered to him: Stas, why leave if they might call you again soon?
The trick is that Cherchesov is a truly qualified coach. And he confirmed his level of strong craftsman at the 2018 World Championships, home to Russia, when the team performed brilliantly - first of all, in terms of results - entering the top eight. However, this relaxed many, and the effect should have been the opposite - the understanding that Russia had reached its limit in football at that time, and something needed to be changed. But... they didn’t want to and couldn’t.
As a result, Cherchesov at Euro 2020 - a very cool tournament, by the way - played according to the same tactics, scheme, system as in 2018. So to speak, according to proven patterns. But this a priori could not give results. And there aren’t really any players anymore – how old is Zhirkov, guys? At the same time, he called the best to the national team. Yes, Cherchesov can be blamed for cowardly football, but did he have a chance against such a great Danish team?
I am in no way praising or “excusing” Stanislav Salamovich here. Moreover, in principle, I don’t like him too much either as a coach or as a person, but there is an objective reality, and it is such that it is not the head coach that needs to be changed, but the entire system. Russian football has systemic problems, which I and dozens of other experts write and talk about regularly.
Here you have a vicious limit on foreigners, which kills the motivation of Russian players - and so they will pay a million euros. And inadequate budgets. And exorbitant salaries. And total corruption. And judicial chaos. And the destruction of children's and youth football. And the murdered coaching school. And “cooking in your own juice.” And an obsession with one club (Zenith). And manual control. And football as a “toy for state monopolies.” And the lack of marketing, and, as a consequence, the clubs’ independent income. The list can be endless.
But what's the point? When it needs to be decided, consistently and intelligently. Unless, of course, we are going to disgrace ourselves further. Did they change the coach? Well? It’s tragicomic, by the way, that no one now wants to lead the national team. Here it is necessary to change the entire leadership team, because this one - with its Millers and Dyukovs - is frankly not coping.
In conclusion, I will say perhaps a strange thought, but smart people will understand: Russian football desperately lacks justice. Yes, yes, that’s right – justice. However, it is not only football that is lacking.