Russian national football team: what composition did Valery Karpin’s team play if it went to the play-off match with Poland
Today, the Russian team was supposed to play in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup joints with Poland. In case of success, five days later our national team went to the winner of the Sweden-Czech Republic pair. Unfortunately, this is not a filter, but it is no less interesting to whom Valery Karpin would make an offer in the decisive matches of the qualifying round. The problem of the head coach of the Russian national team is the loss of a group of players. Let’s try to ask who would be at the base of the meeting with the Poles and the Swedes/Czechs.
Why did the Russian team gather at all and with whom will it play? Answers Valery Karpin
In the final match of the group stage with Croatia, they received yellow cards and earned a disqualification at the junctions of Alexander Golovin and Fedor Smolov. In addition, it is not a fact that both would have happened in the starting lineup and in a possible final. The Monaco midfielder took a long time to recover from danger this year and, as a rule, came on as a substitute. Only in the last game of Ligue 1, he finally appeared on the field from the first minute, but not all 90 met – one and a half times. The Dynamo striker fell ill and did not come to the national team’s meeting that replaced the joints.
The Russian national team has other losses in March 2022 – Marinato Guilherme, Vyacheslav Karavaev, Alexander Erokhin, Arsen Zakharyan and Anton Zabolotny. To be ahead of the butt, and not a series of training sessions, perhaps of them it will turn out who is in the location of the Karpin team. But we will proceed from the fact that their condition was not suitable enough for detection in the outbreak – that is, from a bad scenario for Karpin. In addition, another of our legionnaires, Denis Cheryshev, has a minimum of experience in the new year, and for the head coach of the national team this is a priority factor. Well, Artyom Dzyuba once again did not come to the national team. Although the coach says that the return of the ex-captain is still possible, this is hard to believe.
These are the inputs that Karpin would have before the joints. Obviously, the head coach of the Russian national team will continue to remain faithful to his beloved 4-3-3. With this version, who will Karpin release against the Poles from the first minute?
Goalkeeper: Matvey Safonov, Krasnodar
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
It would be calm behind the goalkeeper line – Safonov is in an excellent format. In this case, RPL Matvey, according to InStat, is generally the best among the main goalkeepers of the team in terms of shot percentage – 81%. He did not disappoint in Croatia either, and in the updated Krasnodar he proves that he is worthy of the role of captain. “Spartak” with “Ufa” scored him only from the penalty spot.
Right-back: Alexei Sutormin, Zenit
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
In the absence of Karavaev on the rights of flank protection, most likely, teammate and competitor Sutormin would have left. There are no other expectations, and Aleksey has repeatedly played the role of captain for Karpin – in the victorious match with Slovenia. True, in Zenit in 2022, Sutormin did not play as a defender in the top four, but as a lateral in the 3-4-2-1 scheme, but he could quickly rebuild.
Centre-back: Igor Diveev, CSKA
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
Diveev is now on a good wave: CSKA has won six league victories in a row and won the cup match in Sochi, where the central defender himself scored a double. In Croatia, Igor failed to start attacks (only 52% of accurate passes and 10 ball losses), but Karpin would hardly have put him on the bench because of this. In defense, the soldier worked powerfully – 14 interceptions and 15 rebounds.
Central defender: Giorgi Jikia, Spartak
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
Jikia, most likely, would have become the captain of the Russian national team. At least, in the first and last matches so far under Karpin with the Croats, the Spartak player put on an armband both times. It seems that Georgy does not succeed in everything in the club game, but there are no questions in the national team. The only reason for the substitution is that Dmitry Chistyakov could have been more effective against Robert Lewandowski at the top.
Left back: Fedor Kudryashov, Antalyaspor
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
Kudryashov was hated for his own goal in Croatia, but in fact, the experienced defender was far from the most insignificant in the remaining Russian team that day. One episode broke. The coach, unlike the fans, did not manage emotions and could have let Kudryashov out of Poland, especially Fedor is the main player in Antalyaspor. True, in the attack Danil Krugovoi would have given more.
Circular powerfully progressed in the “Zenith”. perhaps he is now the best left-back in Russia
Defensive defender: Dmitry Barinov, Lokomotiv
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
Barinov, the most stable player of the Russian national team with Diveev and Smolov under Karpin, would return to the position of the opornik. The fighting qualities of the Lokomotiv midfielder, the ability to play in the selection – this is what the coach obviously appreciates especially. Barinov in the new year did not give a reason to give preference to his services, and in the match with Khimki he generally made two passes from the central defender.
Central midfielder: Daniil Fomin, Dynamo
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
In the current detention cells of one of the “eights”, Fomin would certainly be in the top three of the centre-haves. The game with Croatia, of course, did not work out for Daniil (only 64% of accurate passes, five losses in his own half of the field and 33% of single combats won), but in Dynamo he consistently keeps the level. In the current case, he scored 10 + 3 in 24 matches of the RPL and the Russian Cup, continuing the series of scored penalties.
Central midfielder: Daler Kuzyaev, Zenit
Photo: Edgar Breshchanov, “Championship”
Kuzyaev missed the match in Split due to anxiety. It is difficult to say why the elimination of the station wagon from Zenit Captain arose at the game of the Russian national team, but one of them Karpin (came out with a bandage against the Slovaks) would definitely not be superfluous on the field. In the new year, the midfielder missed three matches due to injuries, however, he would have been able to get in shape: in the last rounds, the RPL played and made naked passes.
Right winger: Zelimkhan Bakaev, Spartak
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
In Croatia, the entire offensive group, including wingers Bakaev and Alexei Ionov, disappointed. The first made 12 losses and received only 17% of the resistance for the ball. The second one just fell out: 18 TTD for the match, including only seven passes and won two duels out of eight. But Zelimkhan looks pretty good at Spartak now and seems to trust Karpin. Could again get into the starting lineup.
Left winger: Andrey Mostovoy, Zenit
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
The coach would have options on the flanks. For example, Mostovoy, though rarely seen in the structure of Zenit, is found by the likes of Claudinho and Malcolm, but their traces follow very decently – she beats, creates chances, actively presses. With Cyprus came out depending. There is also Rifat Zhemaletdinov in the squad, he is also in uniform. That’s just under Karpin never played from the first minute.
Forward: Alexey Miranchuk, Atalanta
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
The most unexpected thing for the coach would be the choice of an attacker in the absence of Smolov, Dziuba and Zabolotny. RPL top scorer Agalarov said yesterday – “you need to reduce the level of fat.” It is hard to imagine that with such a characteristic, the newcomer of Zenit is introduced into the base. The case, as well as against Croatia in Luzhniki, Karpin would have met with the “false nine” Miranchuk. By the way, Alexei was recently appointed as a striker in Atalanta for the match with Roma, but he did not score.
Russian football is only temporarily banned. And panic now will only hurt
Do you think the Russian team would have won Poland with such a composition?