Of the 16 head coaches announced by the RPL clubs for the 2023/2024 season, almost half were called up under the banner of the Russian first team. Here’s this gorgeous seven (in alphabetical order):
Vadim Evseev, “Fakel”: author of the same goal (only for him in the national team) and shouting at the camera in Wales; Sergey Ignashevich, “Baltika” – record holder for the number of caps for the Russian national team ( 127), finished at the 2018 World Cup in one week at the age of 38; Valery Karpin, Rostov: 15 years in the national team, 17 goals in 73 games; Rashid Rakhimov, Rubin – four official matches for the country and one unofficial against the world team; Sergey Semak, Zenit: 0 Euro 2008 qualifying games and all in the finals, captain of the bronze team; Dmitry Khokhlov, Sochi: debut at 20 at Euro 1996, 6 goals in 53 games overall; Sergei Yuran, Pari NN “- the only major in the RPL who played for the USSR, CIS and Russia (scored goals for the first and last).
We were interested: when did they interbreed in the widest possible composition in the selection? Still, they have a decent age “range”: from 44 to 58 years. And I found such an episode. Historical in its own way, although completely forgotten. It makes sense to remember.
25 years ago, Karpin, Semak, Yuran and Khokhlov lost to Sweden with the national team. It was the beginning of the team’s darkest streak.
25 years ago, the Russian national team officially inaugurated a new stage in its history. The RFU obviously delayed the change of manager after the failure to qualify for the 1998 World Cup (losing to Italy in the teams) and only eight months later appointed a new one. Plus, he got it from the leading (a quarter of a century ago it was an anomaly) Zenith. Both teams lost. But that summer, with the arrival of Anatoly Byshovets in the national team, hopes were high. Still memorable were the “golden” Olympic Games in 1988 and draws with the world and European champions at Euro 1992.
The second of the three Byshovets national teams:
Where are the players of the last USSR national team now? Photos with a difference of 30 years.
But time was lost for preparation. Before the start of the new team, Byshovets was given only one trial match, not counting the two-sided match on the Torpedo of Russia “A” and “B”. Four current RPL head coaches participated in it. They weren’t going to be like that anymore.
On August 19, 1998, in the ancient city of Örebro, the Russian team met the Swedish team. Naturally, Byshovets tried to test as many candidates as possible and involved 18 players in the match. Valery Karpin and Sergey Yuran entered the field in the starting lineup, and Sergey Semak and Dmitry Khokhlov after the break. Also, 22-year-old Semak is in the place of 29-year-old Karpin.
The match did not generate much excitement (out of 14,000 seats, 8,118 were occupied) and ended with a minimal victory for the hosts. The outcome of the match was decided early, already in minute three, by Jörgen Pettersson’s goal against Alexander Filimonov. Byshovets after the match complained about the lack of time to “establish mutual understanding”, but “in general he was satisfied with the game.” So he could not imagine what this story would turn out to be.
Orebro became the starting point of the most terrible series in the history of the Russian national team. After Sweden, he suffered five more consecutive defeats (against Ukraine, France and Iceland -in qualifying for Euro 2000- and Spain with Brazil -in control matches). All the games, with the exception of the last one, which no longer needed anyone, were lost in a bitter fight and with a difference of one goal. Byshovets insisted that he was building a team for the 2002 World Cup, but was sacked 149 days after his appointment. In the summer he had two jobs, and in December he had none left.
And who is number 1 in history?
Classification
The best football coaches in Russia. Qualification for 30 years
“Karpin was not afraid to express his opinion and created problems for the federation”
At the request of the “Championship” Anatoly Fedorovich recalled what the current head coaches looked like in their youth and spoke about their successes in a new capacity.
– In which of these four did you already see coaching potential in the 90s? – To the greatest extent – in Karpin. Valery had a very difficult career as a player. I liked it even in the sand on Mira Avenue. In 1992 he invited him to a friendly against England and put him on as a substitute in the second half. It was very difficult for him to enter the game: firstly, a new team, and secondly, such an opponent. Then Karpin could not fully express himself. But he always had a high internal resistance to circumstances. This is a fighter! It is no coincidence that he later proved his worth both abroad and in the Russian team.
In addition to leadership qualities, Valery had a critical view of things. Karpin has always had a position. He saw what was happening around the national team, and in that situation he was the only player that created problems for the soccer federation. Valery was not afraid to express his opinion. And in the future, his human qualities manifested themselves wherever he worked, as the general director of Spartak or the coach of Armavir. We talked then and we continue to talk now. I met with the players of the Russian national team and I am very grateful to Karpin for this opportunity. I think the players too. Now I am in the shadow of our “great” coaches, but none of them played 70 matches for the national team (that is, the player and the coach. – Approx. “Championship”).
Valery Karpin and Alexander Mostovoy
Photo: from Mostovoy’s personal archive
– What was the young Semak like? – Serezha and I have Ukrainian roots. He is a graduate of the Lugansk sports boarding school. I knew the coach who raised him well – Dabizhu. Of course, I saw Semak. Not like Mikhailichenko from the age of 12 or Dobrovolsky from the age of 16, but he, too, was in my field of vision from his youth. There were many players in my life, but Sergei was distinguished by his rare moral qualities, a high level of education, exceptional professionalism and general culture. Today there is no demand for these advantages. And Semak has it all. He has a good family, and this also suggests that he evaluated it correctly. Your teammates say: “Yes, he has a team like that, players like that.” And I remember our conversation with Valentin Kozmich Ivanov on the Torpedo. Watching Dynamo Kyiv’s game, he commented: “Of course, with such a lineup you can win.” To which I objected: “But first you need to manage the players.” So, Semak’s purely human qualities create an atmosphere and aura of professionalism in the team. I have worked in many countries, with the same Brazilians in Portugal. It wasn’t very easy, but we completed the tasks ahead of us. Naturally, there is a difference in mentality between the Brazilian legionnaires of Zenit and the players of our team. The Brazilians dominate the team. But I am glad that I was not mistaken in my assessments of Mostovoy or Sergeev. And all of them are united in “Zenith” by the human qualities of Semak.
Wendel, Douglas Santos, and Sergei Semak.
Photo: fc-zenit.ru
– From the coach’s point of view, whose work is more interesting to watch, Karpin or Semak? – Since their playing days, I have kept sympathy for both, for their human quality. But it is clear that now they have different levels of teams and players. The situation of the clubs today is incomparable. Zenit do not suffer from double standards and rarely face any problems, including the referees. Selection, equipment, the sum of the individual qualities of artists – everything is at the highest level.
Rostov is the opposite of Zenit. The team was in a very difficult situation last season. However, Karpin managed to find leaders in the team, instill confidence in the team. It is important that the organization of the game does not conflict with the abilities of the players. His belief as a coach reveals the possibilities of young players. I’m not talking about the fact that he faced the Russian team in the situation they were in at the first stage. Against Croatia, he found himself in the position of a sapper, with no margin for error. The fact that he has accepted this challenge is worthy of respect.
Anatoly Byshovets
Photo: Igor Utkin/TASS
— What about Dmitry Khokhlov? – When they asked me if I was a democrat or a despot, a dictator in the team, I answered: the only thing that can distinguish me from other coaches is knowledge and justice. I felt the moral right, as a player, coach, person, to demand. It is unlikely that you will find a person ready to talk about match-fixing. I allow myself this. My words matched my deeds. If he punished football players for swearing or violating the regime, he was also never allowed to do so. Dima Khokhlova, while still a player, was distinguished by a creative understanding of the game. Perhaps somewhere she lacks rigidity, integrity. Knowledge and understanding of soccer are important qualities, but she must also be able to protect her vision.
sergei yuran
Photo: RIA Novosti
– Sergey Yuran, on the contrary, has this rigidity and adherence to principles in abundance? – I remember him as a Dynamo Kyiv player. He watched him closely and invited him to the Union team. Sergey is a choleric by nature. This affects his work. We see that in his behavior in the technical area, in his frankness. Juran does not stop to assess what is happening in the field. The player’s high class and rich experience to some extent give him the right to do so. There are two processes: excitation and inhibition. I think the former trumps the latter. He lacks emotional balance.
