Russian national team coach Valery Karpin is going through a painful period in Rostov. The winless streak in the RPL is four matches with a goal difference of 0:7. In the last six rounds there has only been one victory and four defeats. The team is still in ninth place, but only one point separates it from 12th place. And this is already very close to the crossing and exit zone. “Rostov” started almost as badly as in the last championship. Compared to the 2022/2023 season, in which Karpin’s team finished fourth, the Rostovites scored almost half as many points.
Against the background of the black stripe, Karpin does not seem to panic. On the contrary, he strives to convince others that the team is harnessing its strengths. After the big defeat against Spartak in the previous round, the Rostov coach said:
“I know the team well. At the beginning of the season I said that we have to score 33 points and not be relegated. You were smiling at the beginning of the season. “I know the team, that is exactly the task and not to fight for the first three, as many would like.”
In fact, already in the summer, Karpin admitted in an interview: “Our composition is not to be relegated. Are we in the top 10 in terms of squad strength? No”.
And these words of Karpin, I must admit, are very surprising. At least because they do not agree with his actions as coach of the national team, when Valery Georgievich announces the composition of the national team. How is it possible to have a weak team with a Russian core at the level of the national team?
Read the interview with the Rostov coach:
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Under Karpin, five Rostov players played for the Russian national team: Danil Glebov (12 caps, only Daler Kuzyaev has more), Maxim Osipenko (11), Alexey Sutormin (3), Nikolay Komlichenko (3) and Ilya Vakhania (1). Additionally, Kirill Shchetinin and Andrey Langovich were included in the application.
Karpin consistently included three or more representatives of Rostov in the expanded list for the last training camp of the national team. And these are the 30 best footballers in Russia according to the coach.
This, by the way, does not take into account Rostov’s top scorer last season, Yegor Golenkov. Among Russian forwards, only Konstantin Tyukavin scored more field goals than the Rostov center in the last championship. Three more, the same number, and the rest were ahead of Golenkov only because they took a penalty.
Valery Karpin with Egor Golenkov
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, “Championship”
Which of the RPL outsiders can boast of having such a selection of Russian players: Dynamo Makhachkala with Khimki? “Akron” with “Fakel”? Maybe Pari NN, Orenburg or Akhmat?
It is known that during the summer window Osipenko wanted to buy Krasnodar, and Glebov wanted to buy Spartak and CSKA. Information about negotiations about Osipenko was confirmed even by Rostov sports director Alexey Ryskin. Golenkov’s candidacy was discussed at Zenit.
Furthermore, Rostov is the only Russian team to have two foreign goalkeepers on its roster. It is true that now Vitaly Kafanov gives preference to Daniil Odoevsky, on loan from Zenit, but the fact remains a fact. Rustam Yatimov arrived at the Rostov Club as the undisputed number one of the Tajikistan national team, quarterfinalist of the Asian Cup. In November 2023, Hidayet Hankić was included in the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team for the Euro 2024 qualifying matches. Whatever one may say, Rostov’s goalkeeping team is not for an RPL outsider either.
In general, in addition to the Russian core, the Rostovites, despite all the difficulties with logistics, gathered several very decent, by RPL standards, legionnaires. Wingers Ronaldo and Mohammad Mohebi are among the strongest in their positions. The Iranian lights up the national team and in October scored a double against Qatar in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. He was included in the list of the “33 best” at number one according to the results of the last Russian Championship.
Central defender Oumar Sako has definitely strengthened the defensive line by arriving during the winter window. By the way, Sako said before the start of the season that Rostov could fight for the top 4 in the RPL. Apparently, the coach’s statements were not translated to Umar. In the new championship, Uruguayan center Rodrigo Saravia also immediately became a protagonist.
All these people know how to play football. But how will they feel when they hear from the coach that their level is a fight for survival? Perhaps with his words Karpin simply wants to relieve the pressure on the players, however, judging by the result, it is not working very well so far. It is quite demotivating, devoid of ambition. I like Dynamo Makhachkala’s approach much more: it won’t be easy for anyone with us! Although in Dagestan the team in composition corresponds exactly to the First League. However, the newcomer to the RPL stands shoulder to shoulder with Rostov.
According to Transfermarkt, Rostov ranks seventh in the RPL in terms of total and average squad value. It is only surpassed by the best clubs in the Russian championship: the four Moscow clubs, Zenit and Krasnodar. Surprisingly, this evaluation seems closer to objectivity than the coaching evaluation.
Rostov does not suffer refereeing this season:
Now Zenit has more than zero in the RPL referee errors table. What about the rest?
Karpin needs to change something so that the Rostovites fly as they did two seasons ago. Maybe even in your approach. It is artificial to aim the team at maximum goals in the RPL and the Russian Cup, which would become the first trophy not only for coach Karpin, but also for some of the club’s leaders who stayed too long in Rostov.
