Krasnodar’s start in the current Russian Championship surprised many. In itself, the middle leadership of the “bulls” in the standings is not a great feeling. In the last of their bronze seasons, the team was already in first place and stayed there for three rounds. But now the southerners seem like a team capable of solving more serious problems than getting into the top three.
Taking last season into account, Krasnodar’s unbeaten run in the Russian Premier League looks impressive. The last time Vladimir Ivich’s team failed in the national championship was in April, losing to Spartak in a spectacular goal shootout. And this season, the “bulls” remain the only team with the number “0” in the “losses” column. And the head coach’s credit for this success is one of the main ones.
Photo source: FC Krasnodar
The main thing that Ivich did after arriving in Krasnodar was to teach his players to act depending on the score on the scoreboard. Having won 1-0 or even 2-0, the southerners do not rush in to finish off the opponent, which often fails even in powerful and well-trained teams. Therefore, the most popular result in matches with Krasnodar since the start of the season is exactly 2:0. 5 out of 10 Bulls games in the current championship ended with this result. Scoring a goal and methodically looking for a second chance is the team’s recipe for success in the first third of the tournament.
Regarding the composition of the leader, it is important to note two main factors. The first is the goal line. Nominally the main goalkeeper is, of course, Matvey Safonov. But unlike CSKA and Zenit, where Vladislav Torop and Alexander Vasyutin practice very irregularly, Stanislav Agkatsev knows that at any moment he can be in the starting eleven. And in the Russian Cup superfinal last season it was he who defended the Krasnodar goal, playing with great confidence. The presence of two almost equal goalkeepers also has a positive effect on defenders, who do not start to get nervous when they see an unusual number one in goal.
Photo source: RIA Novosti
The second point that cannot be ignored is the attack line that has become more balanced. In previous seasons, the offensive game was built mainly through Eduard Spertsyan, who scored and gave assists, becoming the best assistant of the last championship. But having such a clear leader is good and bad at the same time.
Sometimes Edward, as they say, covered himself with the blanket, and this harmed the overall result. And the partners were too confident in the fact that there was one person in the team who would do everything himself at the right time. In the current championship, Krasnodar scored sixteen goals in ten rounds, nine players scored goals. And this suggests that Krasnodar finally got rid of its main addiction: the team has someone to score against even when Eduard does not succeed in everything.
Photo source: FC Krasnodar
At the same time, it’s still a little premature to crown the Southerners. First of all, a team without experience in tournament victories may not be able to carry the burden of leadership. Yes, the final gap to the champion may be small, but this will only add reason to worry about a missed opportunity. Among similar examples, I remember the magnificent Real Sociedad of the 2002/2003 season or Bayer, which at one point began to be jokingly called “Neverkusen” (from the English never – never).
Krasnodar has a very difficult period ahead. At the end of October and beginning of November they will have to travel to Moscow and Saint Petersburg, respectively to CSKA and Zenit, and also welcome at home another sensation from the first third of the season: “Wings of the Soviets”. ”. And if after this series of matches the list of unsuccessful matches of the “bulls” remains empty, we can talk loudly about the main contender for gold.
