Nair Tiknizyan is on a roll at the start of the new season: he scored three goals in two RPL matches and one more in the cup match. Incredible for a defender: four goals in three games.
If we recall Tiknizyan’s effective hits in matches with Torpedo and Dynamo at the end of the last Russian championship, then the streak of goals in domestic tournaments is already five matches – the player has six goals in them.
Cool right? But that is not all! In June, Tiknizyan, as part of the Armenian national team, hit the gates of Latvia and gave an assist in the match with Wales. It turns out seven successful matches in a row: 7+1! How was this made possible?
More on Tiknizyan’s successes:
Tiknizyan’s goal breakthrough follows personnel changes at Loko last winter
Nair Tiknizyan has nine goals in 62 games for the railway workers, while he has netted eight in one go this calendar year. Coincidence? do not think
There was an increase in productivity after personnel changes at Loko. Three figures played an important role in Tiknizyan’s jumping productivity in the opponent’s goal: head coach Mikhail Galaktionov, left attacking edge player Sergey Pinyaev and center forward Artyom Dzyuba.
Galaktionov puts attacking football. He showed the ability to build attacking actions in the RPL back in Pari NN in the early part of last season, and in Moscow he only confirmed his abilities.
Interestingly, in Loko, the coach, taking into account all the official tournaments, has already played 21 matches, but only in one, the first, he used a scheme with three central defenders. The goal difference in these matches is 54-31: there are successes ahead and difficulties behind. But even despite the problems in defense, the coach does not deviate from the formation, which allows him to accommodate more attacking players. Basically, the team uses a 4-2-3-1 formation. It is not scary to miss if it is in your power to score more, while Loko lives by this principle under Galaktionov.
Lokomotiv’s starting eleven in the match against Rubin this season
During Loko’s attacking actions, Tiknizyan can turn around the flank or make a diagonal run towards the opponent’s goal, which is clearly shown in the diagram. Due to the presence of Sergey Pinyaev and Artyom Dzyuba, these accelerations often occur in free zones: both attacking players can attract several players and open up space for teammates: Pinyaev – thanks to technique and speed, Dzyuba – due to the power. .
It is very useful for Loko that Pinyaev likes to move to the edge, from where it is convenient for him to gain speed, while Dziuba feels comfortable in front of goal. Because of this, Pinyaev and Dzyuba gather opponents in different zones, thus breaking the compactness in the opponent’s game structure as much as possible. The maneuvers of this pair make room for Tiknizyan’s accelerations in different directions.
Nair’s goal against Rubin in the first round of the RPL is indicative: two defenders were on duty with Dzyuba on the goalkeeper’s line, and Pinyaev gathered his partner by dribbling from the sidewalk: defender Iva rushed to the aid of the defeated Alexander Martynovich . When two players draw four opponents in total, their teammates have guaranteed free zones. And Tiknizyan, due to his speed, is able to fill these zones.
Nair Tiknizyan’s inclusion goal in the match with Rubin. With Artyom Dzyuba and Sergey Pinyaev
Photo: Frame of the transmission.
It was the progress in Loko that allowed the defender to break into the Armenian national team; until March of this year, he did not play at all. He now he has four games and two assists to his credit.
On Tiknizyan’s debut goal for the Armenian national team:
Video
Tiknizyan scored his debut goal for Armenia! Loko’s defender even burst into tears. Video
Current Loko reveals Tiknizyan’s strengths: speed and composure ahead
The pattern of play and the setup inside him are just one of the confirmations that comfortable conditions are created for Tiknizyan in attack. The details are also interesting, there are some curious ones.
Tiknizyan scored his first goal in the game against Fakel with just one time after earning a rebound from a rail free kick. Who else to entrust this task to, if not a fast and forceful footballer? An intelligent decision from the coaching staff.
But that is not all. Twice in the opening rounds, Galaktionov released defender Mario Mitai instead of the attacking player during matches, pushing Tiknizyan forward. According to our information, Loko had a physically difficult training in the summer, which is already traditional; in the winter with Galaktionov it was similar. It is appropriate to assume that now Tiknizyan may be physically better prepared than his peers: he had almost no break in the summer due to the games for the Armenian national team, as a result of which it is easier to get involved in the season: there was no time for lose shape
That Tiknizyan is perfectly prepared can be understood from the second goal in the match with Fakel: before the effective shot, he ran from his own penalty area to someone else’s, beating his teammates and rivals!
Is it possible for a player to experience functional decline over time? Global just won’t happen. Firstly, in the higher leagues they play calmly from August to May: there is only one big break – between seasons. For nine months in a row we had matches under the “spring-autumn” system in those years in which the world and European championships were not held in summer. Secondly, Galaktionov has enough experience to competently rotate the team, knocking out the leaders, if necessary, in the same cup matches.
few facts In two rounds, Tiknizyan shot six times on goal, the best result in the league among defenders and second among all players after Sergey Pinyaev (seven). Of the defenders who have scored more than one goal, Nair is also the best in terms of productivity: an assist is every second shot. Spartak player Daniil Khlusevich scored two goals with five shots (2.5 attempts per goal).
To become a great defender, Tiknizyan needs to show high quality in defense, Nair has always been stronger in attack than in defense. So far, nothing has changed.
Nair Tiknizyan’s statistics in different clubs
Photo: transfer markt
Surprisingly, at the age of 24, the left-back had already retired five times: three times he received a second yellow card and twice a straight red card. Perhaps his defensive play is the main reason why Werder Bremen recently offered Lokomotiv just €2.5m for a high-risk player.
This season, Tiknizyan has yet to be tested during defense by serious opponents, but last spring he received all four of his RPL yellow cards; unlike the attack, he didn’t add radically from behind and barely could. At the same time, in a match with Fakel in May (1: 0), Galaktionov decided to play it safe – he replaced Nair with a yellow card already in the 58th minute. If a player fails in some skills at the age of 24 , so the trainer sometimes has to dodge.
Could Tiknizyan be as successful at CSKA now?
It is more likely not than yes.
First of all, because of the staff situation. CSKA now does not have a fast player and dribbler on the left, that Pinyaev is in Loko. There is also no powerful and productive center forward, there is no Artyom Dziuba.
Secondly, Vladimir Fedotov builds the game somewhat differently. In their 3-4-3 (5-4-1) formation, the flankers mainly rotate on the sidelines and make fewer diagonal changes into the kill zones.
CSKA starting lineup in the previous round match with Akhmat
In third place, since the beginning of the season, Baktiyor Zainutdinov has been CSKA’s main left: he is reliable in defense and is in the top 3 in sharpness ahead of the club (1.5 hits per game + 1 key pass). Baktiyor joined the red and blue one year before Tiknizyan left: in 2020, the army team acquired him from Rostov for €2 million. In 82 appearances for the army team, Zainutdinov had seven goals and eight assists. If Tiknizyan had stayed at CSKA two years ago, it is not a fact that he would have played. In the same last season, Medina, Oblyakov and Moises were still used on the left; they are all strong by RPL standards.
Two years ago, Loko paid CSKA 5.5 million euros for Tiknizyan. To this day, the situation is as follows: Loko and Tiknizyan definitely benefited from this agreement, and CSKA is not the fact that they lost.
What do you think about Tiknizyan’s brilliant game for Loko and that transfer from CSKA?
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