Magomed Adiev is one of the heroes of the RPL season finale. Having received Akhmat into the play-off zone nine rounds before the end, he won five wins in a row with the team and two rounds before the end of the championship he left it early in the RPL. A month after the end of the tournament, we spoke with Adiev about the difficulties of moving to the club, the problems, the reasons for the final success and much more.
What happens in the RPL while the Euro Cup is being played?
Zenit is taking the market by storm and the newcomers to the RPL will be unrecognizable. There are so many events in our championship!
“Baltika’s 1:7 is a failure, but it was a conscious risk”
—The season ended almost a month ago. How is it perceived now? — The most difficult period of my career as a coach. There were very few games left until the end of the championship. There were practically no weekly cycles that would allow us to prepare and restructure as our headquarters considered necessary. We had a day and a half against Lokomotiv, six days against Baltika. The only normal week was against CSKA. It was very difficult, and the team was on the brink of elimination. The fact that this was my hometown added an additional responsibility. It was difficult, but if it hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have been invited. I took it as a challenge.
— You won five games in a row, but before that you lost to Baltika 1:7. Worst game of your career? —The biggest defeat without a doubt. Again, the fact that this happened in my hometown was a finishing touch. I do not exempt myself from blame, you cannot lose like this. But I understood the risk: we can say that this defeat was a consequence of our conscious decisions. I went to them together with the headquarters because I understood: we only have two one-week cycles: before Baltika and before CSKA. These cycles were our only opportunity to influence tactical and functional issues, a chance to shake up the team. And these six days before Baltika we worked very seriously on physics. If we had not accepted this, we would not have gotten out of this situation.
– But 1:7… – Yes, I did not expect such a collapse. But the ball went into our goal after any shot, while for us it was the other way around. At the end of the first half, he told his assistant: “It’s a painful defeat, but during the break we have to forget and prepare for CSKA.” In the second half I changed players and tactics, because the next game was already in my head. After Baltika, of course, there was a difficult situation in the locker room. Club president Daudov was also disappointed. However, I want to thank you for your support. Then he said: “Magomed, I see that this is not your fault. But you have to get the team out.” I told the team there were two ways: either get angry and dig deeper, or follow this difficult path. I understood what had to be rebuilt and exactly how to act. It is clear that the result is always from the Almighty, but the players began to professionally meet our demands.
Magomed Adiev with Akhmat players in training
Photo: FC Akhmat
– What did they change? — Added intensity. The equipment was in good condition in terms of general resistance, the foundations were well laid. All we had to do was add details. Also, at home we tried to play aggressively against Lokomotiv and Baltika, but I realized that we were not prepared for that football. So I decided to tone down the game a little.
—So you didn’t think about leaving everything after 1:7? “I never had those thoughts.” It is unpleasant that this 1:7 occurred immediately after the 0:5 between Greece and Kazakhstan. Hard. Opinions immediately began to appear that these two results were the true Adiev. But I couldn’t afford to despair. It was possible to repent before dealing with this matter. And there could be no doubts here. I understood what and how to do, I relied on dry calculations.
— Immediately after Baltika, in a quick interview, you said that there were a number of problems in the team that needed to be resolved. —You had to work psychologically, yes. When you lose constantly, you have a bad emotional background. He needed to quickly decide which players he could trust. After Baltika I gave everyone a day off. I needed this day as a coach to draw up an action plan and think calmly about everything. The next morning he already had a plan for both training and what he would say to the team. I spent a lot of time on this conversation, it was an important starting point. I needed to reach the hearts of the players. We talked for 15 minutes. After this there was a training session where I expected the team to be killed. However, I was pleasantly surprised: after our conversation, the guys began to have emotions, innuendos and laughter. She even said in the ear of his assistant Baltiev: “The conversation has begun. Then everything will be fine.”
—What did they tell the team? “The message was that as long as our hearts beat, we must keep going.” You can only surrender when you are dead.
— It wasn’t easy with CSKA, we lost during the match. Did this game change everything? —We played well, we had chances. CSKA had the initiative, but we seemed structurally correct. This already made me happy, because there was an understanding that we would start earning points. CSKA’s departure helped us. Even when we missed the penalty, there was no confusion. I had players on the bench who should have reinforced us, as we had anticipated. Konate, Lovat and Berisha turned the game around. After that, we picked up the pace and after the match with “Wings” I felt an unreal relief – we completed the task.
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“Kadyrov said: “Magomed, you are ours, a Chechen, so you should return home and work in our club.”
— After “Wings” you played with “Zenith”, there was a chance to indirectly participate in the race for the championship. But they lost 1:5. Lack of motivation? — I’m still analyzing these nine RPL matches. And it was fun. In my hometown I set an anti-record for Akhmat, losing 1:7. He then repeated Cherchesov’s achievement, winning five victories in a row. And I also got the biggest win at home – 5:1 over Pari NN. I collected records and anti-records, haha. As for Zenit, we wanted to participate in the race for the championship. But there still wasn’t enough motivation. We came back from the brink of the abyss, because many in the club dreamed of holding on to their joints, and with two days left we resolved all the issues. This led to devastation; We couldn’t play against Zenit because I couldn’t.
—How do you like the end of the championship? — It would be good for the RPL if they changed their champion. When there is the same winner for so many years, the interest becomes boring. But the race was exciting, with a lot of momentum.
—When there was a fight for survival, some supported Akhmat. How do you explain this? – They don’t like strong people, haha. I find it difficult to answer. You will not be kind by force. Every person at the club must do everything in their power to ensure we play well.
I taught myself to disengage from social media and everything else. Even when I worked in Kazakhstan and we won, I tried to ignore the praise. I can’t afford to rely on hype and people’s opinions. My whole addiction is soccer players and team preparation. I will be judged only by the result. I have an example that shows how abstracted I was.
– Tell me. —When I arrived in Akhmat there was so much work that I didn’t read any news, nothing. On my third or fourth day at the club, Spartak played Baltika in the Cup. I think I have some free time, at least I will watch football. I see that Abascal is not on the bench. I tell my assistants: “What, they disqualified him again? He probably yelled something again.” To which my assistant Baltiev replies: “Musaevich, he has already been fired” (laughs).
—Does it bother you that few fans now go to Akhmat? – Yes. With Zenit we took the first step. After our five victories, for the first time in a long time a lot of people came to the game and interest in us grew in the city. Unfortunately we lost. Baltiev once asked me: “Musaevich, in Kazakhstan we managed to gather complete stands. Will it work here? I responded that my biggest dream was for the Akhmat Arena to be completely full. I would like the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, to come to football for the first time in a long time. If we achieve these things, then we will have done our job. By the way, before my appointment with the team he called me: “Magomed, you are ours, Chechen, so you should return home and work in our club.”
— Is Sadulaev the most talented player you have coached? — Among young people, yes. It is a privilege for me that I am originally from Chechnya. It adds momentum to the training of such a player. Lechi, with his professionalism, can play in the best clubs of the RPL and in European clubs. Of all Caucasian players, Sadulayev is second only to Khvicha.
Treat Sadulayev
Photo: FC Akhmat
“I’m watching Slovenia – Denmark in the Euro Cup and I have the feeling that my relatives are playing”
— Akhmat has already been called several times. Why did they refuse then and what has changed now? – A fundamental difference. The last time I refused was during the Euro Cup selection process. I felt responsible to Kazakhstan and could not let the nation down. I had other offers besides Akhmat, but I didn’t consider any because I couldn’t leave the team halfway. After the fiasco with Greece, I mentally realized that my trip was over. I had to leave or stay two more years. They offered me a new contract, I said I would go home and then we would discuss it. I arrived and that day Akhmat had just played a cup match with Orenburg, after which Romashchenko resigned. Daudov called me immediately: “Magomed, I have no other candidate. And there is no time to look. Where are you?” I replied that I was at home, so the next day Akhmat agreed to a combination with Kazakhstan. This is my home, my republic. I could not refuse, it was my duty to help my native team.
— So, after the end of the RPL season, you no longer considered the option of leaving Akhmat in favor of Kazakhstan? – Yes. I told the president of the federation that it was time to create a new team. Now the team needs to prepare for the next selection for the World Cup. In two years in Kazakhstan I played only 20 games and I felt I needed a challenge, more games. Also, this is RPL. When I was at Anzhi we did not correspond to the league level, with all due respect. And here we have all the conditions, I want to test myself.
—Do you still have the defeat against Greece in your heart? — Here is the Euro Cup, I have not seen any complete match. There is a feeling of hurt. The thought comes to mind that I could not be in Novogorsk, but in Germany to play for the national team. I was especially moved by the Slovenia – Denmark match. I look at the lineups and I feel like my family members are playing, because we have studied these teams inside and out.
—Why didn’t it work with Greece? — Our main opportunity was in the match against Slovenia in the group. In the second half we equalized the score, we dominated and had chances. We lacked human resources because there were many injured and disabled people. As for Greece, we were not mentally prepared. Apparently, I psychologically deceived the team, because we liked the functional training numbers. In our heads we lost. Usually, in front of me, a footballer played on the wing with whom I talked about how he should position himself in defense and attack. And I saw that he was not performing the installation at all, and he was in complete prostration. All of Kazakhstan had been waiting for these matches for two months, so this burden overwhelmed the guys.
Magomed Adiev in the Kazakhstan national team in the match against Georgia
Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
— You went to Kazakhstan at the time of the suspension of Russian football. Has our football gotten worse during your absence? —When I was in Kazakhstan, I had the feeling that I was stuck. However, now I will say that our championship is of a good level. Yes, it is not as golden an era as a few years ago, nor are foreign players as strong, but even so the footballers are of a high level. There is no great growth, but there is no decline either. RPL is at a good level, according to European standards.
—How should the next season end so that you are satisfied? —It’s corny, but we want to be as high as possible. I want to stop the fight over joints. “Akhmat” has always been a strong and dignified middle peasant. We should be at least in the middle of the table. And then everything will depend on me as a coach. This will be a special year for me. If we can get this team up a little bit more, I’ll be satisfied.
