The Russian team played its friendly matches in the September training camp without success. The team played three games and did not achieve a single victory. We faced the Egyptian Olympic team twice, once we tied (1-1) and once we lost (1-2). And he had a meeting with Qatar, where again there was no winner (1-1).
This performance by the Russian team disappointed not only football experts and observers, but everyone in general. And the national team coach Valery Karpin finished off this performance with his statement. At the end of the three matches, he said that young Russian players should go to Europe at the first opportunity. But not everyone accepted this position. There are those who are against it, but there are also enough who are for it.
For example, the honorary president of the RFU, Vyacheslav Koloskov, did not agree with Karpin. He believes that within Russia it is possible to develop adequately.
“We have the opportunity to develop and play at the highest level without having to go abroad. Many coaches forget that the basis of progress is the training process,” Koloskov said according to Match TV.
Photo source: RIA Novosti
Also, the deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Roman Teryushkov, did not share the opinion of the national team coach. He believes Karpin is ruining the national team.
“The RFU trusted the Estonian Karpin by inviting him to the position of coach of the Russian football team. “Karpin had a great time with this post: it encourages our athletes to move to countries hostile to Russia, it disintegrates the national team by calling up 50 people each, it demotivates the players within the team and reduces the positive attitude towards national football,” RB Sport quotes Teryushkov’s words.”
But there are also those who supported the coach of the Russian national team. Rubin Kazan coach Rashid Rakhimov agreed and offered to analyze his words further.
“I think these types of phrases should not be clung to and should be analyzed more deeply. For a footballer, constant progress and growth is good.
And now we have been deprived of the European cups, we have no competition with teams of the highest level. But only those matches force you to play to the limit and develop that limit,” RIA Novosti quotes Rakhimov.
But let’s understand Karpin’s words with the help of facts. Is everything so good with Russian footballers who have played in important championships? But now there aren’t many of them. You can count it on the fingers of one hand.
Let’s start with our main European star, Alexander Golovin. For several years he has been one of Monaco’s main players. He plays constantly, but his team rarely appears in European competitions and has never reached a fundamentally new level.
Photo source: Getty Images
But he stands out from the rest of the Russians who were on the Russian team. His teammates and Karpin himself noticed that Golovin was more physically and technically prepared for the workload and important games. A successful example that is stable, but there are not enough stars in the sky.
But there is also another side to the issue. And this is Alexander Kokorin from Fiorentina. The striker’s career in the strong European championship did not work out. For the third season he is already in the Violets squad, but the club does not need him yet. In the first season he did not play even ten games, and since the second he has played for Aris in Cyprus. And he is happy with everything. A championship clearly inferior in all aspects to the RPL. But does Karpin talk about such perspectives? Hardly. Going down to a lower level, but feeling more comfortable there, is not the path to development.
But there are other examples. This summer, Russian Daler Kuzyaev moved to French side Le Havre. He already played four matches in the French Championship for the new club. And he managed to score two goals. And the team’s coach considers him the most talented soccer player he has ever worked with. A bright start, but it’s just the beginning. And it is also worth considering an extremely important detail. Kuzyaev significantly reduced his salary in order to move to a modest French club. But not all Russian footballers would do this. Why leave your homeland, where you are also well fed?
Photo source: FC Le Havre
Russian midfielder Alexey Miranchuk also plays in the Italian championship. And so, like Kuzyaev, things didn’t go so well for him. The first two seasons he played as a reserve for Atalanta, followed by a successful loan at Torino, but the club did not have enough money or desire to buy Miranchuk. And nobody needed it in Italy. He has now returned to Atalanta, but has still never been included in official matches. Miranchuk has a difficult situation.
Photo source: Getty Images
This summer, Russian Arsen Zakharyan left for the Spanish Championship at Real Sociedad. But he has not yet settled into the club and it is too early to draw conclusions about him.
But, based on the fighters mentioned above, we can safely say that, according to Karpin, there can be no clear opinion. Yes, players will be able to play and progress like Kuzyaev or Golovin, but the possibility of them becoming the best footballers in the world in Europe is small. But it also cannot be clearly said that things are worse there and that we raise footballers for ourselves and not for them. The top five European championships are certainly more competitive and there is a lot to learn there. But everything is much deeper. All of these cases are private and will depend on a large number of internal and external factors. You may be lucky with a coach who will always give you a chance, or vice versa, the footballer will not be able to fit into the club system.
In general, not everything is so simple. And no one will be able to clearly judge Karpin’s words. But everywhere there is a “golden mean.” And why not try it if you have the desire and opportunity? And there is no need to force.
