In the match against Orenburg he was reprimanded. Remember when Ugalde was paired with Sobolev in the second half? Not a single shot on goal, fruitless searches for teammates, lost single fights. Manfred merged with the grey mass of Spartac, which naturally gave way to a lesser rival.
And then Alexander Sobolev was suspended from work with the first team. And here we go: four goals in four matches. Ugalde transformed and for the first time since the beginning of the year became a real leader of Spartak in attack. Surprise?
How Spartak faced Krylia:
Did we really see Spartak as a healthy person?
What happened before Stankovic?
Given the historical context, it is of course a surprise. The Costa Rican joined Spartak in the winter of 2024 for 13 million euros. At the time, this was a clear overpayment. His former club, Twente, even had to make excuses. They claimed that they simply could not refuse a deal with the Russian side when it offered such a sum.
Naturally, Ugalde was expected to make a breakthrough. He made his debut in the first match after the restart with Zenit and started most of the spring matches. Abascal found him a role on the pitch, using him either in the centre of attack or in the back, but the youngster clearly felt like an outsider in this chaos. In fact, like everyone else, Spartak failed in the March-April period, the results were terrible and Manfred became an absolute meme. 12 matches in the RPL – 0 goals. Four Cup matches, one goal for Zenit, although the red-and-whites still lost that match.
Ugalde on the match against Zenit in spring 2024
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, “Championship”
At the same time, the media criticized the player and the club’s management. The transfer was called a complete failure, they recalled the words of Abascal, who spoke of the striker’s quick adaptation and that he would immediately start to be useful. As a result, Guillermo was removed; with Sliskovic, Manfred also started in the starting eleven, but at the end of the season he sat on the bench. For example, he came on as a substitute in that same match against Baltika in the Cup and in the last two rounds of the RPL. It seemed that everything could end with a summer transfer to recoup the invested money. And additional hatred appeared after the words of the agent: he honestly admitted that the footballer went to Russia to earn money. It’s as if other legionnaires were going to play for the emblem.
In the end, everything ended peacefully. Ugalde had a full training camp alongside Stankovic. And then… a wonderful transformation.
The secret of transformation.
It’s stupid to talk about this outside the context of Sobolev. Stankovic probably planned Alexander as the main striker at the beginning of the season. Even if he went to Zenit. Ugalde was an additional option. But when the Russian striker finally made it clear that he couldn’t work at full strength, the Costa Rican became almost the only option in attack. After all, Willian Jose is still getting fit and Meleshin apparently didn’t impress Stankovic.
And the young man fell ill. First he scored against Khimki in the RPL, then against Dynamo in the Cup, and then a double against Krylia. Moreover, the goals were different: in some places he closed in empty spaces, in others he wisely chose his position, and in others he simply made a great shot.
Some people think that it is a question of psychology. This version is supported by Stankovic and the footballer himself. At first, the 21-year-old found it difficult to get used to the new country and the new team. But now everything is different. This is what Dejan said after “Wings”.
Dejan Stankovic
Spartak head coach
“I am convinced that training can sometimes help less than a moment of personal communication. Sometimes it is enough to hug someone to make them feel important. Then their talent will be revealed. First of all, Ugalda needed help on a human level. And we already knew that he was an excellent football player.”
Manfred’s personal statistics this season have really grown into those of a top-class player: he averages more than three shots per game, two of them on target, he is a good presser and he relates well to his teammates.
In addition, it was initially clear that Ugalde is a system player and it would be difficult for him to create magic separately from the team. This is one of the reasons why the spring was so difficult.
UGALDE AFTER THE GOAL
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, “Championship”
Anton Mikhashenok, tactical author of “Championship” and head coach of “Egrisi”, in the podcast “Premier League of Injustice” separately highlighted two factors: psychology and connection with Barco:
— Ugalde feels that he needs to score now, otherwise he will sit out. He has strong competitors and the following situation arises: on the one hand, Manfred is being pushed by other players and on the other hand, he can take advantage of the uncertain position of the other attackers. Ugalde got lucky and is trying to monetize it.
In addition, they brought to Spartak a football player with whom they instantly developed chemistry. Ugalde and Barco understand which of them will move where. In the match against “Wings” it happened several times: Manfred broke away from the defender, Barco broke away from the midfielder, there was a wall, they entered the penalty area. This happens all the time and these short interactions occur. It was a great luck for Spartak that these players immediately sang.
Even more tactical analysis on RPL – in the new issue of “Premier League of Injustice”:
Yes, Manfred is still far from Glushenkov’s goalscoring achievements. But if he continues in the same spirit, he will become one of Spartak’s main stars this season. He himself, judging by his public appearances, finally felt confident and was ready to break through.
And this, by the way, is an advantage for Sobolev. Maybe now he will finally be allowed to go to Zenit?
Who else will join Spartak in the summer?
Spartak choose between two defenders. Stankovic wants one thing and Amaral another?
