Review of the 2nd round of the RPL from Evgeny Kharlachev

Akhmat – CSKA (2:3)

– The second round of the championship turned out to be rich in events and caused various emotions among our fans. Why was it interesting for you?

– The teams showed very fervent and reckless football. Cheerfully begins the championship. A lot of goals are scored. It is really clear that the players, coaches and everyone else missed football.

– Then just from the most provocative match in Grozny we will start. In your memory, were there such cases when so many penalties were scored in one game? Or is it a unique phenomenon for our football?

“I just read about it. Bezborodov is one of the leaders of our judiciary. But I can’t agree with all his decisions in this game. Especially when Gayich’s yellow card was replaced with a red one. This is generally incomprehensible.

– The RFU, after the final whistle, said that there were problems with communications between Grozny and Moscow, which caused problems in the VAR. And here the following question may arise: we all advocated the introduction of VAR, saying that it would help our judges make fairer decisions… But don’t you think that we have become dependent on the technical aspects of this phenomenon: Interruptions in communication, fuzzy pictures on the screens? The live game has become a hostage to the reliability of the equipment.

— VAR is everywhere now. Yes, it was introduced to make football more fair. But for some reason, in our championship, justice is far away. We wanted to protect football from some stupid mistakes of our referees working in the field, but here it turns out that those who work for the VAR are mistaken. And the further it gets, the worse it gets: so much time is spent on making decisions, such huge pauses … Football even began to lose its attractiveness and entertainment.

– A professional question for you as a football player and coach. How do such breaks in the match affect the mood of the players? And how can a coach work with his team in such a situation?

– Pauses in general can change the course of the fight. Let’s say it’s hot. And by decision of the referee, the teams go to the watering hole in the middle of the half. Prior to that, one of the teams had the advantage, pressed. And the opposing coach could not shout to his players from the edge in order to make some adjustments to their actions – how to defend properly or how to switch from defense to attack. And these two minutes of a break are enough for you to make adjustments. And your team is already playing in a completely different way after the pause. Naturally, I am happy with this break. But the coach of the other team will be very unhappy. Very. The same goes for long pauses in VAR. Penalties are watched for five minutes. And I immediately have the opportunity to say something to the players, to change their mood.

VAR should be much more honest and fair. So that there are no such huge pauses and that the rules are the same for all teams.

Rostov – Zenit (1:1)

– Since we are talking about the work of head coaches, let’s discuss the red card that Zenit head coach Sergei Semak received after the final whistle. We all know him as one of the most intelligent, educated and patient professionals. Can you understand his claims to the arbitrators?

– Sergei Bogdanovich is indeed a very well-mannered person. So, probably, the decision of the arbitrator caused so much controversy. I read that allegedly the penalty was awarded controversial. There are a million such episodes in each game. Especially in the penalty area. Perhaps something was seen under a microscope somewhere, that some kind of contact was there, that the ball hit somewhere there. But in some match, such a penalty is awarded with microscopic contact, and in some – with a more obvious contact, they are not awarded. Therefore, I say again: the rules should be the same for everyone. There should be justice not to be surprised why such decisions are made.

– We have already seen our champion in three official matches of the new season – the Super Bowl and the first two rounds. How do you assess the form of “Zenith”? Has he really started to give up?

– Zenit is not playing at full strength. Perhaps this is due to the fact that there are no leaders. Not playing Malcolm. In attack one Cassierra. But in any case, this is really a game of a good, high level. The more interesting it will be. There is a chance for other teams to prove themselves in the game against Zenit.

Spartak – Baltika (2:1)

– It’s very good that you said about the chance. Spartak beat Baltika. Everyone expects from Spartak that this season he will certainly be able to impose a fight on Zenit. What is your impression of Spartak’s game in the second round?

– Spartak began to play much stronger in attack. But he doesn’t play very well defensively, in my opinion. Need balance in all lines. But due to the skill in this match, Spartak was closer to victory. Although Baltika played very soundly and disciplined.

– You noticed a very interesting moment about the defense of Spartak: Baltika scored their goal already in stoppage time. In your opinion, how big are Spartak’s problems in defense, since such balls are conceded already in stoppage time?

– It often happens when one team wins and the last minutes of the match go on. They are very dangerous and can even turn the tide of the meeting. The team scores a goal, the referee adds time, and the players fly to score more. And the winning team is waiting for the final whistle. As happened in the match “Wings” and “Dynamo”, when the Samartans bounced back in stoppage time.

Wings of the Soviets – Dynamo (3:3)

— Anticipated the next question: Dynamo missed the victory in the last minutes. Is it possible to compare the problems in the defense of Dynamo and Spartak? Or are they different in nature?

Well, there is something in common, I guess. The first half was very easy for Dynamo, the advantage was quite comfortable – 3:1. And then Osinkin found some words during the break for his team. It was like he was feeding her something. And after the break, we saw a completely different team.

If we compare the problems of Spartak and Dynamo in defense, then they are of a psychological nature. And if there is a turning point in the game, then the players must be ready to pull themselves together and regain the advantage.

Fakel – Lokomotiv (1:4)

– Another Moscow team played on the road and, unlike Dynamo, managed to keep the winning score. Lokomotiv defeated Fakel, and Dziuba finally scored. How do you rate his game? Do we see Artyom again the way he was this spring?

– In my opinion, he can play much stronger. But, on the other hand, he is a striker and always acts quite pragmatically. The task of the striker is to score. Since Dziuba scored, it means that he did his job perfectly.

Krasnodar – Sochi (2: 0)

– And the last match that I would like to talk to you about is the Kuban derby Krasnodar – Sochi. Krasnodar won – 2:0. How do you evaluate this game and why Sochi could not oppose anything to Krasnodar?

– Krasnodar always play very well at home. Make the most of his moments.

– Krasnodar tops the table after the second round. Will his game, in your opinion, allow him to continue to remain in the lead? Or will the rest of the teams quickly catch up and make adjustments to the championship race? What are your expectations for the next tour?

– No one is immune from some kind of recession. But only two rounds have passed, still ahead. A lot of great legionnaires left. There were other players who still need to play. In any case, the next matches promise to be no less interesting than those that we have already seen.