“They’re a national disaster”. Those were the words of my cab driver as he drove through St Petersburg streets on Monday night.
Russia had defeated New Zealand 2-0 on Saturday in the opening match of the 2017 Confederations Cup. The host could only manage one goal against the minnows New Zealand, with Michael Boxall credited with an own goal. This was not a performance to savour against the plucky Kiwis, who are ranked 95th in the world.
Russia followed it up with a 1-0 defeat last night against Portugal. Cristiano scored the goal and could have a handful more in a masterful display. The Russians were largely helpless against the likes of Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Andre Silva. They lacked the individual quality to break Portugal’s defence down and will now need to beat Mexico in their final group game to stay alive in the tournament.
There is a fair amount of apathy towards the Russian national team right now. Taxi drivers aside, supporters are not happy and the side is feeling the heat. They have dropped all the way down to 63rd in the FIFA world rankings and have lost to Costa Rica and Qatar in the past 12 months. Vladimir Putin recently demanded better results from the national team.
Russia has been on a slide for some time. The Russian team failed badly at Euro 2016, finishing bottom of its group with defeats to Wales and Slovakia. Some fans claim the Russian players are over-paid and unmotivated. While football remains the most popular sport in the massive country, and it has received huge investment in recent years, its national team has struggled.
Big-name foreign managers have been appointed in the recent past – Fabio Capello, Dick Adovcaat and Guus Hiddink – with mixed success. In August last year ex-national team goalkeeper Stanislav Cherchesov was hired as head coach after Leonid Slutski was replaced after the Euros. His record so far is four wins, four losses and three draws from 11 games.
Putin might put him in Prison
On his appointment, at the time Cherchesov said: “We need to stop complaining and underestimating ourselves. I'm used to aiming for the top but it would be irresponsible to say I'm planning to win the World Cup. Our first step will be to establish the side and assess where we really are at the moment."
But little has changed during Cherchesov’s tenure. Russia lacks star players and game-breakers who can decide international fixtures. Conflict is common between the coach and players. No of the current squad play for top clubs in Europe as all 23 players ply their trade in Russia. This breeds a lack of ambition and is a sign of being too comfortable. Russia players receive huge salaries to stay at home and because of that their development is stifled.
Eleven of that 23-man squad is already 30 years old or over. While there is plenty of experience, there is no youth or enthusiasm to revitalize a team already on the way down. There has been no forward planning for next year’s World Cup in terms of the strength of the squad. It is ageing and only getting worse.
As Hiddink put it: "When a player from Western Europe earns his first million, it becomes a good incentive for him to work even harder and earn another one. While when a [Russian] player earns his first million, he most likely gets the idea that his life is already settled enough, which leads to reducing requirements for himself to develop further."
A crisis point is coming for the Russian team. A year out from the World Cup it is hosting, there is plenty of doubt and worry. Russia need to pull a result out of the bag against Mexico on Saturday in Kazan to give their ailing national side a much-needed boost. Otherwise the ”national disaster” could get even worse.
