If you look solely at the position in the standings, then for Krasnodar last season was the most successful in history. In the Russian Championship, the team was only one point behind Zenit and won silver medals, which it had never achieved before. However, many fans were left with a bitter aftertaste. Still, before the winter break, the “bulls” were on the first line, but after a couple of failures in the spring, they dismissed Vladimir Ivich, making a strange castling to Murad Musaev. And Sergei Galitsky’s bet on a home-grown coach did not work, and its consequences are beginning to manifest themselves especially clearly right now.
The start of the new championship was difficult, if not disastrous, for Krasnodar. In three rounds, he drew three times, although the level of his opponents was, to put it mildly, manageable. And if the misfire with the traditionally inconvenient “Akhmat” on the road can still be somehow justified, then the “zeros” in the meetings with the Makhachkala “Dynamo” and “Fakel” cannot be called anything other than a fiasco. As a result, a repetition of the anti-record for the number of goals in this period and the worst start to the season in 13 years of being in the elite.
Yes, if you look at the advanced statistics, all this may seem like a fluke. In terms of expected goals created (xG), the black-and-greens rank seventh in the RPL, in terms of goals allowed (xGA) - sixth, and in terms of expected points - fifth. At the same time, in a head-to-head confrontation, only Voronezh managed to surpass them in xG, and even then only by 0.03. It would seem that these are temporary difficulties. After all, as practice shows, if a team constantly creates chances at the opponent’s goal, then the realization will come sooner or later. However, dry numbers do not always convey the impression of the team’s performance, but it is still depressing. And it's not just about the inability to convert shots into goals, but about other aspects such as the overall level of offensive play, lack of confidence and commitment. And even Musaev himself criticized his charges for this.
So, after the match with Dynamo, he called the team’s performance in the first half a failure, noting that 'it’s unforgivable to play like that.' 'This applies to both martial arts and the quality of the game. It was the first home game, a lot of fans came, and what happened on the field should not be repeated. We played better in the second half, but we must control the game more and create more chances. We didn’t deserve to win, the team has something to discuss and work on,' Musaev said on Match TV.
After the unsuccessful trip to Voronezh, the mentor was a little more restrained. And although he did not harshly criticize his players, he noted a couple of disadvantages. 'It was a difficult match, the opponent played with a low block and acted in a disciplined manner. We had the advantage, but, unfortunately, we didn’t create many chances. There were approaches and standards where more could have been squeezed out. Of course, a scored goal could have opened the game. A difficult start to the season, we were counting on more victories. But now it’s important for us to be together, to work even better and try to correct the situation,' the club’s press service quotes Musaev.
The question is how the specialist intends to do this, because for almost six months under his leadership, the “bulls”, if not degraded, then certainly did not get better. Under Ivic, some criticized the team for betraying themselves and moving away from the attacking manner that had become their calling card in favor of pragmatism (this could have been one of the reasons for separation). But things didn’t get any better after Musaev’s arrival. In the spring part of the last championship, Krasnodar actually rode on the luggage of a Serbian specialist, but then the newly appointed head coach had some kind of excuse. Nevertheless, he took his post during the season and could not deal with restructuring. Now he doesn't have that option. In the summer, he had enough time to convey his ideas to his charges, but dividends are not yet in sight. In attack, the black and green look uninventive, the movement of the ball is difficult, and it rarely reaches the attackers.
Of course, all the blame cannot be removed from the players either. John Cordoba, who continues to be persistently wooed to Zenit, clearly does not demonstrate his level; Eduard Spertsyan, who has been planning to go to Europe for a couple of years, is also sitting on his suitcases. At the same time, Matvey Safonov, Sergei Volkov, Junior Alonso, Kadi Borges and Mikhailo Banyats left the team earlier, and it has not yet been possible to compensate for their losses. But even despite this, Krasnodar is still among the top five in the RPL in terms of squad value and certainly has the resources to fight for medals. At least for victories over Dynamo Makhachkala and Fakel.
Apparently, many experts, who have recently been actively speaking out on the topic of Musaev’s possible departure, think so. True, no one expects this in the near future. And it’s not a matter of faith in the mentor’s ability to lead the “bulls” out of the crisis and again play them, if not bright and attacking, then productive football. 'Musayev’s resignation will not happen either in the next week or in the next month. Because Sergei Nikolaevich (Galitsky - RT ) will never admit his mistake with his appointment... Murad will leave Krasnodar only when he comes himself and says: “Sorry, I can’t cope, it didn’t work out the second time, I’m leaving,” said commentator Konstantin Genich on the YouTube channel “Comment.Show”.
But it remains unclear whether the specialist has the necessary authority and skills to correct the situation. Yes, support from the club president is very important, but what about the players themselves? According to the “Championship”, in the spring they were surprised by Ivich’s resignation, and even Safonov openly declared their lack of understanding of the situation. And there is a high probability that it did not work out to agree with this decision and rally around the new mentor. Unlike the Serb, Musaev does not have experience working in clubs of the caliber of Watford and is considered by many to be nothing more than a conductor of Galitsky’s ideas. And this hardly has a positive effect on the players’ trust in him.
Moreover, the presence of such problems is also talked about in the community. The famous commentator Gennady Orlov pointed out Musaev’s lack of authority, and former Tom coach Valery Nepomnyashchy even concluded that there were internal conflicts. 'Something is wrong in Krasnodar. Maybe it was the unfulfilled dream of winning the title last season. Therefore, the team now can’t come to its senses. It is clear that there is some kind of discord inside, so things will not work out yet. Musaev also fails to improve the team’s performance,' the Championship quotes Nepomniachtchi.
Musaev's position is only complicated by the fact that Krasnodar will have virtually no opportunity to catch their breath in the near future. Already next weekend, the southerners will face a confrontation with CSKA, which this time is unlikely to take to the field with a semi-reserve squad, as it was in the Cup. And until September 1 inclusive, you will have to measure your strength with Paris NN, Dynamo and Lokomotiv. And if the “bulls” continue to be in a fever, then at the beginning of autumn there will be even more talk about changing the head coach. And then Galitsky may have no choice but to admit his mistake and resign. But the chance to compete for getting into the top three risks being lost by that time.
