«Rubin» is in crisis: the fourth defeat in five matches and zero transfers
It's time to admit the obvious
Rubin lost away to Akhmat with a score of 0:2 in the match of the group stage of the Russian Cup. Everything was decided in the first half, when the home team scored twice in the Kazan team's goal. For Rashid Rahimov's team, this defeat was already the fourth in the last five matches. Read about the reasons for such failures in the Realnoe Vremya material.
Scheme rotation
The coaching staff of Rubin is not the first season conducting a total rotation in the Russian Cup games. Cup matches in the camp of the Kazan team are seen as an opportunity to view the closest reserve in combat conditions.
But the match with Akhmat was somewhat of a novelty. Against the background of failures in recent games, the Rubin coach went for even more experiments. In Grozny, Rahimov moved away from his favorite scheme with three defenders, releasing the «two» central ones: Teslenko — Gritsaenko. In theory, experienced Alexander Zotov and Oleg Ivanov, who are more than 70 years old together, were supposed to insure against mistakes.
Against the backdrop of the absence of transfers, changing tactics seems to be the only way to shake up the team. In addition, experts agree that Rubin's game is readable long before the match starts. By removing one defender, Rahimov got an «extra» player ahead. On paper, the idea looked nice, but it didn't bring any results.
Moreover, Akhmat fielded the main squad with some nuances. Stanislav Cherchesov left the main goalkeeper, Georgy Sheliya, on the bench, but otherwise he didn't bother. The Grozny coach urgently needed a victory in the Russian Cup, where Akhmat had two defeats in two matches before the game.
Repetition of failures
The first half was a continuation of the nightmare from the game with Spartak in the championship for Rubin. Already in the fifth minute of the meeting, the home team opened the scoring. With a long-range shot, Lechi Sadulaev punished the Kazan team for the mistake of Oleg Ivanov. And in the middle of the half, Georgy Melkadze closed the cross from the flank and doubled the advantage of the Grozny team.
In attack, the guests didn't manage to do anything. In 45 minutes, the team was able to create only one dangerous moment, in which Ivanov «fired» above the goal after a corner kick from a meter. Otherwise, Rubin's game didn't evoke any emotions.
Immediately after the break, the coaching staff of the Kazan team decided on a triple substitution. Mirлинд Daku, Igor Vujachich and Ugochukwu Ivu appeared on the field at the same time, turning the lineup into the closest to the base. A little later, Dmitry Kabutov and Veldin Khoda joined them.
The rearrangements helped to slightly change the situation in the match. Daku created several dangerous approaches to the penalty area, but two or three Akhmat defenders followed the Albanian and didn't let him turn around. Nikola Chumich could have scored, the goalkeeper of the Grozny team pulled out the header. Only these efforts were not enough even for one goal.
Different defeats, the same explanation
The defeat in Grozny was already the fourth for Rubin in the last five matches. If after the defeat by CSKA (1:5) and Zenit (0:3) few people talked about the team's problems, then after the misfires with Spartak (0:2) and Akhmat (0:2), there will probably be more talks. Amidst joyful speeches about a good start, Rakhimov's wards slowly reached the first crisis of the season.
At the same time, it is difficult to combine defeats into one entity. Against CSKA, the Rubins crumbled somehow too sharply, failing to cope with the opponent's speed. Against Zenit, it wasn't without strange refereeing and the cancellation of Daku's goal. In the winning match against Rostov (1:0) and Spartak, the team lacked the Albanian's emotions. And now Akhmat, whom they lost in the first half, coming out with an experimental scheme and a semi-reserve squad.
The only thing that connects these defeats is the lack of rotation. Or rather, transfers. No matter how much they talk about internal reserves and the need to trust young people, these components must first be available. Obviously, the efforts of their own academy and the bench are not enough.
Akhmat (Grozny) — Rubin (Kazan) — 2:0 (2:0, 0:0)
Goals:
1:0 — 5, Sadulaev (Utsiev);
2:0 — 27, Melkadze (Todorovich).
Rubin will play its next match on August 30 away against Orenburg in the framework of the seventh round of the RPL championship. Then Rakhimov's wards will have a two-week break associated with the national team games. It seems that in the current state of Rubin, the team will benefit from the break.