Spartak Moscow blew up the information field by announcing appointment of Dejan Stankovic as head coach of the team. And he did it so quietly and quickly that the sensational effect will haunt this appointment for a long time. The correspondent looks into why the arrival of the Serbian legend could mark a new stage in the life of the “red-white” club.
Quiet Amaral Throughout the spring, insiders competed with each other, giving out information about possible future Spartak coaches. Who was there: in addition to the eternal classics in the person of Valery Karpin and Stanislav Cherchesov, there were the names of the Dutchman Pascal Jansen, the Turk Okan Buruk, the Briton David Moyes and even Sergei Yuran. Despite all the hype, the “red-white” bosses put the team under the control of Guillermo Abascal’s closest assistant, Vladimir Sliskovich, and simply waited to see what this would lead to.
And, lo and behold, the team took off. Seven matches without defeat, liberated leaders, the fight for medals – everything said that if Sliskovic continues to bring results, then he may well become the main one. Conversations on the sidelines suggested the opposite: the Red-White management is constantly looking for a new specialist from Europe.
Sports director of Spartak Tomas Amaral emphasized at the beginning of May that he would choose the coach personally, and there were no Russian specialists on the short list. The Portuguese carried out quiet and methodical work, not looking back at the likely uncontrolled strengthening of Sliskovich's figure. And again Amaral’s bet worked. On Tuesday, Spartak sensationally lost to Baltika Kaliningrad (0:1) and failed to reach the Russian Cup final. In fact, this trophy was a saving straw for the Bosnian, clinging to which he could count on a logical promotion. It didn’t work out, and Amaral decided not to delay any longer, announcing Stankovic’s arrival before the end of the season.
Cherchesov’s replacement, Stankovic, is not just a coach with already weight-bearing experience, he is, first of all, a legend of Balkan and world football. The man who won everything not only in Yugoslav, but also in Italian football. After finishing his playing career, Dejan became a member of the Inter Milan hall of fame, which clearly underlines his status as a great football player.
But the coaching path, as often happens, turned out to be more thorny and difficult. And if Stankovic collected all the titles in Serbia with his native Red Star, then in Italy he had a lot of problems. After spending less than a year at Sampdoria, Stankovic could not leave it in Serie A and left for a simpler championship. Moreover, he actually came to the place warmed up by Stanislav Cherchesov – to the Hungarian Ferencvaros. Here the Serb achieved success, leading the team to the championship, but in the cup final the Fradi still lost. After this, Stankovic announced his departure to a foreign club, with which he quite quickly and constructively negotiated.
Considering the above, it is not yet clear what to expect from Stankovic in Russia. Yes, championship titles in Serbia and Hungary are cool, but even the current Russian Premier League (RPL) can easily surpass these championships in terms of competition and resistance. In addition, the very weak season in Sampdoria is confusing, although Dejan ended up in an outsider team with a whole range of various problems.
Still, it will be interesting what kind of football Stankovic will play for Spartak. Absorbing modern coaching examples, the Serbian strives to play dynamic football with an emphasis on ball control and high pressing with fast vertical movement of the ball. The red-whites' personnel potential is good, which does not exclude active work in the upcoming transfer window. Quite eminent football players, and not only Balkans, can go to Stankovic in Russia. Much will again depend on Amaral.
A strong image move If we ignore the very crumpled path of Stankovic as a coach, his arrival in Russia is an excellent image move. At a time when the RPL is developing virtually in a local mode, the appointment of a legend to one of the most popular clubs, and at the very beginning of his coaching career, is a signal to European and world football that our country is capable of surprising and attracting big names even to such complex names. Undoubtedly, Dejan's work will be watched not only at home, but also in Italy, a country that is crazy about football. And Stankovic’s possible successes in the RPL will be an excellent reason for a discussion in the spirit of “what kind of football is there anyway in Russia?”
It should also be noted how professionally the Spartak sports block worked in terms of information. Quiet, dust-free and noise-free, efficient – just an exemplary case. In this way, the new Tushino government is qualitatively different from the era of Leonid Fedun, when news of any transfer or dismissal spread like a game of “broken telephone.” It looks like Spartak is growing. Now all that remains is to wait for Stankovic to grow with him.
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