Are Sobolev and Maksimenko outcasts? Stankovic's nightmare debut in Spartak

Dejan Stankovic began his career in Spartak Moscow from the loss to Orenburg. What is the reason for the unconvincing start of the “red-white” season and what to expect next from the team — in the material Sport.
“Orenburg” is historically a very inconvenient opponent for “Spartak”. The Orenburg team have not lost to the capital team at home since 2020, and on Sunday this unpleasant streak for the “red-whites” continued. 2:0 — a more than confident victory for Orenburg, which, however, may seem deceptive from all sides. Undoubtedly, it is stupid and short-sighted to draw conclusions from the first meeting, but interesting remarks about the last match suggest themselves.
Russian Premier League (RPL) July 21, 2024 • starts at 17:30 CompletedOrenburgRussia2 : 0Spartak Mo SkvaRussia
62‎’‎ • Matias Perez (Emircan Gurluk)
67‎’‎ • Emircan Gurluk (Cesar Florentin)

First, Spartak is not yet ready for Stankovic’s new scheme. Dejan’s arrival in Moscow was initially perceived as an interesting move, not only because a living football legend would work in the capital, but also from the point of view of how the Serb would change the team tactically. The switch to two central defenders, announced during the training camp, has so far taken root very poorly. The opening minutes of the game in Orenburg showed the complete confusion of the “red-white” defense — it seemed that the players themselves learned about the scheme just minutes before the starting whistle, which led to a number of gross failures in the center. Changing the game scheme is a painful and always unpleasant process, it is fraught with errors. But how many chances the defenders from Tushino allowed to create at their goal is beyond comprehension. The complete loss of the flanks turned into a cascade of the most dangerous attacks, and only Alexander Maksimenko and somewhere a miracle saved Spartak from natural defeat. For now, let’s note that Deyan was unable to implement the new scheme, and its integration may require several rounds. And maybe a few new players.
Secondly, it seems that Stankovic has become disillusioned with Sobolev. The transfer saga around forward Alexander Sobolev and Zenit St. Petersburg will most likely live until September. By the start of the season, the rumors had subsided, and the general director of the “red-whites” Oleg Malyshev convinces that there are no offers for the striker, he continues to train conscientiously and professionally. Stankovic is not his enemy to give up such an asset in front, so Sobolev started the match against Orenburg. However, I didn’t remember anything about it. Alexander opened up, did not avoid the fight, was aimed at someone else’s goal, but this turned out to be not enough to not only score, but even create a more or less dangerous moment. As a result, Stankovic replaced Sobolev already in the 67th minute of the match, although his size could have been useful during the final pile-up. Considering the rumors about his departure, it is quite possible to assume that the Serb has finally become convinced that Sobolev is unnecessary for the new Spartak. Is the road to St. Petersburg open?

Third, the goalkeeper question is open again. Many weaknesses can be found in Spartak’s roster, even though the team is well equipped, at least quantitatively. This is not the first season that they have been talking about the need to buy a defensive midfielder and a great full-back, but it seems that the loss to Orenburg has once again made the question of the first number in the team relevant. By and large, Maksimenko cannot be blamed for the negative result at all; before his blunder, he played an excellent match and claimed the title of best player of the meeting. But this goalkeeper has had a problem with stability throughout his entire career, and it is precisely this that does not allow him (perhaps for now) to become the number one in his native team and be called up to the Russian national team on a permanent basis. Behind Maksimenko is the equally unstable Alexander Selikhov, and now it is clear why rumors are sending the most experienced Alexander Dovbnya to Spartak.
Fourth — Spartak is not physically ready. The specificity of Orenburg's home stadium and artificial turf, as well as hot weather does not change the fact that David Deogracia’s team simply ran over and physically crushed the opponent. We have already mentioned flank attacks, but it is even more important that the Orenburg player was first on almost every ball. It is significant that even in stoppage time the Orenburg team put on high pressure, while the “red-whites” did not find the strength even for a banal pile-up. Again, we repeat the narrative that the first round match is not an indicator at all, but it is important to emphasize that Spartak this off-season, one might say, did not have normal preparation, since Stankovic needed time to get to know the club, players, and staff. To approach the start of the season in good shape in such conditions is a utopia. And the team will definitely be dealing with the consequences of a crumpled summer for several rounds until the players “catch their breath”