World Cup Comment: Russia Fail To Make A Case For The Defence

Before the first play-off match against Slovenia on Saturday, much of the attention focussed on Guus Hiddink’s plans for the attack. There were notable question marks over the form and fitness of Roman Pavlyuchenko and Pavel Pogrebnyak, whilst the club form of Aleksandr Kerzakhov certainly didn’t bode well. Nevertheless with hindsight, it may have been the defence that concern should really have been centred on.

A Soft Centre

With the CSKA Moscow pair of Sergei Ignashevich and Vasili Berezutsky in front of their goalkeeper at club level Igor Akinfeev, most people probably assumed that the defence would be the least cause for worry, and represented sensible risk-free choices. However, at both Russian domestic level in recent seasons and in the Champions League, both Ignashevich and Berezutsky have been shown to not have the required level to be considered world-class. 

The greatest failing of the defensive duo is their combined lack of speed, and with neither able to cover for the other against a quicker attacking opponent, Russia can be left in danger of being exposed. That was most notably highlighted just after the restart against Slovenia in the second leg when the goalscorer from the first half Zlatko Dedic nearly managed to double his tally on the night when he accelerated past the Russian back-line onto a pass that was nothing more than a high ball forward.

Indeed it is no co-incidence that at club level, Ignashevich and Berezutsky enjoyed their greatest success not in a back-four, but as part of a back-three with Vasili’s twin brother Aleksi also employed as cover. Whilst Aleksi is no speed merchant himself, the three always had sufficient numbers at the back to keep fast attacks in check.

Vulnerable Out Wide

The centre-back position wasn’t the only place that Slovenia exposed Russia’s defensive failings, but also in the full-back area.  In the first game at the weekend, Hiddink went with the attacking pair of Aleksandr Anyukov and Yuri Zhirkov, and there are few teams, in Europe at least, that can boast of such attacking prowess from this part of the pitch. Such impetus is badly needed, as in a 4-3-3 formation that Russia have adopted under Hiddink, there is a considerable onus on the pair to get forward. 

However, Slovenia showed that Anyukov when put under pressure will yield chances and he was at fault for the opening goal in Moscow, arguably the more important of the two that the Slovenes scored, and also for the notable chance towards the end of the first leg that could have made it 2-2.

The Zenit St. Petersburg man may therefore have been lucky to keep his place for the second match with a lead to protect, but as it was, Hiddink shuffled his deck at left-back by bringing in Renat Yanbaev. However, the Lokomotiv Moscow player’s arrival in the starting XI in Maribor hardly helped matters and Slovenia on a number of occasions exploited this weakness with high balls over Yanbaev for Dedic to charge onto.

Renat Yanbaev's future in Russia open to debate?

Failures At The Critical Times

With such concerns, Russia therefore hardly needed the complete loss of form of their entire backline on the evening in Maribor. The wild clearance from Ignashevich with barely ten minutes on the clock gave a hint at the collective nerves that the defence was suffering from when his attempted hack-away somehow thundered back off the post.

These issues were only exacerbated as the evening wore on, and even relatively simple tasks seemed to require almost superhuman strength from the defenders. The clinching goal just before half-time illustrated the feebleness in the defending, as Dedic managed to burst in between the defenders before poking home, whilst in the second half Bostjan Cesar should have undoubtedly done better with a free header from a set piece routine.

Slovenian Blueprints

Russia’s conquerors, Slovenia could teach them much about how to rebound following qualification disappointments. They finished second bottom in Group G for Euro 2008 behind both Albania and Belarus, yet within the space of 18 months, they have responded to secure a place at the World Cup by being bold enough to try youngsters that have shown promise.

There are several players in Russia with immense potential at the moment, as the new rules governing how many foreigners can be used at any one time in the league are forcing clubs into developing their own players rather than looking beyond the borders for reinforcements. Following this failure to qualify, Russia now have the chance to look at some of those promising youngsters over the next nine months or so before the serious business of European Championship qualifying gets underway. 

Alan Dzagoev represents the future for Russia

With Hiddink’s future unresolved, Russia now have much to ponder upon as they embark on qualifying for Euro 2012, to be held just over the border in Ukraine and Poland. Missing out on that tournament so close to home would be considered a huge failure. 

But with plenty of promising youngsters coming through, there could be optimism that a new crop of stars, most needed in defence, may be able to inject new blood into the squad, and assist Russia as they begin a new era at senior international level.

Walter Townsend, Goal.com