Introduction:
Pavel Mamaev was always described as an excellent talent, and it seemed almost predestined that he would become great one day. He grew up in Torpedo’s academy and with the White-Blacks he made his debut in the RFPL in 2004. A year after his debut, he became one of the youngest players to ever score in the RFPL, when he scored against Krylya Sovetov.
After Torpedo were dramatically relegated in 2006, Mamaev moved to CSKA. However, he never quite met the expectations of the Armyetsy’s, and his time with the Red-Blues had many difficulties. He often discussed his role in the team with head coach Leonid Slutsky, and in 2013 he opted to leave the capital to join FC Krasnodar. Just a year before he was close to joining English giants Manchester United, but his transfer collapsed because he was unable to obtain a work permit. In the south of Russia, Mamaev turned into a superb player, thus silencing all those who had criticized him. He is now one of the jewels in Oleg Kononov’s successful Krasnodar side, and has recently admitted that he’s ready to move to Europe. The EURO is a great window to show his skills to a wider audience.
Strenghts and weaknesses:
Mamaev is an offensive midfielder who can be used in many positions. In Krasnodar, he’s mainly used as winger in a 4-3-3 formation with much freedom, which is why he’s built a fantastic understanding with Fedor Smolov. At the same time, he could also play as central midfielder, but his attitude in this position is not very positive. Everyone hopes him to replace Alan Dzagoev, but he might be too offensive for Slutsky’s tactics. As Krasnodar chairman Sergey Galitskiy told TV-program 8-16: “Mamaev provides great performances when he’s free to play his football without defensive duties. He started playing so well for us only when Kononov decided to stop using him in the midfield.” Generally speaking, Mamaev is a technically strong player with a very good football vision. He’s good at dribbling and passing, but not in aerial duels and tackling.
The 2015/2016 season:
Mamaev had a very profitable season, probably the best one of his career. In the RFPL he scored 10 goals and topped that with 13 assists, and it is difficult to imagine Krasnodar without him. He is the brain behind every action, and you can find him almost everywhere on the pitch,
Alongside with Granqvist, he’s the captain and it’s not a coincidence that Sergey Galitskiy has always used kind words about him earlier. Mamaev has matured in Krasnodar and also gone are the conflicts with Leonid Slutsky. It seems that Mamaev is finally ready to put Sbornaya on his shoulders in France.
