Introduction:
Dmitri Torbinski was the final player in the squad to receive his call up to Euro 2016, chosen to replace midfield general Alan Dzagoev after he was injured in the final game of the Russian Premier League – a game in which he scored the title winning goal for CSKA Moscow.
Some controversy surrounded his call up, as Leonid Slutski seemingly ignored a number of younger players who play in a similar position to Dzagoev, such as Rubin Kazan’s Magomed Ozdoev or Rostov’s Pavel Mogilevets, to favour Torbinski, who has played a majority of the last season for Krasnodar at left back. Another fact which seemed to count against Torbsinski was his low amount of game time over the season, playing only 779 minutes, around 30% of the season.
However, it was his general experience and versatility which earned the call up. 32-year old Torbinski has lead a good career in Russia’s top flight, coming through Spartak Moscow’s youth academy before going on to play for Lokomotiv Moscow, Rubin Kazan, FC Rostov and his current team, FC Krasnodar. During this time, Torbinski has played in almost every possible position on the pitch, excluding right back, centre back and up front, picking up 28 caps for Russia in the process, including a starring role in Russia’s 3-1 win over the Netherlands in their famous Euro 2008 campaign.
Strenghts and weaknesses:
As eluded to previously, a big strength for Torbinski is his versatility. This season has seen him not feature often, but when he has it’s either been in the centre of midfield, or more recently at left back. A nimble player, he possesses good close control and despite his age, still has a spring in his step, allowing him to be effective in the wide positions. On the downside, his lack of game time this season could lead to a lack of mental match fitness, and is likely to mean he is no more than a squad player.
The 2015/2016 season:
Torbinski was a surprise signing for Krasnodar last summer, but not one to be sniffed at, as a versatile Russian player, even at his age, is a valuable commodity. However, he has not had a solid run in the first team, only playing 90 mins five times in the league this season, with his best run of games coming in the spring part of the season, as he deputized for the injured Sergey Petrov at left back.
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