With under a month and a half left to go till the World Cup kicks off at the Luzhniki, Russia still has a few selection dilemmas on their hands, especially at the back and up front. Unlike the centre-back slots, however, the nation does have a stock of good strikers in playing condition, but due to various issues picking them has become a headache. We take a look at the various options and the reasons to choose, and not to choose them in the 23-man squad.
The Constants
Traditionally, Stanislav Cherchesov’s squads have contained three strikers. Out of those three spots, we definitely know who the holder of the first will be: Fedor Smolov. The 28-year-old striker has been the RPL top scorer for two seasons in a row now, and could quite possibly make it three if he outscores Quincy Promes on the final day of the season. Having scored 63 times in 98 appearances at Krasnodar and a decent 12 in 30 for the national team, you could bet your house on the fact that Fedor will be the top name on the World Cup squad (unless of course he gets injured which would be a very, very distressing sight for the fans of the Sbornaya).
Coming to a man who is unfortunately already injured, 27-year-old Aleksandr Kokorin. Before the Zenit forward picked up an ACL tear, he was sitting atop the RPL scoring charts and was highly impressive in Europe as well. Despite attitude issues in the past and the nightclub scandal of 2016, Kokorin appeared to be a different beast prior to getting injured and would’ve almost definitely made the final squad for the World Cup.
The Variables
Here’s where it gets interesting. Apart from the talismanic Smolov, Cherchesov still requires two more centre-forwards. The names immediately put forward by fans are primarily limited to two of Artem Dzyuba, Dmitry Poloz and Anton Zabolotny. Looking at this list, the striker conundrum seems to rise due to the abundance of high-quality players, whereas the truth is different. All of the aforementioned choices are plagued with a variety of issues, meaning that the gaffer has to choose the best out of a rather problematic bunch.
Zabolotny and Poloz are out of form, and Dzyuba had been inconsistent this season before moving to Arsenal Tula. They all suffered from a lack of playing time and erratic records at some point throughout the season too. It must be said however that “Dzyubinho’s” form since joining Arsenal has been quite commendable. Perhaps the treatment given by Mancini to the player had an impact on him, something he made clear on several occasions. On the contrary, are a combined eleven goals and assists in 33 appearances enough? Even if eight of them have come in the last nine games?
Coming to the other three choices. Zabo’s good form last season makes for a case in his favour, but his failure to keep it going this time makes a stronger one against it. Poloz played more games as a left winger throughout the season and did well in the position, but his ability to play in the national team is up for debate. Two goals and three assists in eleven games as a forward is average at best. Something to maybe note is that both the Zenit forwards didn’t finish the majority of their games meaning their record looks worse than what it actually is. Some even say that the overall state of the squad under Mancini has had a big impact on the players’ form.
The Outside Shots
Coming to the set of players that aren’t really on the lists of the majority, but do have substantial reasons warranting for their choosing. Vladimir Ilyin, Maksim Kanunnikov and Kiril Panchenko’s form last season make up the majority of their reasons. Panchenko though has been the most prolific of the three with five goals in 18 games.
23-year-old Evgeni Markov is arguably the best of the chasing pack, by form if not by class. The Dinamo Moscow attacker has nine goals and an assist in 24 league games, making him tied at the 4th spot in the scoring charts with Vitinho. Surprisingly enough, Markov has only played 90 minutes in four games.
Due to his recent performances, Fedor Chalov has been tipped to a part of the World Cup squad too. He went months without scoring but has been on fire as of late, scoring the first hat-trick for any CSKA player in over 16 years against Tula. Six goals in the same amount of games with three assists do look good too. The only problem is Cherchesov’s reluctance to use young players, and Fedor’s uncapped status.
Versatility over Expertise?
These days a versatile player is considered to be a bigger asset than an expert in one position. The Jack of all trades more valuable than the master of one. If this transcends to the Sbornaya and Cherchesov, one of Aleksei Miranchuk or Denis Cheryshev could be acting as strikers. The former Real Madrid man has played as a secondary striker this season and is considered to be a fair option up front too. Even though he won’t be the lead frontman for Russia, Denis’ class on the wing added to some proficiency up front could make him a better choice than an average striker.
A similar argument can be made for Al. Miranchuk. The 22-year-old is fairly established as a striker and is one of the best in attacking midfield in the whole of Russia. The only issue with Aleksey being a striker at the World Cup is that his playmaking abilities would be required more than his goalscoring ones. Him playing as an SS has a higher probability than as an outright forward. Still, something could definitely be figured out.
That brings us to the summary of the dilemma being faced by Cherchesov. Speaking from my point of view, I want Smolov, Dzyuba and Cheryshev as the three frontmen. What about you? Let us know your choices in the comments section.
UPDATE: Smolov, Aleksey Miranchuk, Dzyuba, Chalov were the attackers in the 28 men preliminary squad. Cheryshev is listed as a midfielder whereas Poloz and Zabolotny are in the non-playing reserves.
Author: Hanu Trivedi
I went to Russia once and got mesmerised. Support CSKA and Real Madrid. Quite optimistic, I don’t know if that’s good or bad when talking about Russian Football.
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