Biography
Name: Georgiy Tigiev
DOB/Age: 26/05/1995 – 21 years old
Club: Anzhi Makhachkala
Position: Left Back
Nationality: Russia
Career to Date
Having come through the ranks at Kuban Krasnodar, Tigiev made his senior breakthrough at Torpedo Moscow in 2015 as a 19 year old. At the tail end of the season, as Torpedo were fighting for their Premier League survival, Tigiev started the last five games, making his debut in a 2-2 draw vs Rubin Kazan, and his impressive performances earned him a shock call up to the Russian National Team, then coached by Fabio Capello. He did not make an appearance for Sbornaya, but it put him on the map in Russian football, people took notice. As Torpedo were relegated, the wolves gathered, and he eventually transferred to Anzhi Makhachkala in the summer of 2015.
Tigiev quickly established himself as number one choice at left back for Anzhi, and started regularly throughout the 15/16 campaign until he picked up a groin injury over the winter break, causing him to miss the restart of the RFPL in spring. This injury allowed Anzhi’s academy graduate Magomed Musalov a chance in the first team, and he took it with open arms, keeping Tigiev out of the team for a while. However Tigiev’s versatility, and the fact that he is a right footed left back – a rare trait in modern football – allowed him to break back into the team on the right side of midfield for a while, before eventually moving back to the left side, where he and Musalov chopped and changed between left back and left midfield throughout the remaining games of the season.
Over the last summer, Tigiev had a good pre-season form as Anzhi came up against opponents from around Europe, and he scored a last minute free kick as they beat English side Charlton 1-0. Towards the end of the window, there were rumours that Zenit were interested in signing Tigiev as a long term Russian left back to fit in their squad, with a €2m fee touted in the press, but as the season started and the window shut, he remained with Anzhi.
He has been a mainstay int he Anzhi squad this year, starting the first couple of games at left back, before once again, relinquishing the positing to Musalov, and moving across to the right of midfield. His year got even better when he was recently nominated for the Russian Young Player of the Year award, making the five man shortlist alongside Aleksandr Golovin, Igor Bezdenezhnykh, Rifat Zhemaletdinov and Dmitriy Efremov.
Strengths
Tigiev is a highly versatile player, which makes him a very valuable commodity in a competitive squad, not to mention his Russian passport, which in the current climate, more than doubles his transfer value compared to a similar foreign player. Strong with both feet, but primarily right footed, Tigiev is an attacking wing back, aiming to get forward often to support his team-mates, something which his speed and close control are big contributors to. Thanks to this, he can comfortably play higher up the pitch, and a signature of his game is his penchant for flicks and his tendency to show some flair. He has also emerged as a set piece taker recently, putting himself on some free kicks for the first team, scoring against Charlton in pre-season as previously mentioned, while earlier in his career, he scored numerous long shots at reserve level. He is very tenacious and despite his lack of height, he is well built and packs a punch in any challenge, able to shrug off attention from any lingering strikers.
Weaknesses
While Tigiev thrives in the attacking area of the pitch, it does mean that his defensive responsibilities can occasionally be forgotten. His fondness for skills and flicks can often lead to him trying them in dangerous areas of the pitch, which obviously can lead to loss of possession and counter attacks, but it is an aspect of his game which can easily be moulded. The fact that he is a right footed left back can lead to some sticky situations, despite how comfortable he may seem on his left in other scenarios. The occasional heavy touch as well as being wrong-sided in numerous occasions just due to the nature of football and how teams attack down the wings can count against him at times and despite being a good tackler, the angle which he tackles from, leading with his stronger right foot, may leave him exposed at times.
What’s Next?
A 21 year old Russian playing regular football at a level like Tigiev will not go unnoticed for long, and rumours have already linked him to the giants of the Russian Premier League, so a transfer in the next couple of years would not be unlikely, especially with the shortage of talented Russian left-backs. His main rival in that aspect is Elmir Nabiullin, a player who more likely than not, will take the plunge and move out of Russia, thanks to his eye-catching displays for Rubin Kazan. Nabiullin will also be a long term rival for a place in the Russian national team, and although Tigiev has not received a call up since the days of Capello, the ageing competition for his position would seem to suggest that it won’t take long for that to happen again - even more so should a transfer materialise - although Nabiullin would most likely still be ahead of him in the pecking order currently.
Author: David Sansun
Arsenal and Rubin Kazan fan. Possibly too optimistic for Russian football which means I’m left disappointed a lot.
Leave a Reply