Who’ll Replace Leonid Slutsky?

The optimism and belief in Sbornaya that Leonid Slutsky’s reinstatement created last year completely disappeared as Russia lost 3-0 to Wales in Toulouse Monday. The defeat meant that Russia, once again, fell short of expectations and were eliminated after the group stage.

“I believe I failed to fulfil my duties,” head coach Slutsky said after the game, “I believe that someone else should be training us for the more important tournament.”

Slutsky, who is also in charge of CSKA Moscow, is yet to officially resign as Russian national team manager, but at this point, it looks like it is only a matter of time.

Just like when Fabio Capello left the job, there are no obvious replacements for Slutsky, should he decide to leave.

When that is said, the Russian media has already begun to speculate, and a couple of experienced men have taken the lead in the race to be in charge of Sbornaya, when the World Cup kicks off in Moscow in two years.

Stanislav Cherchesov:

Former Spartak and Dinamo boss Stanislav Cherchesov recently left Polish powerhouse Legia Warsaw after leading them to yet another national championship. 52-year-old Cherchesov has coached since 2004, and is an established name in the RFPL, where he has been in charge of Spartak, Terek, Amkar and lastly Dinamo.

Being a former Spartak player, Cherchesov is an offensive minded coach, who wants to control possession and pressure opponents aggressively when not on the ball. When that is said, his best time as a head coach came when he was in charge of minors Terek Grozny and Amkar Perm, where he managed to create strong defensive teams who were difficult to beat.

Cherchesov has twice been in charge of major teams, Spartak and Dinamo, with neither stints successful, and he is yet to deliver the results that can elevate him to the top of Russian football.

Yuri Semin:

A man who is a part of the top Russian coaches is Yuri Semin. The former Lokomotiv, Dinamo Kyiv and Dinamo Moscow boss turned 69 in May, and although he is still linked with a long range of clubs, most recently Rubin Kazan, he has the age where many coaches start stepping down and he is a likely candidate to replace Slutsky.

Semin is best known for his time with Lokomotiv, who he has been in charge of three times, where he won two league titles and four Russian cup titles. He has however also led Dinamo Kyiv to the Ukrainian championship, while also leading Sbornaya for a few months in 2005 after failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.

Semin, who left Anzhi after just ten games of last season, has already admitted that he is ready to lead Sbornaya to the World Cup.

Kurban Berdyev:

Kurban Berdyev is on top of the world after leading FC Rostov to a sensational second-place finish last season. He is a pragmatic coach, which the 5-3-2 he has used at Rostov proves, and one of his biggest strengths is his ability to make the most of his opportunities.

Berdyev is best known for being the man behind Rubin Kazan’s success in the late 2000s, being in charge of the club between 2001 and 2013. Rubin secured back-to-back championships in 2008 and 2009, while also winning the Russian cup in 2012.

Unlike Semin and Cherchesov, Berdyev is under contract, and he recently promised the governor of the Rostov Oblast, Vasily Golubev, that he would stay with the club.

Manuel Pellegrini:

Russia’s best achievement came under a foreign coach as Dutchman Guus Hiddink guided Sbornaya to the semifinal of Euro 2008, and although everything points at a Russian coach leading Sbornaya in 2018, reports have emerged about the former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini being in the race.

Pellegrini has been offered what is described as a ‘millionaire’ two-year contract by the Russian Football Union according to AS.com. Pellegrini is said to be ‘very tempted’ by the offer, but is yet to make a decision if we are to believe the reports.

However, even if the RFU wanted a foreign coach, the financial situation of the union makes it highly questionable that they can afford a man of Pellegrini’s calibre. It would require financial backing from various oligarchs, or subsidies from the government, as we saw when Roman Abramovich, amongst others, paid for Fabio Capello.

Whoever is hired to replace Slutsky will have a hard time turning the boat around with only friendly matches, and the Confederations Cup next summer, to do so.

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