Translated material
Masters of provocation
Ilya Kukin, Mikhail Stroganov
The Russian national team has something to think aboutArchive "Sports"
The Russian national team has something to think about
EURO 2000. Fourth day.
Spain - Norway - 0:1, Yugoslavia - Slovenia - 3:3.
Yugoslavia forward Milosevic had just equalized the match. (Photo: AP )
Ilya Kukin: The calendar of the European Championship, of course, was not drawn up by visionaries, but the organizers unexpectedly guessed the correct sequence of the first matches of the teams in Group C. After the exciting battle staged by their neighbors in the Balkans, it would have been unbearable to watch the drudgery performed by the Spaniards and Norwegians. And so the tension kept growing.
Mikhail Stroganov: Therefore, let's start from the end. The match between teams from the former Yugoslavia had a special connotation; it was watched with interest not only in these countries, but also in Russia. Already in the fall, both of these teams will become our rivals in the qualifying games for the 2002 World Cup. It must be said that what we saw did not just make us happy, but even alarmed us. It is clear that this is the opening game of the European Championship, it is clear that the rivals have a special relationship, but the Russian national team has not demonstrated such a level of sporting anger for a long time. But for Slovenians and Yugoslavs, this seems to be the norm.
I.K. Yes, for two thirds of the match it was unclear what it was: football or war. Although it was the Yugoslavs who fought first, clearly annoyed that the opponent did not want to recognize their obvious superiority. And the Slovenes were just trying to play football, in which they succeeded.
M.S. The Slovenians made a strong impression, first of all, with their good training. Several combination options have been worked out clearly. Their superiority in heading play was clearly visible. And the ideal mood to crush this team and throw hats at it turned out to be impossible. The Yugoslavs did not expect this. And they “sailed off”, preferring a showdown over football itself.
I.K. I wonder if the removal, literally provoked by Mikhailovich himself, had not happened, would the Yugoslavs have come to their senses or not? Would you pull yourself together?
M.S. Perhaps the highly experienced coach Vuyadin Boshkov would gradually bring the players back to their senses on their own. But the removal of Mikhailovich turned the “wild division” into a team instantly. The miraculous transformation happened so quickly that the Slovenes only woke up when the score was 3:3. We must give them their due, they remained in prostration for only a few minutes. But the victory floated away.
I.K. So, what conclusions could the Russian national team coach Mikhail Gershkovich, sitting on the podium in Charleroi, draw? After all, ours usually have great difficulty in acting against such “biting”, unyielding opponents who can create on their own, or can set one goal - to break the opponent’s game.
M.S. In matches with such opponents, before thinking about the tactical and technical components, you need to tune in accordingly. Give yourself a promise not to respond to rudeness and provocations. Try with all your might to save face without betraying the principles of the game. A direct analogy with the long-term confrontation between our and Yugoslav basketball players is appropriate here - success was achieved only by outplaying, and not pushing, the opponent.
I.K. Let's move on from the celebration to the torment of the Spanish and Norwegian teams. The Northerners, let’s just say, did not disappoint anyone’s expectations; their coach constantly talked about the priority of strong defense and tactics of playing on counterattacks. But the Spaniards! They were considered almost one of the top three favorites.
M.S. Indeed, the super-slow, almost without the use of flanks, dull football of the Spaniards amazed them almost more than their defeat itself. It’s hard to believe that the Spaniards didn’t know what kind of dense defense the Norwegians, who played brilliantly with their heads, would oppose them with, and that the tactics of crosses would lead to nothing. But there was a feeling that they were counting only on the individual skill of the forwards, especially Raul.
I.K. It looks like the dog is buried in the wrong training setup. For example, Mendieta, who was in excellent shape, appeared on the field only at the end of the match. But this is in particular, the main thing, the overall strategy was not visible, the team played disunitedly.
M.S. This start, I am sure, turned the Spaniards from favorites into potential losers. Now they need to win at all costs against teams with strong character - the Yugoslavs and Slovenes.
June 14, 2000