Dynamo is at a crossroads.
Last year, Zenit was on the verge of missing the championship title – in the final round, Dynamo was at the top of the standings. At the end of the championship, St. Petersburg won the trophy, but the tournament had new prospects. At the very least, the “blue and whites” could climb even higher: the team had a top coach and the roster was tailored to the most ambitious goals. Some details needed to be added. But at the end of the winter holidays, the Muscovites are not even in the top three. The club is once again in search of itself.
Withdrawal is not the coach’s fault
Judging by the comments of the chairman of the board of directors of Dynamo Dmitry Gafin, the club is not entirely satisfied with the type of football that the “blue and whites” are playing under Marcel Lička. Here is what the official noted after the victory over Khimki (4:3) in the 13th round:
We continue our series of fun and media football. It is attractive for fans and impressive for the team management in terms of the number of goals conceded. It’s important that we won, we need to improve our defensive game and move on to the next game. Ideally, you want to avoid conceding goals rather than scoring as many goals as possible.
And we can say that Lichka has not grown as a coach since his appointment to Dynamo – he still plays football with a bias towards attack and does not solve problems in defense. You just have to see the situation differently. Marcel is a confirmed specialist with his own vision. We saw what happens when all the pieces of his puzzle come together last spring. Then there was not enough experience and quality of rotation.
And instead of strengthening qualitatively this summer and strengthening its position in the race, Dynamo limited itself to closing the goalkeeper position (also important – but this is not enough). Lička’s attacking football requires top defenders who can hide their weaknesses. We saw what would happen if such people did not appear in the first part of the season. And it’s rather a question of selection (especially since initially they were only going to carry out targeted reinforcement) – the club knew the coach’s profile from the start, but still took it accepted.
Tensions with the leader
Throughout December, rumors swirled that Bitello might change teams. It was noted that the Brazilian would like to receive more – so that his contract was close to that of the Brazilians at Zenit. However, it is the leader of Dynamo, on which the offensive play is tied. There were insiders that Botafogo was showing interest in the midfielder, with the club already asking if a transfer was possible.
On New Year’s Eve, Bitello’s agent, Maikel Portela, said:
Bitello’s departure from Dynamo is possible. When we went to Russia, we didn’t think the SVO would be delayed. We thought we could play for Dynamo in other tournaments.
According to the latest data, the Brazilian club offered first 10 and then 13 million euros for the midfielder, but Dynamo refused each time. Botafogo has reportedly already joined Claudinho and is trying to reach an agreement with Zenit.
It’s good that we managed to keep the leader, it’s good that we signed him a long-term contract on the most favorable terms. But now there is a big risk that the withered Bitello will no longer have the same effect on the pitch – and that he will then turn against Dynamo.
Silence on the transfer market
The problem is that we have no news from the Bleu et Blanc during the winter transfer window. Zenit and Krasnodar are trying to organize top-notch transfers in order to continue the race for the championship (they want to attract the best foreign players – Krasnodar even got into a fight with Spartak). “Dynamo” is four points behind them – and logically, he should be more active. In reality, there is almost no inside information.
Blue and White are looking for players with Russian passports – Daniil Khlusevich for one of the defensive flanks, Danil Glebov for the support zone, Ilya Rozhkov for the future. Whether anyone will come through at the end is a big question. Karpin needs the same Glebov in Rostov; it will most likely be sold directly to the European Championship. Khlusevich and Rozhkov, in turn, are unlikely to solve the problem of defense reliability.
In case of failure – another restructuring
According to the current situation, Dynamo will find it difficult to even fight for the top five. In the title race, Krasnodar and Zenit are actively looking for reinforcements among foreign players. In the pursuit zone is the “dark horse” “Spartak”. The team made some significant purchases over the summer, but not all of the newcomers made the starting lineup. At the same time, they made a qualitative leap closer to the break and entered the top 3. Although there is no certainty that the “red-whites” will maintain their current form. In a word, an unpredictable club, which in terms of overall potential is even stronger than the “blue and white”.
U CSKA Lokomotiv also has reserves for a breakthrough. The former must move into a diamond formation in the center of the field – Nikolic will then show the first fruits of his labor. The latter were spectacular for most of the first part of the season, but then fell apart. This can be attributed to inexperience, the main thing is to properly prepare for spring. They won’t let Dynamo relax either.
It is now difficult to imagine that Dynamo will fight for the medals. At the same time, a place below third place will certainly be considered a failure. And given the strained relations with the coach, there is a possibility of his resignation. The team has already been partially adapted to Lichka’s philosophy, so if the coach changes, a new restructuring will have to be started. And this for a few more years.
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