Controversial tactic from the Serbian coach.
All Deyan’s old knowledge won’t strengthen Spartak
Barco and Ugalde were not known to the coach. And Stankovic experienced many pleasant moments thanks to his play in the Spartak attack. But Marquinhos, an old acquaintance, only fled towards the end of the year. And the former player from Ferencvaros, where Stankovic previously worked, was not number one on the list of scouts and sports director. The Brazilian is now thinking about his future. Marquinhos was signed because winger Akturkoglu chose Benfica after not receiving the club’s highest salary RPL.
The Turk started playing in Portugal, but wingers Marquinhos and Bongonda did not always please Stankovic with winning shots. Abena also made a mistake in the center of defense. The Surinamese giant is familiar to Dejan from his work in Hungary. But it is unlikely that an experienced defender will be in the starting lineup, because there are Duarte and Babich. Moreover, Litvinov and Chernov are behind the scenes. Spartak, after inviting a new sports director, the experienced Spaniard Cahigao, must return to the market. There will be players who leave the team.
Then come the negotiations with the new arrivals. Stankovic outlined his goals. The Serbian needs players occupying the positions that Dejan himself occupied. He could help Inter’s attack; the expensive newcomer Barco appeared for these purposes. Ezequiel took over and took the lead in the middle of the field with a roll to the left. But Stankovic also knew how to recover the ball. He distinguished himself by intelligent passes from deep. This is where the problem lies, since both Umyarov and Prutsev play with short passes. They did not always control the Spartak game competently, which is why they lost points.
Moreover, neither the young midfielders nor the more experienced Martins and Zobnin guarantee Maksimenko’s immunity during counterattacks. Spartak midfielders lack the tackling skills needed for a championship fight. The search for a supporter has been going on for many years. Hoping to find the right central midfielder, Stankovic turned to old acquaintances. The Serb is represented by agent Bratislav Ristic. He has few customers. Just two Ilic brothers, plus another low-level midfielder. Did the agent decide to make money?
Talented Ilic has fitness issues
Ivan Ilic has been thinking about leaving Turin for a long time. Last summer, Zenit counted on this player. The young midfielder was supposed to join Semak’s side for an insane €25 million. He was offered a salary of 5 million euros per year. It’s clear they were worried about Wendel and Claudinho’s attitude towards work. The Serb could take his place alongside Barrios in midfield. But the agreement did not come to fruition; the St. Petersburg team did not appreciate Turin’s position. Ilic himself is not the most modest either.
Ivan is twenty-three years old. He worked in the Serbian youth team under the leadership of Nenad Sakic, who now helps Stankovic at Spartak. In a word, Serbian affairs. Dejan’s agent and entourage convince the Turin player. But there is a problem. If in the past Ilic was presented as a talent ready to break through, then after six months in Serie A we can talk about the player’s decline. The Turin club does not hesitate to get rid of the young footballer, who does not always appear in the starting lineup.
The youngest of the Ilich brothers was injured. He injured his knee, but missed only four games. I also struggled with my muscles. Now Ivan is also in the infirmary. The health problems are unlikely to be serious, but this is another reason why Turin are sending the player to Spartak. What will the transaction cost? The market values the young midfielder at 18 million euros. We dare to suggest that for such a large sum you can look for a nice midfielder in South America. But if Stankovic needs a Serb, no one will stop him.
The instability in Turin, where Paolo Vanoli, well-known for the red and whites, is working after Juric, has also influenced Ilic’s condition. Ivan cannot count on the perfect work of the former leader CSKA – Croatian Vlasic and other partners. And playing with five defenders does not help goalkeeper Milinkovic-Savic. Turin is four points from the relegation zone. We are not always as happy with a draw as after the world derby against Juventus. Midfielder Ilic is still far from being in ideal form, as is his team.
Spartak relies on the taste of rival scouts
Defender Babich was on his way to Dynamo Moscow. The Serb refused his neighbor from Spartak, where he considers Roberto Fernandez a stronger central defender. But in Stankovic’s team, the strong Babich has become a key link. And Barco himself said that he could join Zenit. The Argentine did not see any zeal from the representatives of the champions during the negotiations. He was afraid to repeat the fate of Arthur and other newcomers thrown overboard by Semak in St. Petersburg. And Spartak was counting on Barko as the team leader.
Now they can sign Ilic, a former target of Zenit. The only thing I do not like is that injuries have affected the footballer. However, Ivan is young enough to recover quickly and get back in shape under the guidance of a coach who speaks his native language. You can see Stankovic’s desire to surround himself with guys he can trust. But they do not always hit football players in the right shape. If Turin asks Spartak for more than 20 million euros, then Ilic’s transfer can be safely included in the list of meaningless transfers.
The deal involves significant costs and reduces the ability to strengthen other positions. The Red and White also considered Argentines interesting, but it is possible that a series of refusals followed. Ilic, who is tired of hanging around mid-table in Serie A, doesn’t want to be part of Spartak’s title race for the leaders RPL? If Stankovic promises him that if successful, he won’t stop him from returning to the western leagues, then Ivan might agree. But he is a daring footballer with character.
Ilic is a tall, strong southpaw with a good long-range shot. Likes to move from the “six” position to the “eight” position. Then he prefers the areas where Barco is currently located. Spartak hasn’t had a central midfielder of this level for a long time. Ivan makes a superb pass with precision, like Zenit’s Wendel. Torino are underperforming in defense, but RPL the opponents are of a lower class, Ilic will have more successful tackles and interceptions. Price and form exclude a transition to the big top 5, you can persuade him to join Spartak.
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