The Russian team is still returning to the world stage. Wards Valery Karpin will play against foreigners for the first time since November last year. The sports authorities have already found two rivals for our team, among them a triumphant international tournament and one of the participants in the 2022 World Cup.

True, not all of our stars will help Russia to reassert itself after a long pause. But a lot of talented debutants will have a chance to show themselves.

“Good news”

On September 24, the Russian national football team will play its first international match in 2022. Our opponent will be the team of Kyrgyzstan, whose track record has several local successes in secondary tournaments, including victory in the 2017 Tsunami World Solidarity Cup.

The September match will be held in Bishkek at the Dolon Omurzakov Stadium. After a visit to Central Asia, the team will meet with a more powerful competitor. In November, our players, by prior arrangement, will play with the Iranian team, which is preparing to participate in the World Cup in Qatar.

Photo: © REUTERS / WANA NEWS AGENCY

Two friendly games is good news. This issue has been worked out for a long time, but it was not so easy to solve it against the backdrop of the sanctions imposed by UEFA. Still, the RFU did a good job and found opponents who agreed to play with us. I am very glad that this happened, I want these games to take place, ”RIA quotes the words of the ex-president of the RFU Vyacheslav Koloskov.

There is no point in arguing here – in the current conditions, getting our team the opportunity to play against foreign rivals should be taken as a success. Probably, most fans would like to see our players in the confrontation with the French or the British, and not with Asian teams of a dubious level, but the choice for the Russians is now very limited.

Yes, and the same Iran should not be underestimated – the 22nd place in the FIFA rankings and the fact of getting into the World Cup hint that the Princes of Persia are hardly a head weaker than our team. In the November match, you can see how Karpin’s team looks against the backdrop of a serious opponent. As for the September meeting, there are pluses here too. In ideal scenarios, the Russian team will allow the fans to remember the joy of victory again. And in general – to remind the general public about the existence of our team.

Without Dziuba and Golovin

The coaching staff of the Russian national team did not hesitate with the choice of the composition and has already decided on an extended application. Valery Karpin and his assistants focused on 35 people. The absence of a number of leaders who play in foreign championships hurts the eye.

In some cases, no explanation is required for what happened – the injured Alexei Miranchuk and Denis Cheryshev, who was out of practice for a long time, were not worth waiting for in the team. It was doubtful the appearance of Alexander Kokorin, who had just moved to a new club.

But where is Alexander Golovin? Where are the newly-minted “Turks” Magomed Ozdoev and Artyom Dziuba? After all, just the other day, Karpin’s assistant Viktor Onopko allowed the appearance of the Adana Demirspor forward in the national team! The head coach recently explained his controversial choice:

This is due to logistics, which does not allow you to get there quickly. I talked with Golovin, he has a lot of matches in the championship and European cups. Flight to Bishkek and return is three days on the road. We know our legionnaires. We know Golovin’s capabilities. I don’t think that there was a great need for his invitation, ”Karpin is quoted by Match TV.

Photo: © BSR Agency / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

But if the same motives apply to subsequent training camps, then we risk not seeing Artyom in the colors of the national team anymore. And without that, not the youngest football player will stay in Turkey at least until the summer, and there the option to extend the contract may also be activated.

Getting to know the main team

The absence of legionnaires in the application does not allow us to say that the national team will play with a semi-reserve squad. The presence of such players as Matvey Safonov, Georgy Jikia, Dmitry Barinov, Daler Kuzyaev, Roman Zobnin and Arsen Zakharyan hints that Karpin intends to call the strongest of those who play in the Russian championship even for friendly matches.

At the same time, the coaching staff, it seems, is not at all opposed to experimenting, given the challenge of an impressive group of players who have not previously had practice in the first team. It’s not just about young people – 26-year-old Akhmat defender Yuri Zhuravlev or Sochi midfielder Artyom Makarchuk no longer belong to this category. The 35-year-old guard of the Zenith gate, Mikhail Kerzhakov, can be considered a veteran at all.

There are plenty of young players, too. Alexander Silyanov, Daniil Khlusevich, Artyom Karpukas, Alexander Kovalenko, Nikita Krivtsov are all new faces for the national team. It is not certain that the game against Kyrgyzstan will feature only debutants, but it is likely that someone from the group of newcomers will be able to gain international experience. And for the rest, acquaintance with the training process of the main team of the country will not be superfluous.