The starting segment of the season in the RPL was marked by a series of coaching resignations. There was nothing surprising in most of the personnel reshuffles: outsider clubs, who ended up in the relegation zone following the results of the first rounds, got rid of their helmsmen. Mentors “Torpedo”, “Fakel”, “Ural” and even more so “Khimki” were initially in a vulnerable position, and few believed that they would be able to stay in office at least until the winter break.

The dismissal of Andrei Talalaev fell out of the general range. The specialist achieved solid results for Akhmat following the results of two years of work and could give the team more, but Grozny suddenly decided to part with him.

The coach was thrown out of the club right in the middle of the match. How did Talalaev deserve such an attitude?

Tough conversation with superiors

The resignation of Andrei Talalaev became known the day after the meeting between Akhmat and Pari NN, although the home defeat of the Grozny team was neither unexpected nor shameful. At Akhmat-Arena, in the 9th round of the RPL, rivals of approximately the same level met, and the Chechens were at least as good as their opponents in terms of the quality of the game.

“Akhmat” acted in a corporate aggressive style and created many chances, exerting almost continuous pressure on Nizhny Novgorod during the first hour of the meeting, but the ball did not go into the goal. What is only the canceled goal of Hamid Agalarov, who, when taking a penalty, made a rare mistake by making a double touch! The players from Grozny were unlucky that day: according to the expected goals, the team lost to a draw (1.39 against 1.38 according to Understat), but in reality lost two goals (1:3).

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However, the final score hardly reflected the balance of power in the fight, and even more so did not indicate the crisis of the team under the leadership of Talalaev. According to the results of the first nine rounds, his Akhmat took 9th place in the standings, clearly corresponding to the nominal level of the Chechens: at the cost of a squad of 26 million euros, they just keep in the RPL on the 10th line.

However, the Grozny bosses, apparently, were not particularly interested in these figures by that time. The unsuccessful series of Akhmat in the last rounds (3 defeats in 4 matches) and the recent scandal around Agalarov seemed to cross out all Talalaev’s past successes in the eyes of the local authorities: they stopped seeing the prospect in him and kicked him out of the club.

Moreover, as it turned out later, they said goodbye to the specialist in Akhmat emphatically disrespectfully. According to the Championship, during the break in the game with Pari, one of the club’s leaders had a tough conversation with the coach, as a result of which Talalaev left the team. Things were so bad that the specialist had to leave the stadium, and in the second half he was no longer in charge of the team’s game.

Talalaev underestimated?

The reasons for the dismissal of Talalaev still remain a mystery, but whatever they may be, it is already clear that the ex-coach of Akhmat definitely did not deserve such an attitude towards himself. Andrei Viktorovich is known for his explosive, impulsive nature, which was largely transmitted to his team. However, for two years in Grozny, they probably got used to his outbursts – the club knew from the very beginning who they were dealing with and were ready to take risks.

And this risk, it must be said, was largely justified. At the end of the first season, Talalaev overfulfilled the tasks assigned to him at Akhmat. The coach not only retained the club’s residence in the elite, but also got with him to the semifinals of the Russian Cup, where he lost to Wings of the Soviets only in a penalty shootout. At the same time, Andrei Viktorovich hosted the club in a very deplorable state: according to the results of the 2019/20 campaign, the Chechens took 13th place and avoided play-offs only thanks to the decision of the football authorities.

With a modest boost the following summer in the form of Utkin and Konate, Talalaev changed the face of the team in the eyes of the fans. From a dull outsider, Akhmat turned into a daring, fighting team with a recognizable style, which imposed a fight even on rivals that surpassed it in the class. Under the auspices of Talalaev, in the 21/22 season, the Chechens beat Lokomotiv (2:1), CSKA (2:0) and even Dynamo Sandro Schwartz (2:1), finishing the campaign already in 7th place. This result was the best for the club in the last 5 years!

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Of course, one should not overestimate the success of Talalaev, but the fact remains: under him, the team played even slightly above their objective capabilities. Considering that Akhmat did not receive a qualitative increase in the last transfer window, it would be strange to expect a sharp progress from the team. And it is unlikely that in today’s situation the new coach will be able to surpass the results of the previous one, and even in a short time and without a pre-season. The decision of the Grozny residents was clearly made on emotions – and the fans will probably regret it soon.