Only two out of eight matches in the 19th round took place on legally acceptable fields – in Krasnodar and St. Petersburg, but the teams scored 28 goals in total. This, of course, is not a record (36), but more productive rounds in the history of the Russian championship fell on other climatic dates, when the air warmed up more strongly, and the lawns were not covered with a blizzard. The goalkeeper was recognized as the best player in only one match of the tour, but this is a special case: Ilya Lantratov helped Lokomotiv win in Grozny with nine men.

It’s just that in the Russian championship there are no more teams that play from defense. The phrase “the most beautiful thing in football is the scoreboard” has not been heard anywhere for so long that the current generation of fans, perhaps, will need explanations for it. When the round already starts with a score of 0:4, and the team of the classic and patriarch of pragmatic football, Kurban Berdyev, concedes so many goals, this already says a lot.

When Berdyev was already (and still) not working in Russia, Ufa was the symbol of rational football. Its general director Shamil Gazizov said that the team would be glad to show more attacking football, but was afraid to fly out. In the end, as you know, still took off. Although in the last season in the Premier League I tried to play differently. The way everyone plays here now.

Photo: © FC Ufa

No pressure from European competitions, but higher income

What changed? In the past, defensive football in the form of “bus parking” was the norm for teams whose ambitions do not rise above 8-10 places in the table. Their dubious comfort zone was cramped, because not only the relegation zone, but also the zone of transitional matches was running out from below. But still, this space between European competitions and the lower turbulent layers of the table existed. And if you know how to draw with the strong and periodically cling to minimal victories with approximately your equals in class, you can stay – for the second year.

Now, when there are no European cups, the pressure on the middle peasants from above has become objectively weaker. Those who used to strive to take the first 4-5 positions by all means, no longer have that motivation, because these places do not mean anything in the sporting sense. They mean in monetary terms – in the distribution of income after the season. But the league’s overall revenue has risen substantially since the signing of the new television contract, and even those at the bottom now feel its share of their budgets.

This affects their purchasing power. Conditional “Orenburg” is now able to invite players comparable in class to the newcomers of the conditional “Spartak”. And the clubs are now doomed to fight for the fan. Even though they did not aggravate it, but they objectively turned out to be at its forefront. And attractive aggressive football in this business is a mandatory program.

Photo: © RIA Novosti / Alexey Filippov

Now the one who is better pushing rivals to take off is saved from relegation

Attacking style is also a global trend, and there are no boundaries in sports that prevent such influence. In the relegation zone of the Russian championship now there is not a single coach-dancer from the stove. “Torpedo”, although it abandoned Dzyuba, the whole year is looking primarily for a scoring striker. Khimki invent the most non-standard standards in the league with round dances, and Fakel are, as it was said, insolent people from Voronezh.

All 16 teams now feel they can beat each other. And this is happening – if not in the championship, but in the Cup, from where Zenit flies into the lower bracket. And in the championship, Zenit loses a 2-0 home advantage with Khimki, although earlier this would have been the end of the intrigue, and now the losing receptor for doom is blocked, and they climb to recoup.

Photo: © RIA Novosti / Alexey Danichev

By the way, the increase in matches between clubs in the Premier League with the new cup scheme also helps to level the view: in series, which is well known from hockey, for example, fights often ensue, and it is not easy to win three matches in a row against the same opponent. Now such series appear in our football: Wings have already played three times in a row with Dynamo, now Rostov with Nizhny and Spartak with Ural cannot be separated.

Our league now schematically looks like this: “1 + 15”. The leader is also bitten, but he is still aloof. And everyone else is sure that they are able to take points from each other. And if earlier it was more important not to lose by ourselves, now it is necessary to beat others.