Valery Karpin called up the strongest squad for the matches with Iran and Iraq, but not everyone will make it to the training camp.
For the first time in 2023, the players of the Russian national team will get together and play two friendly matches against far from the weakest opponents. The coaching staff logically decided to call all the best forces to the team, but the circumstances were such that a number of leaders were injured right before they arrived in Moscow.
Did it just happen?
Russian football is going through, to put it mildly, not the easiest times. Under the conditions of the suspension of our sport, the normal functioning of the national football team was under threat. Despite all the difficulties, the RFU managed to agree on holding several matches last year. And in this we will play even with a participant of the last World Cup in Qatar – the Iranian team in Tehran. And the meeting with Iraq in St. Petersburg will also be interesting.
Therefore, it is logical that the team’s head coach Valery Karpin wanted to test the best players, including those who play abroad. For this reason, Alexey Miranchuk from Torino and Alexander Golovin from Monaco were called up. The press service of these clubs promptly stated that they would let their players go to Russia without any problems and would not put up any obstacles.
However, several days passed, and reports of minor injuries began to pour in. First, Miranchuk was injured in Torino, who will miss the club’s next match. And right before Golovin had to go to Moscow for training, Monaco reported about his injury. And there, too, it was about skipping the upcoming match this weekend against Ajaccio. I wouldn’t like to build conspiracy theories, but the combination of circumstances is really strange. Both football players playing abroad were injured right before their arrival in the national team, and their return is scheduled for the time when these fees are over.
Photo: © Andrey Anosov / Match TV
The team must be ready to return
Whatever the reasons, Karpin lost two team leaders. Both Miranchuk and Golovin are doing great this season. They score, provide assists and have undeniable places in the starting lineup.
Unfortunately, the troubles of the Russian team did not end there. The captain of Spartak Georgiy Jikia was injured in the game with Orenburg. The press service of the “red-whites” reported that the player injured his thigh muscles and will miss three weeks. There can definitely be no questions for Jikia, his injury was received on the field and led to a replacement. But the Russian team is not easier from this. Three strong players will not be able to play in the upcoming friendly matches.
By the way, the Iranian national team will also miss one of its leaders. Former Zenit player Serdar Azmun will not join the national team for personal reasons.
Despite all this, the upcoming matches of the Russian national team are important and necessary. Some sports federations have already begun to lift sanctions from our country and allow athletes to participate in international competitions. At some point, this will also affect football, so Karpin and his coaching staff need to prepare for the return now.
