Moscow “Lokomotiv” shows the worst start in the championship of Russia for many years. On the eve of the Day of the railwayman, the capital team lost to Krasnodar with a devastating score, setting a club anti-record along the way. Fans from such a start are shocked, even the players of other teams do not understand what is happening with one of the flagships of Russian football.

Will Lokomotiv get out of the impasse?

“Not everything is bleak”

After four rounds, Lokomotiv Moscow scored two points and is located in the play-off zone. The team of its fans is not happy with the performance, but the situation with the defense is even worse. 11 goals conceded – the same number were conceded by debutants Fakel and Torpedo, no one else.

If in terms of points scored in the first four rounds it happened even worse, the 2006 season with one point comes to mind, then in terms of goals conceded, Loko updated the historical anti-record. Of course, after such an indistinct start, the fans would certainly like to see some action on the part of the management, or at least hear an explanation.

– This is a disastrous start to the season for Lokomotiv, the results are bad. We are all disappointed and we understand that in the first four matches we did not live up to the expectations of the fans, and our own too. Our team is still on the path of development and, due to recent setbacks, is going through a difficult time. Nevertheless, I can’t say that everything is hopeless with us, ”Thomas Zorn, Loko sports director, tried to reassure the fans in an interview with the club press service.

Thomas Zorn / Photo: © Stupnikov Alexander / spartak.com / Global Look Press

Zorn does not announce any radical steps – the club does not consider the resignation of head coach Josef Zinnbauer, noting that “the team is taking steps forward.” As for transfers, according to the sports director, work is underway, but negotiations in the current conditions take longer. In fact, the club has already made a number of acquisitions, but how much they will help to achieve the goals is a matter of discussion.

“Only loud statements”

– Our project is such that now we need to rebuild the team, style, and now we have started it. It is not done in one day. For this season, we are betting on the result, but so far we are far from it, – Zorn is quoted by RB Sport.

As for the result mentioned by the manager, here it is worth recalling the pre-season plans. Before the start of the tournament, the chairman of the board of directors of Lokomotiv, Alexander Plutnik, spoke about the highest places, meaning getting into the top three or even the championship. Such conversations against the background of the existing results cause indignation among some Loko fans.

– The main trouble of Lokomotiv is in the authorities, who cannot decide what they want from the team. Then they want to sell someone… Well, they will ruin the players, as they ruined Lesha Miranchuk. We need a coach who would be interested in the formation of the team. And for it to appear, a new leadership of the club is needed. Zorn is clearly not coping. Only loud statements and all. They say: “We will be in the top three.” You will be in the top three, but behind! – said People’s Artist of Russia Valery Barinov in an interview with Match TV.

Valery Barinov / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich

The ex-president of Lokomotiv, Nikolai Naumov, blames the legionnaires who are indifferent to the result for the failures of the team, indirectly criticizing the current leadership.

– Loko has skillful players – no worse, and even better than Krasnodar. But these foreigners are not eager to fight for something. All of them are temporary, because they were placed in such a position by the club, which bought them in order to resell them later. With this approach, they will not play. The same Anton Miranchuk sees that everything is indifferent to foreigners. Because of this and because of the bad game of the team, he starts to freak out, ”RIA quotes Naumov.

“Coach doesn’t know about Railroad Day”

Even Khimki footballer Reziuan Mirzov, who, it would seem, has nothing to do with the team, felt sorry for Lokomotiv.

– I don’t understand what’s going on in Lokomotiv at all. And in Russia, no one understands what is going on there. Some kind of leadership has come… They make some incomprehensible transfers. “Locomotive” should not play like that, – quotes the words of the player “Championship”.

Former footballer Oleg Terekhin, who played for the “railroad” for some time, believes that only Yuri Semin can save the team.

– Did you upset yourself and the fans on the eve of the Day of the Railwayman? I think that, unfortunately, the current head coach of the team does not know that such a holiday exists. If Yuri Pavlovich Semin had been, I’m sure everything would have been different, ”Teryokhin told Match TV.

Photo: © FC Lokomotiv

The 75-year-old specialist himself, by the way, is not imposed on the role of the savior of Lokomotiv. But Igor Cherevchenko, another ex-railroad worker, does not mind leading the team. It is impossible to say for sure whether an urgent change of coach, management or the entire club strategy will help Lokomotiv. In principle, there is a way out of the impasse – this is proved by the already mentioned 2006 season, when in the end we managed to take a place in the top three. But is anyone in the current Loko ready to look for this way out?