The former head coach of the Russian youth team, Valery Gladilin, spoke about the absence of many key players in the national team due to injuries. According to him, the team lacked Alexander Golovin, Alexei Miranchuk, Georgy Jikia and Igor Diveev in the friendly match with Iran. However, Gladilin noted that this match is a good lesson for young players.
“Three people are missing, for example Golovin, Miranchuk, Jikia. These players are 100% normal players. If they were on the field, it would already be a backbone. And so, in principle, the players are watched. I liked the first half – it was clear that Karpin was watching this squad. Center forward, two wingers, midline – three already experienced midfielders. Both Miranchuk and Kuzyaev and Glebov are experienced players, more like defenders. Useful on the road, devastating when played defensively. This is the backbone of the team we have now.
If it was Jikia, of course, the defense would be more fundamental. Diveev is still injured – these are experienced players who have passed the school. We don’t have any other super players. And the work continues – Karpin looks at what has manifested itself. For the youth, this match was beneficial because they played against a strong opponent. Iran has a very strong team, many players play in good foreign clubs. It’s been a good lesson for us,” Gladilin told socialbites.ca.
The friendly match played in Tehran between the national teams of Iran and Russia ended 1-1. Both goals came from penalties. Anton Miranchuk scored for the Russian team, Mehdi Taremi scored for Iran. On Sunday, March 26, St. The Russian team will host the Iraqi team in St. Petersburg.
formerly Gladil praised Iran national team for the match against Russia.