Valery Kechinov critiques Spartak Moscow after the opening round of the 2023/24 Russian Premier League
The former Spartak Moscow player Valery Kechinov has highlighted serious instability within the red-and-white squad and offered a stark assessment of their performance in the opening phase of the new Russian Premier League season. His commentary, shared with Championship.com, places emphasis on contrasting strengths and weaknesses that shaped Spartak’s early results.
According to Kechinov, a midgrade stands out when evaluating the team’s first-round performances. He notes that Spartak exhibited a feverish versatility: they could triumph against any opponent on one day, and then suffer a surprising setback on another. The defender emphasized ongoing defensive vulnerabilities that continued to undermine the overall solidity of the side. Yet he also acknowledges the offensive element of Spartak as a bright spot, pointing to frequent scoring, rapid transitions, and creative attacking play that occasionally yielded memorable goal combinations. Kechinov describes the squad as unbalanced, with attack and defense not harmonizing to produce consistent results over the rounds that have been played so far.
In the current standings, Spartak recently defeated Krylia Sovetov Samara by three goals to nil, a result that helped move Guillermo Abascal’s team to 30 points and into fifth place in the table. The pursuit for the title remains led by Krasnodar, who sit atop the league with 38 points, followed by St. Petersburg’s Zenit with 36, and Dynamo Moscow close behind on 31. The early-season narrative thus frames Spartak as a side with potential that is not yet fully realized, possessing the capability to rack up wins when their collective focus aligns, but also susceptible to inconsistency that keeps them outside the top three.
As the season pauses for the winter break, the league is set to resume in March, with the 19th round scheduled to begin shortly after. Spartak will face a challenging test upon return, as their next fixture takes them to Saint Petersburg to meet Zenit. The exact kickoff time remains to be confirmed, and fans await the re-launch with heightened expectations for a more stable and aggressive performance from the red-and-white. The narrative surrounding the club at this stage reflects a team with considerable ceiling who must close gaps in defense and maintain offensive momentum in a more balanced way.
Previously, the team’s performances had drawn criticism and were even described as a disappointment of the year by some observers. This sentiment underlines the pressure on Spartak to translate potential into consistent results as the season progresses, with Kechinov’s analysis serving as a candid, experienced perspective on what must change for the club to climb higher in the table.