Rostov’s current season has drawn attention across Russian football, and observers outside the region have begun to reassess the impact of Valery Karpin’s leadership. A veteran coach, Valery Ovchinnikov, who previously ran the Nizhny Novgorod Lokomotiv program and also collaborated with Karpin in Estonia, has offered frank commentary on Rostov’s method and results. He emphasizes a simple truth: the team’s success rests on solid planning, consistent performance, and a capacity to turn tight moments into points.
According to Ovchinnikov, Rostov’s rise is not a stroke of luck but a reflection of effective management and disciplined play. He highlights a difficult away fixture in Orenburg where Rostov traveled in less forgiving conditions and initially appeared to concede control, only to emerge with a 2:2 draw after a dramatic late push. The observer notes that Karpin’s squad often looks like a mix of veterans and purposeful role players rather than specialists brought in merely to fill spots. Yet the results prove otherwise: the team is competitive, well-organized, and currently sitting in second place in the standings.
Ovchinnikov points to Rostov’s roster design as a telling feature. The club has relied on a lean squad with just two foreign players—Armenian midfielder Khoren Bayramyan and Belarusian Alexander Selyava—yet they have constructed a unit that plays with cohesion and intent. This setup challenges the stereotype that success requires a large foreign contingent. It also underscores a broader trend in modern Russian football: a strong core combined with tactical flexibility can yield reliable performances at a high level. The recent 2:2 draw against Orenburg in the 22nd round of the Russian Premier League is cited as a case study in pragmatic resilience, where Rostov’s late goals demonstrated belief and collective resolve in the face of adversity.
After 22 rounds, Rostov’s position in the table remains secure in the upper tier, and the gap to the leading squad, Zenith, is sized at nine points. This gap matters, but it also serves as a reminder that football seasons are long, and nothing is guaranteed until the final whistle. Rostov’s management and staff have built a system that rewards consistent effort, careful player selection, and on-pitch adaptability. The narrative around the club has shifted from cautious optimism to evidence-based confidence as results accumulate and the squad shows it can compete across different phases of the season. (Source: Ovchinnikov interview)
Events from earlier in the season, including a social media jab from FC Orenburg about Rostov’s stadium, have faded into the backdrop of a more substantive dialogue: the team’s ability to translate training ground work into tangible outcomes on match day. The focus now centers on how Karpin continues to assemble a functional lineup, how players manage fatigue during back-to-back fixtures, and how the club maintains its forward momentum while balancing the demands of domestic competition with potential other cups and fixtures. The broader implication for Rostov is clear: consistency and team unity can defy expectations and push a club toward sustained success, even within a league that often rewards depth and strategic robustness over sheer expenditure. The public discourse continues to weigh Karpin’s influence, the tactical philosophy he implements, and the way Rostov’s players execute the plan on the field, week after week.”