Valery Gladilin, a former player and coach for Spartak Moscow, has voiced concerns about Guillermo Abascal, the club’s current head coach. Gladilin suggested that Abascal is not yet proven at the highest levels of football, sharing his views publicly after speaking with RT. He noted that Abascal is only 34 and has spent about two years in the sport, emphasizing that prior roles far from top competition do not count as true testing grounds. In Gladilin’s view, Abascal is still in a learning phase, and if Spartak’s policy hinges on youth or inexperience, the club must scrutinize what the coach can demonstrably deliver. The comparison about the coach’s development was illustrated with a metaphor of a pianist who can play only so much at this stage, implying that Spartak remains a demanding stage for someone still mastering the basics of the game.
According to Gladilin, Spartak’s fan base is unrivaled in the country, highlighting the club’s enormous support. He pointed out that the club operates in an environment where the sheer volume of red and white supporters dwarfs the population of many regions, including Switzerland, where Abascal previously worked. The expert stated that Abascal has never encountered such a fervent atmosphere and expressed skepticism about the breadth of his experience in a setting of this scale.
On October 4, Spartak faced a 0–3 defeat to Dynamo in the Russian Cup. Despite the setback, the team had already secured a place in the play-offs, and they sat seventh in the Russian Premier League with 16 points. Abascal had taken over the reins at Spartak before the start of the 2022/23 season, bringing a coaching resume that includes roles in Volos, Greece, and Basel, Switzerland. His contract with Spartak was extended with a salary increase as the season progressed, and in the previous campaign, the club finished third in the Russian Championship under his leadership, underscoring a period of relative competitiveness and breakthrough potential.
Earlier comments attributed to Koloskov referenced Abascal’s state of mind during a demanding phase of the club’s campaign, suggesting that the coach may be facing a crisis or at least significant pressure. The overall narrative traces a coach navigating expectations from a club with a storied history and a fan base that soon expects results, while also contending with the realities of a difficult league schedule and high-pressure matches. The discussion frames Abascal’s tenure as a journey that has yet to fully prove its long-term trajectory, even as the club pursues a consistent path back toward higher standings.