Dejan Stankovic, the head coach of Spartak Moscow, has found a practical path to maximize the strengths of Oleg Ryabchuk, the Moldovan left-back who joined the Muscovites. This interpretation comes from Sergei Kleshchenko, the Moldovan national team’s head coach, in a recent assessment shared with Legal betting. The analysis highlights how a shift in duties helped Ryabchuk move more decisively and contribute more effectively on the field.
Kleshchenko explained that Stankovic deliberately simplified Ryabchuk’s functional responsibilities. By trimming the complexity of his role, the coach reduced the amount of heavy collective attacking work and allowed Oleg to focus on creating space along the flanks and exploiting width. The adjustment also meant Ryabchuk could preserve energy for crucial moments, avoid overextending during counterpressing, and build greater confidence in his decisions during matches. In this setup, Ryabchuk is not asked to perform excessive rally-building solo runs but to arrive with purpose at pivotal moments, where his pace and crossing ability can tilt the balance. The Moldovan coach noted that such strategic tailoring can unlock a player’s potential and make a real difference in the overall balance of a team’s play.
The expert believes Stankovic’s insight into Ryabchuk’s true strengths was the decisive factor. In the Moldovan national team, Kleshchenko argues, there is limited opportunity to coach players in a hands-on, long-term way; instead, the priority is to evaluate each athlete’s capabilities and deploy them where they can have the biggest impact. According to Kleshchenko, this is precisely what happened with Ryabchuk at Spartak—his talents were recognized and integrated into a system that suits his attributes, leading to improved performance on the field and clearer tactical responsibilities off the ball as well.
Ryabchuk joined Spartak from Olympiacos of Greece during the previous summer transfer window. In the current season, he has appeared in three competitive matches for the Red-Whites, with his contract extending through the summer of 2026. This timeline provides Spartak with a longer horizon to assess how Ryabchuk’s adaptability can fit into various tactical setups and how his development might influence the squad’s dynamics on the left flank. The club’s coaching staff appears committed to integrating his experience into a broader strategy, leveraging his pace, crossing, and ability to stretch opposing defenses.
Earlier, Chernov, another Spartak player, commented on the impact of the recent signing, praising the newcomer’s performances and suggesting that the squad has benefited from the new talent. The sentiment reflects a growing belief within the team that the additions coming into Spartak have contributed positively to overall form and depth. As the season progresses, the coaching staff and players alike will look to harness Ryabchuk’s specific capabilities, such as his defensive work rate on wide areas, his willingness to press from the left, and his capacity to open up space for teammates in transition play. This evolving understanding of how Ryabchuk best fits the tactical plan is part of a broader effort to optimize squad balance and competitive edge across multiple competitions.