For whatever enigmatic Churchillean reason, deep roots inhabit the self-destructive tendencies of what we have come to know as All Things Russian.Get Down! The 2009 Russian season came to a close and Kurban Berdyev walks away feeling happy as his side played to a 0-0 draw at home to Zenit. Spartak Moscow handed champions Rubin their second, consecutive title with a game to go [of which only Spartak and CSKA had managed to achieve since 1992] by refusing to win. In midseason 2009, Zenit together with five Moscow clubs, offered to challenge Rubin. With tight schedule costing Kazan their league points, Spartak remained in contention for the title. However, this proved too much for Valeriy Karpin's youngsters, who gave away leads on two consecutive occasions. In a perfect derby atmosphere at home to CSKA yesterday, goalkeeper Soslan Dzhanaev repeated a handling error to give away the victory, as he did with Krylya two weeks ago. It was Spartak's nervous breakdown - much alike Russia's in Maribor.
Berdyev strengthening his nerves during a crucial match (Source: Championat.ru. Hope I'm not violating copyright). More videos on RPL here: http://championat.tv/
Uncharacteristically FearfulWith the plot kept thickening from it's humble 2006 beginnings, two major turning points brought Russian football the recognition it long awaited. First, that famous elimination of England; Second, Zenit's UEFA Cup triumph and Euro2008 Dutch defeat. Two qualification encounter with Germany set the stage to finally establish worldclass status.
A fearless performance in Dortmund brought sympathy and admiration. Promising players Yanbaev and Dzagoev were masterfully slotted into the team, with Zhirkov positional rotation showcases Russia's tactical flexibility - an admirable trait. But that was 2008: Arshavin played for Zenit; Adidas original far from Russian self-image.
Enter hip hop and rapper's caps, and we have in the mix: Football's Nouveau Riche. With the all-new Kremlin-Red custom-made world cup kit worn on them, it felt like a given victory over Slovenia, and the players were affraid to lose. In fact, they've been walking with wet pants on since the return fixture with Germany in Luzhniki. Arshavin & Mates had feared disciplined and physically strong side. Perfect for Slovenia.
But to have a team expected to beat Slovenia, to have drawn so much world wide sympathy, Meneer Hiddink has done a great job, to whom football fans ought to be thankful for. The mistakes in Maribor were not so much tactical as it was mental. These boys weren't ready for the big occasion.
Russian Premier League Best 11 Plenty of names to mention, and except for Ansaldi, Welliton and Krasic, not many stand out that much. In a 4-3-3 formation: Akinfeev; Anyukov, Cesar Navas, Ignashevic, Ansaldi; Rebko, Semak, Alex; Dzagoev, Welliton, Krasic.Alejandro Dominguez an inconvenient omission, but Alex and Dzagoev have been instrumental playing for a weaker team. Other important mentions: Bukharov, Ryazantsev, Gatagov, Bystrov, Yakovlev, Duimovic, Makeev, Parshevlyuk, Sharonov (stumbles as often as Igna), and the special Ryzhikov.