The head coach of the Moscow Dynamo Andrei Kobelev gives the impression of a closed man. In any case, he gives large interviews very rarely and reluctantly. Thanks to the NTV-Plus 2: 1 channel program, Gazeta readers have the opportunity to get to know one of the few Russian young trainers who got a chance to prove themselves at the highest level. With Alexander Kobelev talk Alexander Shmurnov and Alexei Andronov.
- Before the New Year, you received a license of the “Pro” level - you passed exams and prepared. Tell me honestly, were you very worried?
- Of course. Although I understood that everything was going according to plan - I just go to the next level.
- At us it is considered that there is a certain circle of trainers which does not admit young ones to itself. Sad examples are known: Shalimov, Chernyshov - coaches who worked quite a bit in clubs and after the first failure they disappeared and did not find themselves in the profession in Russia.
- In my opinion, there is no closed coaching community. Young and experienced coaches are given the same chance and should be used. This is the profession: the main thing is the result, and if something does not work out with the team, you have to leave, look for yourself in another place. And this is not related to age.
- But there is a concept of a credit of trust: for someone it is more, for someone it is less.
- Yes, of course, the young coach is trusted less and they are asked more strictly. Although this does not mean that there is a certain circle that does not let the young and talented.
“We, the journalists, are worried if your generation is missing?” Do you communicate with those who played with you, are interested in how their fate develops?
- Of course. With Dynamo first of all. I communicate with Kolyvanov, and with Dobrovolsky, and with Kiryakov, and with Borodyuk. I am interested not only in each of them individually, but in the situation as a whole. And I think the issue of the lost generation is far-fetched. There are situations in life: someone is less lucky, someone more, but, I repeat, everyone is given a chance.
- Do you think you're personally lucky? In fact, this is the second time you are heading Dynamo, working in the Premier League, and not in the second division, like, say, Tsymbalar, or with a children's team like Kolyvanov?
- Each person has his own fate, including coaching. After my first independent match this season, we talked a lot about luck: we scored a goal in the last minute. Maybe lucky. But then the recession began, and also a lot depended on luck. Luck is an abstract quantity, it is better not to pay attention to it.
- With Dynamo, you worked only part of the 2006 season. What do you think, whose team is it, who created it, who built it? What is your input? What did you manage to change?
- This is a team formed by Yuri Pavlovich Semin. The team is good, it has strong players. The last matches of the season showed this, but a number of objective and subjective reasons did not contribute to the formation of Dynamo in the first half of the season.
- What, in your opinion, are the reasons for the failures that need to be fought?
- We need to start the analysis of the reasons not this season, since the formation of the team is a long process. Over the past years, Dynamo has had a large rotation of players. 10-15 new players in each season - this is a big problem, for the coach in the first place. It takes time for people to get used to and it becomes clear to whom to stay and who to leave.
- Who makes decisions - coach, president, breeding services? In what proportions should this be carried out ideally and how does this actually happen in Dynamo?
- I, like probably all the coaches, want the coaching staff to determine the strategy.
- Did the president only give money and did not intervene?
- No, the president also ideally participates in the dialogue. Nevertheless, the last word should remain with the coach. Because it is he who is responsible for the result. All together it is necessary to create a team acting for the good of the club. That is, if a coach, president or sports director changes, the team must play without falling below a certain level. To do this, you need to create a backbone. And the backbone is made up of young people who need to be found, verified. All this takes time. For six months or a year, all issues cannot be resolved.
- In recent years, in Dynamo, breeding work has been chaotic. For example, the Portuguese were bought, almost indiscriminately, and pretty soon it became clear that they had no place in the team. Then they relied on experienced Russian players, and this also did not lead to an improvement in the situation, to say the least.
- The selection work at Dynamo is quite professional. And by the way, the Portuguese came strong then - look how well they perform now in other clubs. But for various reasons, they did not stay with us. Those who were able to adapt to our conditions remained, and those who could not left.
- The task of breeders is to find not only strong players, but also those who want and can play in Russia.
- So far, not enough experience, probably. But still there is good luck.
- You communicate with Danny and Derley - those who were able to adapt. What is this expressed in? Do they speak, for example, Russian?
- They all understand, at least all the football terms. As for adaptation in general, it is not only a matter of communication. In just two or three months, it becomes perfectly visible: the football player is able to play here or not. When Maniche arrived, he just two months later said bluntly that he could not live here. Our football, especially at the beginning of the championship, is very different from European: we play on synthetics, on snow, on an ice crust. Plus our long journeys, living conditions.
- Is it possible, looking at a player, to say right away whether he will take root with us or not? Or at least reduce this period to a month and a half, so that preseason preparation is enough.
- There is no recipe, probably. But sometimes everything is clear at once. According to Leandro Fernandez, it was clear that he would stay. He came with a great desire to play, to show himself. A professional to the marrow of bones, he did not spare himself in training and as a result at the highest level spent all the matches of the season. By the way, fans recognized him as the best player.
- Only you and Pavel Yakovenko from Kuban are the coaches in our Premier League who played in the West. How, in your opinion, should relations with foreign footballers be built?
- In “Betis”, in Spain, I played for a long time, almost 15 years ago. Then I was completely different, and our country was different, because only people had just started to leave. The first thing that caught my eye was the lack of control. A football player can live as he wants, the main indicators are on the field, and in general, the main thing is the game, after which you are a free person. When traveling to another country, it is very important to learn a language. My translator was only the first six months, and then as you want. And finally, the main thing: in the profession I had to be a cut above any local player, then it was necessary.
- And now in Russia such requirements for foreigners remain?
- I am in favor of such requirements being maintained. The invited player must be at least half a head taller than our players. Our young players will be able to learn from such players. The limit on foreigners also contributes to the growth of youth: coaches will be forced to be more attentive to our young players.
- If you recall all your coaches, who would you like to be like?
“I never thought about this on purpose.” Of course, each coach had their own brand names. Yuri Andreyevich Morozov was always very nervous, worried. Konstantin Ivanovich Beskov was calm and could briefly explain what exactly he requires from the player. Oleg Ivanovich Romantsev in 1994, having arrived at Spartak, reanimated the team in three to four days. Valery G. Gazzayev just charges players with his energy. This is especially felt at the end of the championship: there is no Gazzayev at the edge - and the guys quickly turn sour. For me, the CSKA team is an example, here everyone is subordinated to one goal, that is, to the result. It is very important that all football players, regardless of their role and stardom, carry out the installation of the coach and fully trust him. Gazzaev succeeds.
- How do you want Dynamo to play in 2007, what are your coaching tactical ideas?
- I want the team to play attacking football, but do not forget about the defense. We have all the prerequisites for this. The main thing is to avoid injuries and removals. As for tactical ideas, we will proceed from the realities of today, from what will bring results at the moment. If I were a supporter of the one-touch game, a la “Barcelona”, and bet on it, what would we do when we arrived in a city where instead of a field is a garden, is playing a pass impossible or is it snowing at all? In such cases, it is necessary to rebuild not so much the scheme of the game as the manner and technique of moving around the field. So there are several tactical options and even approaches. As for the schemes, with four defenders we played a line several times a season, according to the 3 + 5 + 2 scheme, we also played, and it is not bad, but it requires a certain selection of players. In CSKA, the brothers Berezutsky and Ignashevich got used to each other, played, and it is easy for Gazzaev to use a line of three defenders with them. In Dynamo, this is more risky.
- If there are not enough “certain football players”, you need to buy them. What is the transfer situation at Dynamo today?
- We will try to save the team that finished last season, its skeleton. And we would also take in each line a good player who wants to play and perform tasks, and not just sit on a bench. But it’s too early to name.
- What is the situation with Dmitry Bulykin?
- Dima is a good football player with good data. He needs to find his team and play in it.
- He is greatly hindered by a craving for social life. By the way, do you yourself like to appear in public?
- I don’t really try to go out, I prefer to spend free time at home with my family. Of course, we do not sit in four walls, we communicate with friends, but there is sorely not enough time. This year I managed to go on vacation for ten days to Spain, and that’s all.