The two results listed in the table (note, not even a defeat) are very few for conclusions on the merits. But already enough for a discovery that is very useful for those who did not know: no Guus Hiddink is a miracle worker. Normal, skilled trainer. Above average. In his career, by the way, in addition to undeniably beautiful peaks, there were enough false starts and mistakes in choosing teams. And miscalculations in their leadership.
In today's Russian context, the impressions of the loud loss of the Hiddink team of the Netherlands in Minsk in June 95th immediately come to mind. Belarusians to this day honor the success and goal of Gerasimts van der Saru, who made his debut at the gates of the “orange”, the most glorious page of his sovereign history.
But now is not about that. And how the current steering team of Russia simply did not manage then with the management of the star crew. Its core, which is important, was made up of Ajax players who had won the Champions League a week earlier.
Hiddink was far from a beginner coach at that time. His track record, for example, was adorned with the same Champions Cup, taken with the Eindhoven PSV. But I fell for the simple home tactical preparations of the diligent Sergey Borovsky! And, just as recently, in Petrovsky Park, with a distant look, he camouflaged before reporters his unsuccessful decisions during the match with general phrases about the team playing as they should, a little unlucky and a good opponent. By the way, I also remember from that evening that, with the final whistle in the journalistic box of the Minsk stadium, he shone a copper basin in front of outstretched voice recorders at the moment there “appeared” Louis van Gal. Doesn’t resemble anything?
After a couple of months, by the way, Hiddink with a creak, only a couple of minutes before the final whistle, defeated Borovsky's clearly set chips in Rotterdam. He broke through the Belarusian defense raised from the reserve by the hardened Eikelkamp (who remembers this today?). In the EURO'96 final, the “orange” then nevertheless made their way - through the playoffs. But they played in England inconsistently, reached only the quarter-finals due to Kluivert’s rare scoring luck. In Holland, they were disappointed. But - they did not hurry with the organizational conclusions. And they waited from Hiddink for the desired decent result after another cycle. The semi-final of the World Cup 98 was lost to the Brazilians on a penalty spot.
It is clear that the current modest Russian expectations are not comparable with the standards of those heights. Only it’s not about heights, but about the time scales. Even if you consider Hiddink matured since then to virtuoso skills. Even if he adapted himself to work under the order, let's agree that in a row the Dutchman has now got a difficult one. We leave the grandmaster the right to try on, make a move, still try on, think. Ahead is a long party. In any case, her decisive moves are not yet close. And who knows, would it be necessary to translate at the end of the campaign these four points not scored at the start from the category of losses to the category of useful lessons, so taken from the opponents on time?
After all, it’s also important for us now to think, to take a closer look. After all, if you get distracted by trifles like the color of Hiddink’s trousers or ankle boots in the coach’s jeep cabin, if you take the attitude of the players towards moving from Bora to Marriott and further to Astoria as an indicator of pre-match readiness, you can really miss a lot of important things. That, for example, was how different the starting mobility and tactical harmony of the team were in the months-long fights against the Croats and Israelis.
In September, there was a bustling, muddy first half with a short burst after the break. There was obvious, on the verge of prostration, the stiffness of the bench. It seemed that the pale look of the wards against the adventurous Balkans so stunned Hiddink that he completely discouraged him from making replacements in order to avoid the worst.
But the beginning of the meeting with the Israelis was, you see, excellent. And it's not just Arshavin’s quick goal. In the game, the Russians glanced over the handwriting. In their actions, learning was read, a plan was guessed. He was “imprisoned” precisely for this team, for a specific selection of performers. For some reason, fashionable arguments about the zonal principles of the game sometimes for some reason simplistically reduce to the ability to build a “line” in defense. Although the topic is much wider. It covers interaction in all links, not only in destruction, but also in the conduct of an attack. So, the first half against the Israelis convincingly hinted that the training of Russian collections of new-fashioned wisdom, not known to them in clubs, has already begun. And Hiddink succeeds completely. Didn’t you catch the meritorious similarity of the attacks of the Russians with the offensive actions of the Australians of the World Cup or the same PSV in the Champions League? This is when in the alien half, thanks to the memorized uniform “seeding” of players, there are always several zones through which you can actively continue the offensive. When everyone who owns the ball sees at a reliable pass several partners ready to take the ball.
It is difficult to judge the reasons why this eye-pleasing picture gradually blurred, resolved and fell apart into episodes in the sad second half. Hiddink undoubtedly lost a break to Dror Chestnut. The obedience of the rivals, their deliberate humility, as it turned out, only masked the trick, strengthened the effect of intermission replacements. The Israelis reshaped their tactics, switched to the game of three defenders and strengthened the attack group.
The hosts gave the initiative. The game was alarmingly transformed and demanded from Hiddink reciprocal moves, numerical strengthening of midfield. Then the hasty, made in the first half, replacement of Bilyaletdinov with Kerzhakov grew into a mistake. It turned out that there were not enough moves. Now it was necessary to remove one of the forwards from the game. Kerzhakova? This would mean to humiliate St. Petersburg, morally finish off against the backdrop of difficult clubbing for him. So Pogrebnyak? ..
So another miscalculation happened. Perhaps the main one in the gradation of unsuccessful decisions of that match. The ram-striker, greedy for threats, left.
And both Russian substitutions entailed a chain reaction of changes in the positions and roles of key players. First of all, Arshavin. Those who watched the match on television were probably impressed by Andrei’s close-up immediately after the release of Izmailov. An annoyed look at the bench read irritation: well, where now ?! Half an hour of playing time fit for him two rebuilding. Moreover, a break, often requiring emotional readjustment. As a result, the match did not have a better player at first ...
See how Hiddink second match in a row inappropriately manages the reserve, a curiosity. But do not get away from the truth. In the final bunch of substitutions, he lost to Chestnut and was completely devastating. Israel has made a striking youth striker. Russia has Semshov, who hid from playing on an unusual edge to the final whistle.
That was the match. Quickly-sounding answers smoothly and inconspicuously turned into new questions. It remains to convince ourselves that this is development, our version of the upward movement.
It is great that there is very little time for a meeting with Estonians in St. Petersburg. Is it not interesting to see how Hiddink and the team first work in twin matches? Or what will happen later, in November, the first trip with a new coach - to Macedonia.
... In innumerable presentation interviews upon arrival in Moscow, the Dutchman said how important it is to penetrate the culture of each country where his fate throws. Including football culture. It so happened that in the first months of coaching at a new address, Hidinka was increasingly confronted with lack of culture: gaming, organizational, and now media. Souring and slandering is what is most mastered in Russian football.
The chance to change is by no means lost.
Sergey NOVIKOV