Evgeny Kaleshin is one of the main coaching discoveries in football Russia. Last year, in the Cup of Russia, he thundered with the Togliatti «Akron»: he reached the finals of the «Path of the Regions», beating four Moscow RPL clubs along the way. Today, “Akron” is in the lead in the first league. Before the next match, Kaleshin told a lot of interesting things Sport.
—After last season, «Akron» was in the focus of attention. How did it affect you?
— No way. I hope the team does too. Successful performance in the Russian Cup helped promote the brand of the club, which is only five years old. Now everyone knows the team from Togliatti, but if we evaluate the results of the season as a whole, I can only put a C-plus. Akron was faced with the task of competing for a ticket to the RPL, or at least for the play-offs. It was not possible to fulfill it.
strong>— Having beaten four Moscow teams with Akron, have you increased your own coaching self-esteem? strong
— Our football players beat the Muscovites. The coaching staff only convinced them that with the right attitude to the matter, this is possible. In addition, the level of Russian football after the departure of many legionnaires sank. Now there is no such difference between the Premier League and the first division, which was a few years ago. In the last two transfer windows, several dozen players from the first league moved to RPL clubs. So, there is now not such transcendental level. In one match, you can beat any team from the elite. At a long distance, it will, of course, be more difficult to compete with them on an equal footing. We understand this very well.
— For the players of Akron, were the cup matches an opportunity to show the product face on the transfer market?
— Undoubtedly. And this is absolutely normal. The guys want to play at the highest level, and if there is an opportunity to make themselves known in the confrontation with the leaders, you need to use it. This could be done only with a team game, which allows you to hide the shortcomings and highlight the best qualities of individual players. We aimed at this players, “Akron”. An illustrative example is Nikita Saltykov, who proved himself in Akron, having come on loan from Wings of the Soviets. Now he has returned to Samara and started the season as an RPL player.
— We did our best to save it. Only Nikita is a truly ambitious football player. He said he believes in himself. There was no point in keeping him.
— Do you feel that in the hierarchy of Samara football, Krylya Sovetov is number one, and Akron is number two?
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— These are different stories. Togliatti is a self-sufficient city with its own football traditions. When «Lada» played in the big leagues, it gathered a full stadium for matches against «Spartak» and other leaders of Russian football. We are not a farm club or an appendage of the Wings. For Togliatti, Akron is the number one football club.
strong>- You started your coaching career at Krasnodar Sergei Galitsky. Is it possible to compare the organization of work in this private club with Pavel Morozov's Akron? and Akron are personal projects of people who not only invest a lot of money in clubs, but also pay great attention to them. There is no conflict of interest in private clubs. I am sure that it would be great for Russian football if there were more such clubs.
“Even people who are madly in love with football may have problems in their core business at some point. And then what?
— In Russia, football is not yet a business. If conditions are created, then it would be possible to earn money through the sale of tickets and paraphernalia, income from the sale of television rights, and a competent transfer policy. When football becomes attractive, then club owners will not depend on the state of their bank accounts. In Europe, many clubs survive through the quality work of the academies and the sale of players! Today, Galitsky and Morozov show that it is possible to invest in football with their own funds in order to make it a profitable business in the foreseeable future. Let's not forget that Krasnodar is only 12 years old, and Akron is five.
— In Russia, there is a very short summer off-season, and the team that enters the RPL from the first league does not have the opportunity for point strengthening and grinding newcomers to the roster. At the same time, many of those who got a promotion in the class have to part ways. How do you manage to motivate those who understand that next season they will have to look for a new team to play with full dedication?- I am convinced that when forming a team, you should not rely on the Varangians, who come to solve immediate problems. A team that claims to be promoted while playing in the first division must already be competitive at the RPL level. Yes, point reinforcements are needed, but the backbone of the team should be formed by the time of promotion in the class. And this is quite possible. Both Fakel, Nizhny, and Baltika, which have retained most of the players since the First League, are quite competitive in the RPL.
— In today's Baltika, do you recognize the features of the team that you started building in the first league?
— By the time I arrived there was complete discord. The new general director Tazhutdin Kachukaev paid much attention to infrastructure and raised the sports component. The club has improved labor discipline. I think I had a hand in this. Baltika's playing style has changed, but each coach has his own football philosophy. I am watching the game of the Kaliningrad team in the RPL with interest. year?
— It doesn't work any other way. Our work requires constant engagement. Unless, on vacation, you manage to switch a little, and even then, not always. Many things in the team and the club require constant supervision by the coach. If this does not happen, then a «shadow zone» is formed, in which problems arise. The more professionally the work in the club is organized, the easier it is for the coach.
— How closely do you follow the work of your colleagues?
— There is a very good relationship between the coaches in the first league. Although no one has canceled the rivalry, there is no antagonism. Meeting at the training camp, we always try to discuss various issues in the evenings. So it was at the winter training camp in Turkey, when we were in constant contact with Roman Sharonov, who heads SKA-Khabarovsk, and Andrei Talalaev, who then coached Torpedo. We shared information, watched training, and this helps to develop.
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— Kurban Berdyev started working in the first league, who spoke very highly of you even before the success of Akron. Why do your teams have a fundamentally different style of play than Berdyev's?- The philosophy of any coach is formed by his football education, his perception of the game, starting from the impressions that were received in childhood. I've been a Barcelona fan since I was young, and the Catalan team from the days when they were coached by Johan Cruyff had a strong influence on me. She has shaped my view of football in many ways. Berdyev has a different upbringing, and this is absolutely normal. Coaches, like their teams, should be different. I have great respect for Kurban Bekievich. We have a warm human relationship with him.
— Will Berdyev be able to put the Makhachkala «Dynamo» positional game, which brought him success in «Rubin» and «Rostov»?< br>
— Setting up a game is a difficult process. Yes, and Makhachkala is a very specific region. Berdyev has never worked in such. It is necessary to take into account the level of ambitions of the club, the motivation of the players. Football players play football. They must show the quality of the game, which will allow solving tournament problems. I am convinced that in the game of Makhachkala residents the signature Berdyev style will soon be guessed. adventurous?- I really like the work of Valery Georgievich. I even want to go to him for an internship if I have free time. The game he sets for the team is modern football. Rostov, which does not have huge resources and relies on young players, performs worthily in the RPL. And the work of the coach is visible in it. You can safely call Rostov a coaching team. It is great that they do not deviate from the chosen style and achieve results. This can serve as an example for other coaches. Not necessarily defensive football or just playing second number can achieve better results.
— Discussing Sergei Semak, many ill-wishers say: with Malcolm, Wendel, Claudinho and Gazprom, any coach will win. Do you see the coaching hand in the game «Zenith»?
— Allegations that the Brazilian stars of Zenit do not need a coach are a huge misconception. Not any coach can win the championship of Russia five times in a row! I follow the St. Petersburg team quite carefully and I can say with confidence: the last season of Zenit was the best in terms of the quality of the game. It was a pleasure to watch the football performed by the Semak team. It is a pity that it was not possible to evaluate her class in European competitions. In any league, there are teams with history, traditions and budgets that have the ability to invite the best players. You just need to build them into a team game. Zenit, unlike even PSG, where everything is decided by individuals, plays team football. For this, one can only express respect to Semak, who created such a team.— Do you have a dream to work with players of the level of Zenit legionnaires?
Any coach wants to see the best players in his team. Nothing will work without them. And in the first league, and in the second coaching ideas are embodied by the players. At some point in my career, I would like to work with top players. Whether it will work, I don't know. If I was only interested in results, I probably would not have become a coach. It is very important to feel the return of the players, to have communication with them and to understand that the guys trust you. To do this, it is not necessary to train the elite, the main thing is to enjoy your work and strive to ensure that the fans enjoy football played by your team.
— It is better to go to the top with one team from start to finish, or can you accept an invitation from a stronger club without regret if it comes?
“You can’t quit work halfway through. In my understanding, everything we do at Akron is done for ordinary residents of Togliatti, who enjoy football played by our team and who feel its energy. Now I feel that I am in the right place and at the right time.
— You are always open to communication. Are you ready to come to the scandalous show of Leonid Slutsky? I don’t want to judge anyone, but Slutsky’s entertainment show, which uses profanity, is not about football. And it does not bring anything positive.
— You amazed many by talking about an internship in the Torpedo hockey team with Igor Larionov. What gives a football coach an acquaintance with the work of «allies»?
— I still regret that during my work in Krasnodar I did not visit the training of Yevgeny Trefilov's handball team. I just didn't have the brains to ask him. I would love to visit volleyball coach Vladimir Alekno, who is now working abroad. These are coaches who have a winning mentality.
— Would you like to get an internship with Eteri Tutberidze? — Of course! It is not necessary to delve into the nuances of the training methodology, which is noticeably different in football and figure skating. But how to educate leaders, how to manage athletes who have achieved everything at the highest level, how to motivate them throughout their careers, this is worth learning.
— Are you already being asked for an internship?
— At Akron, we are open to colleagues. Coaches come almost every week. And even from Moscow and from St. Petersburg, from the women's “Zenith”. I think it is important to share information, and Berdyev agrees with me on this. Indeed, with such openness, football will develop and become more competitive. Konoplev, which at one time was the best in the country, but then experienced difficult times. How deeply do you delve into the work of preparing reserves?
— Unfortunately, now there is no time left for this. The focus is on the main team. Now the academy is undergoing structural changes, and the club has a second team playing in the second league. She trains next to the main one, and we communicate closely with the mentors of Akron-2. Three or four players from our second team are definitely involved in the training of the main team in each weekly cycle. I know well the coaches who work at the academy, I played with many of them. We are all on the same wavelength.