MOSCOW, Oct 23, Andrey Mikhailov. Former general director of the Moscow “Spartak” Evgeny Melezhikov said that he does not believe in an open conflict between the team’s head coach Guillermo Abascal and the players.
Earlier, journalist Ivan Karpov reported in his Telegram channel that Abaskal suspended striker Alexander Sobolev from training in the general group due to problems with discipline. On October 22, the forward entered the team’s roster for the Russian Premier League (RPL) match against Nizhny Novgorod (2:0) and spent 45 minutes on the field, replacing the injured Quincy Promes.
““A team is a living organism. Something is always happening in it, some changes, because everything is built on the relationships of players with each other, players with the coach and coach with the players. I don’t believe in some kind of open conflict, but everything else is working moments,” Melezhikov said.
Also, the former general director of Spartak spoke about whether the situation around team captain Georgy Dzhikia, who lost his place in the red-white lineup, could affect the atmosphere in the team — the 29-year-old defender did not take the field in the team’s last five games in the championship Russia. In total, the defender took part in nine out of 17 matches in all competitions. His contract with the club runs until the summer of 2024; six months before the expiration of the agreement, he will have the right to negotiate with other clubs.
Russian Premier League (RPL)22 October 2023 • starts at 14:00Finished
Spartak MoscowRussia2 : 0
Nizhny NovgorodRussia
41' • Danil Prutsev (Daniil Denisov)
90' • Christopher Martins (Victor Moses)
«George has already said that he is a professional. I also evaluate him. The most important thing is that decisions by the coaching staff are made according to the sports principle, according to the dedication that they record in training,» he added.
Spartak after 12 rounds is in fourth place in the RPL standings, gaining 20 points. The gap to first-place Krasnodar is eight points. In the 13th round, the “red-whites” will play away against Fakel Voronezh on October 28.