Many experts call him the best coach long before the end of the championship season in the RPL. Why did Krasnodar dismiss Vladimir Ivich early?
Hello, Guillermo! Quite recently, there was a certainty that the intrigue that left the Russian championship back in 2018 had returned. That Zenit's hegemony will finally end. And that a new champion may emerge in the country. This is to blame for the pleasantly surprised Krasnodar, which, under the leadership of Ivic, acquired unprecedented stability, serious pragmatism and a clear play pattern.
Yes, this was not the team that attacked without looking back and played for the sake of the game, not the result. Ivich abolished this axiom, which was an integral part of Krasnodar self-determination. The Serb did a lot to change the team, and with it the club, from the inside. The process is obviously painful. But the end justifies the means, right?
However, everything fell apart like a house of cards. It is unlikely that just a couple of weeks ago it would have been possible to predict such a sad outcome of events, but the fact remains: quite recently, “Krasnodar” was the leader of the Russian Premier League (RPL) and claimed the Russian Cup, and now it has lost the first place to the same “Zenith” , and even without a chance, “Khimki” flew into the fight for the national trophy. Everything could be attributed to a coincidence if the team did not simply look disorganized and unbalanced. Here the saying “This is football, this happens” cannot be used, because it becomes just an ordinary excuse.
The question is different — why was Ivich dealt with so quickly? In fact, nothing catastrophic happened. There's a pause ahead for national team games, which has always helped teams that got into trouble. Moreover, the Serbian specialist did not look lost; when answering the most difficult and inconvenient questions, he maintained composure, consistency and integrity, without slipping into demagoguery (hello, Guillermo!). Ivich had every opportunity to correct the situation, but he was simply not allowed to do this.
It seems that who made such a tough decision is not worth explaining. It is the owner of Krasnodar, Sergei Galitsky, who is responsible for all processes in the club, from transfers to the design of walls in the academy. This is probably both a blessing and a curse for the Bulls. When you are free to dispose of your brainchild as you wish, the risk of error increases exponentially. No one can tell you, you can brush off criticism, and in case of defeat or an unsuccessful series, you can simply change the coach. I built it myself, I broke it myself, I’ll fix it myself.
It is important to note that Sergei Nikolaevich has the right to all this. This is his club, his product and his area of responsibility. Galitsky has already left behind him a legacy that no club in Russia dreams of. For this they said, say and will say sincere thanks to him. Because of this, by the way, he is rarely criticized for any reason. However, it is unlikely that it was worth stirring up the issue with a private club just for this reason. Galitsky has repeatedly stated that he wants trophies, and the team has been close to the long-awaited victory more than once. But still nothing. And when failure follows failure, you can simply lose patience and start changes just when you want or when you get off on the wrong foot.
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It is unlikely that these reasons are sufficient for a club that positions itself as one of the leaders of Russian football. Fidelity to the chosen strategy, despite failures, is an indicator of strength, not weakness. Do you want to play attack? The team plays, but there are no titles. Maybe let's try something different? We tried, but freaked out and broke everything halfway through. It’s not just that you can’t win cups, but you won’t even learn basic everyday skills.
Fedun seemed to never leave. There is a version that Spartak is indirectly to blame for what happened. Tushino is unlikely to be happy with the work of Guillermo Abascal and seems to want to replace him with Ivic. Then the reason for a quick separation from the Serb could be his contacts with the capital club. They even name the amounts of the alleged penalty that will be paid to Galitsky. The version is interesting, but where is the logic and profitability for Ivich and the owner of Krasnodar? Exchange a comfortable and promising place for a stressful position in a project in which no one guarantees your success? It’s very strange, considering the history of Spartak’s relationship with its head coaches.
Then let’s say that Spartak offered Galitsky favorable compensation for the Serb, and Sergei Nikolaevich, like a real businessman, considered and accepted it. It is simply impossible to imagine what such compensation should be, because it is unlikely that the owner of Krasnodar will sell the dream of gold for any money.
And a little more about the trace of the “red-whites”. The removal that happened led to the idea that it was as if Leonid Fedun had never left domestic football. No one except the former owner of Spartak got rid of coaches so impulsively and demonstrably coldly. Has Galitsky really been disappointed in Ivich for a long time, not forgiving him for his departure from the canons, and was simply waiting for an opportunity to simply remove him? Did an experienced businessman really not have enough basic patience and composure to at least handle his dismissal in a humane manner? Did he really see in the Serb a strong figure who could overtake him in authority, which is a “red flag” for autocrats?
There are no answers and there won’t be any, because the Krasnodar management is not used to explaining its decisions to the public, playing an endless silence. Meanwhile, Krasnodar will soon acquire its fifth coach in just three less than three years. Probably Galitsky knows better. Only the titles are not visible yet.