CSKA Moscow announced the imminent appointment of Marko Nikolic to the post head coach of the team. The Serbian specialist will replace Vladimir Fedotov, with whom the “red-blues” spent a lackluster and unsuccessful season. The correspondent is trying to understand what cooperation with Nikolic will bring to the capital club, and what risks it may be associated with.
Everything was decided in a hurry. Sixth place in the Russian Premier League (RPL) and relegation at the late stage of the Russian Cup, of course, was not the result that the CSKA managers and fans were counting on. Especially against the backdrop of last season’s silver and victory in the national cup. Such a dramatic downgrade could not affect the prospects of Fedotov’s headquarters. Of course, you can find a lot of both objective (injuries to leaders plus unfinished transfers) and subjective (huge number of missed victories in the last minutes of matches) factors that justify the team’s unsuccessful results, however, as they say, the result is on the scoreboard. Last season was CSKA's worst in four years, so it was necessary to assign someone to blame. The result is the responsibility of the coach, and from this point of view, the decision of the CSKA bosses looks very logical.
On the other hand, the choice of Nikolic does not seem to be a deeply thought-out option. It seems that Fedotov’s future was uncertain until yesterday, and the club’s management did not have shortlists or even a long list of specialists on the table who could replace Vladimir Valentinovich. It is likely that the coach’s dismissal came as a surprise both to himself and to a number of managers.
If this is so, then it is impossible to present it with the sauce “the result of a lively discussion and pluralism of opinions.” Top clubs don't do that. Often the decision to end cooperation is made at the final stage of the season, and at the end the club has a main candidate, which they successfully sign. It’s even a little strange to write this, but the current CSKA has a lot to learn in this regard from their sworn rival, Spartak.
There were a large number of names on the Russian and near-Russian market that could interest any eminent club. Also, do not forget that under the conditions of sanctions, RPL representatives conduct successful negotiations with foreign colleagues, even European ones, and often achieve success in this. Taking all this into account, we can assume that the figure of Marko Nikolic is a kind of “firefighter” and consensus candidate, equally equally satisfying to everyone within the club.
It’s no secret that the Serb has long been promoted on the Russian market, including CSKA, but it still hasn’t worked out. Now everything happened exactly as Nikolic’s lobby needed — his departure from Shabab Al-Ali plus Fedotov’s wasted season. And it seems that CSKA should not make a mistake, unless one succumbs to a whole series of doubts. But they still exist.
Nikolic is good, but can he cope? Nikolic has proven himself excellent in Russia, it’s stupid to argue with that. Let's leave out the details of his arrival at Lokomotiv in place of Yuri Semin, because it is unlikely that Marco is the main interested party in that reshuffle. Despite the huge skepticism towards him, the Serb brought Loko to championship medals and guaranteed a place in the Champions League. Along the way, the “railroad workers” won the Russian Cup, which forced many of Nikolic’s critics to shut up and admit that Semin’s replacement did produce results. But the fate of football coaches is cruel, and Nikolic was removed from Lokomotiv as recklessly and peremptorily as Yuri Pavlovich.
According to rumors, clubs from Europe were interested in the Serbian specialist, and not from recent championships, but Marco, after a protracted career break, went to work in the UAE. With Shabab Al-Ahli, Nikolic only managed to win the local Super Cup, and the coach constantly reminded him that he was ready to return to the Russian championship. “Everyone knows that I felt great in Moscow and in Russia. A lot of friends remained there, a lot of good impressions, contacts. And I’m proud of it, I’m very happy. One day I will work in Russia again, one hundred percent,” — Nikolic said in February in a video published on the Telegram channel to journalists of Nobel Arustamyan.
And now this prediction came true. Everything seems logical and even seems correct, but is the Serb ready to give results in Russia after a three-year break? Over the years, a lot has changed, except for the champion — sanction costs, an increase in the number of matches, the averaging of the level of teams, a decrease in transfer budgets. Is Nikolic ready for such a challenge? He has no room for error, because CSKA fans have been upset too often in recent years.