Update Post: November 28, 2023 11:50 pm
At the end of August, Dynamo received four from Spartak. At a time when things seemed to be getting better. After an unsuccessful start against Krasnodar (1:3, so far the only defeat in the RPL), Dynamo defeated CSKA, Zenit and Krasnodar itself in the Cup. And then, four from Spartak. Yes, this is not RPL. But this result is, in any case, an excellent opportunity to rethink some things. In addition, there was still the match against Spartak ahead, a clear competitor not only in the Cup.
Now the question is how the average coach would behave. Most likely, he would have sat at a press conference with the intention of hating the entire world; remember the usual state of Vadim Evseev. Or he would say something like: “I was wrong, criticize me, goodbye.” But forget about stereotypes. Marcel Lička destroyed them again. He came to a press conference with a menacing look and publicly buried his team.
Marcel Licka, Dinamo coach
after Spartak’s defeat
“There is nothing to say except that we came to walk. The rival scored four in 30 minutes and everything was clear. Even at the amateur level they play better, with more enthusiasm. Some players did not understand that they were playing a derby against Spartak and took the game too calmly. “He who plays on foot will not play.”
Yes, harsh and rude. Many were probably very surprised: how could he face the team after those words? He put the responsibility on them, but he himself seemed to be out of the business. Yes Easy. Apparently, he told reporters exactly the same thing he said in the locker room during halftime and after the game. There are not two texts. And no diplomacy: after such a humiliating defeat, there is really no need for it. Everyone should have known that Dynamo played disgustingly. And this should not happen again. In the next match they achieved a victory against Rostov. And how can you not sympathize with Marcel Licka after this?
It is clear that at 46 years old, not even working in a top-level club will change you. Both the principles of training and human qualities have already been formed. But it seems that Marcel, after moving to Moscow, became even more open than in Orenburg. After the games, he can calmly stop and chat with the fans. Or tell reporters how much beer you can drink after the game without harming the process. Now let’s remember Jokanovic’s serious face, which, it seems, did not change even after the victory over Zenit. The same face in all situations. The players themselves admit that with the new coach they simply exhaled. It has become easier.
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The most understandable quote is that of Daniil Fomin, who already after the first round drew attention to something important: “As for the changes, there is more positivity. Before, even with victories there was no satisfaction. We don’t give up, we keep playing, we have to keep this positive.”
How did Lichka change the team on the field?
I couldn’t have said it better. But, of course, victories are not achieved with emotions alone. Therefore, next minute of tactics. From Evgeny Lomonosov, who knows this topic well.
“I believe that Dynamo’s success would have been impossible without three key decisions by Marcel Lička. Thanks to them he achieved productivity both in defense and attack.
The first solution is the nominal left back Diego Laxalt in the waiting area. In the current RPL season, the Uruguayan is the best among the blue and white central midfielders in interceptions (4.9) and defensive duels (9.3; quality – 60%). By moving the fast player to the midfield, the team was able to add reliability, which it lost in this zone after the departure from Russia of Nicola Moreau and Sebastian Szymanski.
The second solution is the willingness to change three central defenders during the match. Thanks to this output, it was almost possible to maintain the winning score against Zenit in St. Petersburg with a score of 2:1 (then the hosts tied, but Lichka’s team took the victory). Lichka later repeated this move with a winning score in other matches, when the opponent began to put pressure.
Fedor Smolov and Konstantin Tyukavin
Photo: Edgar Breshchanov, “Championship”
The third solution is to combine Fedor Smolov and Konstantin Tyukavin in the starting eleven. As a rule, Smolov operates between the lines, and Tyukavin operates on the front line. Currently both players are the most productive in Dynamo and are also in the top 8 in terms of scoring in the entire league: 4+1 for Smolov and 3+2 for Tyukavin.
In my opinion, everything that is happening suggests that Lichka has perfectly studied the capabilities of the Dynamo players. It is a great advantage for a coach who has already worked in the league and does not come from another championship, as was the case with Slavisa Jokanovic, who never understood anything.”
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The last phrase especially clearly characterizes what was in Dynamo before Lichka. And what changed with his arrival. In the RPL the team has only one defeat: in the first round. Then draws alternate organically with victories. All this combined with an attractive game. And no one is surprised that Dynamo is in fourth place, three points behind leader Krasnodar. And this season he will likely compete for a spot in the top three.
Ahead is a match with the same Spartak. And I have the feeling that after the match Lichka will be in a different mood than at the end of August.