Team Focus: Managerless Spartak's Possession Football Not Paying Off

It’s difficult to imagine a club so unstable that within the space of a few weeks they can go from title challengers to mid-table fodder. That’s the situation that Spartak Moscow currently find themselves in, as they head towards the season’s end deeply embroiled in a crisis that shows few signs of abating.

The recent dismissal of Valery Karpin, shortly after the season restarted following the 3-month winter break, was both hugely surprising and to be expected in equal measures. Karpin had been head coach for some 5 years, however during that time he had left the position twice. Following the club’s dismal showings under Michael Laudrup and Unai Emery, Spartak’s owner Leonid Fedun turned to Karpin to try and steady the ship and lead the club back towards their ultimate goal of domestic dominance. Each time Karpin was appointed it was under the expectation that a new coach would be brought to the club in the close season, however the former Celta Vigo midfielder hung on by the skin of his teeth.

Through Karpin’s dismissal Spartak are back to square one in the fact that they must find a new leader capable of reviving a club that has such monumental expectations and yet has never managed to fully be in contention for titles. All too often managerial posts are labelled as being an ‘impossible job’, however it’s a perfect description for a club that continues to be viewed as Russia’s most well-supported.

During Karpin’s reign, Spartak utilised a possession-based game, which attempted to exploit the opposition in wide areas by playing to the strengths of the talents of Jose Manuel Jurado, Aras Ozbiliz and formerly Aiden McGeady, with only Zenit having averaged more dribbles per game this season (7.6). It had appeared as though the additions of Tino Costa and Denis Glushakov in the summer had finally added the imagination and grit in central midfield that was needed to fully enable the wide men to overload the opposition defenders.

Spartak have averaged 60.6% of possession in the Premier League this season – which dwarves the likes of Lokomotiv Moscow (52.9%), Zenit St Petersburg (55.7%) and CSKA Moscow (52.9%) – however, as Bayern Munich found out at Old Trafford recently, possession of the football doesn’t always guarantee results. The problem for Spartak in their pursuit of a new coach is that they seemingly need a man who can make the team’s style of play a success. Sometimes a club must change its philosophy to suit a coach’s style, however there are often times where a coach must adapt their beliefs to fit the club – in Spartak’s case it is likely the latter.

Amkar Perm coach Stanislav Cherchesov was the man who had appeared most likely to take over from the beleaguered Karpin, however negotiations reportedly broke down amid a string of protestations from the club’s supporters. Cherchesov had previously managed Spartak over 6 years ago, and ultimately failed to find success, which gave the impression that the club were taking a step in the wrong direction - despite the coach’s positive results in Perm this season. It’s also worth noting that Amkar have averaged 50.4% possession in the league this season, a statistic that pales in comparison to the club that he could potentially have been heading to.

The problem that Spartak have faced this season is that despite their ability to maintain hold of the ball, the team have failed to make their dominance count in attacking areas. When it comes to the average shots on target per match Spartak, with 4.5, sit in a lowly 8th position – sandwiched between the impotent strike forces of Rubin Kazan and Anzhi Makhachkala. This goes hand in hand with the fact that Spartak predominantly shoot from outside the box, having the 3rd highest percentage of their shots from distance in the division (53%), which shows that the team have been playing in front of the opposition far too often. This has meant that the likes of Yura Movsisyan, and to a lesser extent, Lucas Barrios have been unable to get themselves into goalscoring positions often enough to allow Spartak to maintain their position at the top end of the table.

Seeing Zenit look to the continent in pursuit of their replacement for Luciano Spalletti will have brought back memories of Spartak’s failed attempts to bring Western ideologies and practices to Eastern European football, however Andre Villas Boas’ stylistic approach may well have been a positive fit for Spartak. The issue is that this isn’t necessarily a club that is easy to work within. There are significant confines, particularly in the mould of the club’s owner Leonid Fedun, which serve to make the job an overly political affair. The problem is that there are no obvious native candidates who could take up the role and achieve any degree of success, so Europe may be the only place to look for a coach who ticks the majority of boxes. However, any continental coach would need to be heading into the post with their eyes wide open.

The uncertainty surrounding Spartak’s managerial situation means that the club face a turbulent end to the season, with the prospect of missing out on European football a real concern after a winless streak of 5 games. During the winter months the club were pushing both Lokomotiv and Zenit at the head of the table, with dreams of a long awaited return of the league title sitting in the forefront of many a fan’s mind. Defeats to the likes of Ural and Terek Grozny, with both sides struggling at the foot of the table, as well as the embarrassing 4-0 drubbing in Krasnodar and the home draw against the laughing stock that is Anzhi Makhachkala have put Spartak’s season under a considerably different light.

Instability is rife across Russian football, particularly financially, and Spartak are a perfect of example of how poor decision-making can force a club to be constantly making steps back after seemingly positive moves forward. The club’s style of play, which has become such an integral part of their recent moves in the managerial market, mean that there are limited options available should they seek to maintain such a blueprint. The club have been stung by the likes of Laudrup and Emery so will be hugely apprehensive to make such a high profile move in the summer, but Russia is a barren landscape for coaching talent capable of leading such a prominent club back to the top.

Will Spartak relinquish their European qualification spot between now and the end of the season? Let us know in the comments below