The football holiday again passed by, leaving us sadness and unjustified hopes. Summing up the results of the performance of the Russian national team at Euro 2012, many experts disagree. Some consider the result to be a failure, while others speak of bad luck.
The last European Football Championship 2012 brought disappointment to the Russian fans. Not the strongest group that our team got after the draw, as well as a successful game in the last friendly matches before the tournament, inspired optimism in the fans.
A draw with the winners of the last world championship, the Uruguayans, a bright victory over the future finalists of Euro 2012, the Italian team, made us believe in the successful performance of the Russian team. The result of the first meeting with the Czechs only strengthened the hopes, which in the end were not destined to come true.
Meanwhile, there were many prerequisites for the failure of the national team. Incomprehensible, correspondence telephone consultations of a physical training specialist, the management of the team by the head coach, who announced his departure from the national team on the eve of the big tournament, spoke not in favor of our squad.
Dick Advocaat's overly conservative views on the formation of the team, the backbone of which remained unchanged over the years, did not go to the benefit of the Russian national team. New players were hardly called up to the age team. But in 2018 Russia is hosting the World Cup and the highest goals have already been set for the national team. It's time for young footballers to gain experience at the highest level. But how to do it, if they are not even involved in the team.
There was no real leader in the national team who could take over the game at the decisive moment and lead the team forward through "I can't". In the decisive game with Greece, our players lacked the will, and the coach lacked tactical skill. Yes, the rival scored a goal and went into a deep defense. But the defense of the Greeks was not impassable, as the German footballers proved in the quarterfinals.
For the entire match, Dzagoev's kick and one of Kerzhakov's many attempts were remembered. The senseless rolling of the ball around the bush and a couple of dangerous moments in 90 minutes of the game is too little for a modern team that sets itself high tasks, which the ex-head of the Russian Football Union Sergey Fursenko announced from a high rostrum on the eve of the tournament.
