Daily review by Alexey Shevchenko.
Meet
The performance of “Salavat Yulaev” is the same impression as the trips of English football teams to Asia as part of a promotional tour. That is, the masters arrive, the best in the whole country come out against them, almost national teams are formed, and the guests, without forcing, calmly win victories. In the last four matches, Ufa’s players have alternately eliminated Metallurg, Traktor, CSKA and Lokomotiv. That is to say contenders for victory in the Gagarin Cup, at least each of these clubs dreams of organizing a championship parade in April. At the same time, they beat their rivals in different ways. They sidelined the contestants at the conference, with Western teams it turned out less bright and fun, but the power the team displayed at the end of the meetings was striking. They calmly kept CSKA at bay, while Yaroslavl was allowed to be in good spirits until the 57th minute. On the best days, Igor Nikitin’s teams did not miss the two-goal advantage in such a short time. Tema was particularly struck by Hartikainen. Until the 59th minute, the Finnish legionnaire seriously claimed the title of worst player of the match, then suddenly woke up, equalized the score, showing that following him was a futile exercise. He will find a moment for himself.
Despite the result, the people of Yaroslavl liked it. The hockey of Igor Nikitin and Dmitry Yushkevich is very specific, it is impossible to quickly learn what these coaches want to see, so it will take some time for the players to get used to the requirements. And not only did they get used to it, but they also kept their focus until the last minutes. While the lessons are tough. But do not forget that Igor Nikitin himself does not know what kind of coach he is. He won the cup when there was no salary cap, and CSKA had six “fives”. He also has to get used to the fact that you can’t keep 12 forwards and 8 top defenders in the squad.
Defeat
Dynamo continues to lose points. If before everyone believed in the scheme that the Blues and Whites beat medium or weak rivals and were inferior only to serious clubs, the day before there had been a failure. Alexey Kudashov’s team lost to Vityaz on their own ice and lost on the case. I don’t really like the way the coach behaves at a press conference. He explains nothing at all, slaps, does not hide the irritation of the questions. Then the question about Alexandre Pétunine made him furious. Like, what is he playing in the third link? Kudashov suddenly began to remember old grievances. And the reasons for the defeats, according to the coach, can only be reduced to a complicated schedule.
It’s true, the timing is not easy. But after all, the tough training camp is behind us, when the first two weeks the hockey players “died”, not understanding why it was all necessary. And they were told that just to endure the tough fall stage normally, when all the clubs will have a tough schedule. I can not get rid of the idea that the legalization of Andrey Safronov in the Dynamo system also affects. The problems started as soon as his position was announced. Strange staff decisions immediately began, such as the invitation from Anton Vedin, which had failed in Siberia. And the absence of new arrivals is also the fruit of the work. But for Dynamo, it’s a typical situation. When everything is going well in the sports part, people immediately appear, eager to lead. Then the players, the coaches, whoever is to blame. So far, nothing terrible has happened for Dynamo. But he is only 4 points from eighth place. It is not yet a call, but a weak signal that it is time to change.
Defeat
Barys head coach Yuri Mikhailis is expected to be fined for failing to make it to the press conference after being beaten by Severstal. We all understand: there is no desire, I was nervous, but the work of the coach does not stop after the siren. It’s as if a specialist leaves the game after the second period. Yes, and you have to be able to take a punch. Look at Andrey Martemyanov in Sibir. Even after the most offensive defeats, he comes to answer all the questions. It’s not even the answers. Players see all of this, analyze and understand who has a core inside and who has ever swum.
In fact, there is nothing strange that the Kazakhstan team is playing so badly. You can’t say it’s a complete failure. Yuri Mikhailis has beaten SKA twice, once against Avangard and CSKA. But the problems are understandable. This summer we lost almost all of the middle links, those guys who didn’t seem to stand out with great stats, but who were the backbone of the team. Finding a good Legionnaire instead of someone who chose a more lucrative contract is much easier than building two and a half squads from scratch. Also, don’t forget that Barys should be thinking about the national team, and the club don’t have a lot of money, as many didn’t go for fantastic contracts, but for stability. In other words, Mikhailis has nothing to blame. Other questions for the managers who hold the insane Frattin and Berglund invite Thomas and Kunik. And, amicably, we must ask more strictly from Dietz, who, being the most expensive player in the KHL, has the worst utility in the league. It was his terrible mistake that became decisive during yesterday’s meeting with Severstal.
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