Selin: Batrakov's second goal doesn't look like a fluke
Aleksey Selin, who was previously a midfielder for the Krasnodar "Kuban" team, shared his thoughts with Euro-Football.Ru network publication reporter Kirill Ivantsov about the Super Cup, the RPL match where "Krasnodar" lost to "Lokomotiv" (1:2), and the championship match where "Baltika" defeated "Spartak" 3:0. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
According to Selin, holding the Super Cup as the first game of the season is not very convenient. He suggests reconsidering this practice.
The best option would be to hold the Super Cup between the second and third rounds of the championship. Currently, both teams are specifically preparing for the Super Cup, which reduces their opportunity to prepare for the championship within one or two weeks, while other teams are directly preparing for the championship.
As a result, the Super Cup often does not showcase bright games, as new players have not yet fully adapted to the team. The reason for "Krasnodar" losing to "Lokomotiv" was noted as a decrease in motivation among players after winning the championship.
At the end of last season, team members experienced many positive emotions, so mental preparation for the new season is somewhat challenging. For this, rotation and new players are necessary.
They have joined the team but are being gradually introduced to the field. In the first round, "Krasnodar" played well and won.
"Lokomotiv," on the other hand, is a solid team that has prepared well for the championship and did not prepare specifically for the Super Cup. While the first goal was scored from a penalty, it is unclear why there was no foul seen in Batrakov's actions regarding the second goal.
He touched the defender's face with his elbow, but VAR did not intervene in this situation. Usually, in such situations at the center of the field, the referee shows a yellow card, so it would have been considered a foul in this episode as well.
After the break, "Krasnodar" slightly changed their playing style and increased the pressure. If the second goal had not gone in, perhaps they could have kept "Lokomotiv" under pressure.
The goal scored in the final minutes softened the defeat, but it could not influence the final result of the game. Selin expressed confidence that "Krasnodar" would draw conclusions in the future.
Additionally, despite being a new team, "Baltika" made a good impression in the match against "Spartak." Unlike many teams, they did not just focus on defense but regularly launched attacks and organized combinations.
"Baltika's" victory was deserved. In the upcoming match in the Russian Cup, "Baltika" will face "Akron," "Krasnodar" will play against "Krylya Sovetov," and "Lokomotiv" will compete with the CSKA team.
