Strong mentality was needed in the Barco penalty shootout
Former defensive midfielder and former player of Krasnodar's "Kuban" team, Aleksey Selin, in an interview with Kirill Ivantsov, a correspondent of the "Euro-Football.Ru" publication, shared his thoughts on Spartak's 2:1 victory over Sochi, the factors that influenced this win, and the appointment of Igor Osinkin as the head coach of the "bars" team. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
Commenting on Stankovich's luck, Selin noted that Spartak secured a very narrow victory against the last-placed team, but had previously shown good results in matches against Zenit and Rubin. The team was expected to continue developing in the next stage after that game.
Additionally, Selin mentioned that criticism against Stankovich might start again. Speaking about the duel between Barco and the goalkeepers, he pointed out that Barco took the penalty again at the end of the game, highlighting Barco's strong mentality in this situation.
Some goalkeepers have studied Barco's shots and noted that he often waits for the goalkeeper to dive to one side and then shoots to the opposite side. However, this time the goalkeeper stood firm until the end and almost saved Barco's shot.
Regarding why Spartak did not substitute the penalty taker, Selin said that Barco had touched the ball twice during a penalty in the previous game and wanted to correct that mistake. If his foot had not slipped then, Barco would probably have accurately directed the ball into the goal.
About the coaching change at Sochi, Selin emphasized that Osinkin had worked well for several years at Krylya Sovetov, where he discovered many players. Some of the current Sochi players also played in Samara under Osinkin's leadership.
Selin expressed hope that Osinkin would bring quality football and combination play to the team but noted that lack of time was a problem. Sochi is currently in last place, and Osinkin did not participate in the preseason preparations.
He said it would become clear over time whether the new coach could implement his style. Also, in the eighth round, Sochi will play against Krylya Sovetov, while Spartak will face Dinamo in the Moscow derby.
