It seems incredibly odd for a new Russian football season to begin with Spartak Moscow not suffering from some kind of internal crisis. The capital club have all too often been the focus of a raging debate about how the once perennial Premier League champions could collapse to the point where European football is no longer a given. Such a demise has been discussed for as long as it has been unfolding, however Valery Karpin’s side have hit the ground running this season in such a manner that some are even beginning to utter the perilous words that ‘this could be the year’.
Spartak have, over the past couple of years, been a side that have looked to retain possession and have ultimately managed to assert their dominance over the smaller teams within the league by starving them of the ball. However, this season’s summer purchases have meant that the team are capable of controlling the ball against the stronger sides in the division, while also having a greater impetus in the final third of the pitch. Tino Costa and Denis Glushakov have been Spartak’s midfield recruits this summer and both players are strong upgrades on what has come before – namely the likes of Demy De Zeeuw and Ibson in recent seasons.
Glushakov presently has the second highest pass completion percentage (90.5%) for a midfielder – behind the controversial Igor Denisov, just signed by Dinamo – and also boasts the most average passes per game in the entire league (76.3). While these statistics are clear expressions of Glushakov’s ability to play short passes within the midfield, he is also equally adept at spreading the play and altering the focus of the team’s attacks through his accurate long balls.
The former Lokomotiv Moscow player has completed 51 of 60 attempted long balls, the strongest in the top flight. With an average of 12.8 accurate long balls per game, Glushakov is streaks ahead of his closest midfield rival, Amkar Perm’s Konstantin Vassilijev, in this respect as the Finnish international currently completes 9 such passes. This is one of the reasons as to why Spartak have been able to successfully exploit the wide areas of the pitch, particularly down the left hand side, where 46% of their attacks stem from.
This has been accompanied by the form of Spartak’s wide forwards, namely Jose Manuel Jurado, Pavel Yakovlev and Aiden McGeady, which has meant that the midfield, particularly Glushakov, have a consistent outlet through which to distribute. Jurado has been particularly impressive in recent weeks, culminating in a scintillating performance against Dinamo Moscow. The Spaniard scored 2 goals and completed 100% of his attempted passes throughout the game, in a performance that fully justified the club’s willingness to turn his loan into a permanent deal over the summer.
It was seen as something of a coup for Spartak to prise Glushakov away from the clutches of Zenit St Petersburg, who had long held an interest in the midfielder during his time at Lokomotiv. The, at the time pending, loss of Denisov to a significant title rival in Anzhi – again, at the time - was thought to have been a signal for the former league champions to up their pursuit of Glushakov, and their seeming reluctance to do so looks set to leave many believing him to be ‘the one that got away’.
This is particularly prevalent when viewed alongside the performances of Zenit’s existing midfielders, who have been unable to come close to replicating Glushakov’s ability to receive the ball and distribute it from the midfield. Axel Witsel is statistically Zenit’s strongest performer centrally, making 61.5 average passes a game, with a completion rate of 85.4%.
Spartak’s midfield purchases have also found themselves receiving praise from the club’s former players, with Sergey Rodionov claiming that ‘with the acquisition of these players the club have hit the nail on the head.’ His words have so far rung true, and Spartak look far more capable of competing with the likes of CSKA and Zenit on a more balanced level than they have in recent years. Rodionov acknowledges the fact that Glushakov and Costa complement one another due to the fact that they both possess such contrasting styles.
Tino Costa has shown that he is more than capable of pushing forward into advanced positions, safe in the knowledge that Glushakov and fellow midfielder Rafael Carioca are filling in the spaces left by his attacking intent. The summer signing from Valencia has already averaged 2.3 shots per game – the second highest in the squad, behind Aiden McGeady – and has completed 0.8 successful dribbles per game. With Glushakov able to retain the ball in deeper areas, Costa finds that he has greater license to try and support the forward line – with his simple tap in against Krylya Sovetov testament to the fact that he has been granted the ability to burst into the box from deep positions.
Spartak may have some way to go to truly convince the doubters that they are capable of finally competing for their first league title since 2001, but there are early signs that an intimidating side is being created. Areas still exist that require attention – primarily in defence – before the days of Oleg Romantsev return to the red and white portion of Moscow, however the future has hardly looked brighter for Spartak during one of the darkest periods in the club’s recent history.
