Russia (Group D)
Squad | Scouting Report | Road to Euro 2008 | Euro History
| Squad | ||
| Player | Position | Club |
| Igor Akinfeyev | Goalkeeper | CSKA Moscow |
| Vyacheslav Malafeyev | Goalkeeper | Zenit St Petersburg |
| Vladimir Gabulov | Goalkeeper | Amkar Perm |
| Sergei Ignashevich | Defender | CSKA Moscow |
| Alexei Berezutsky | Defender | CSKA Moscow |
| Vasily Berezutsky | Defender | CSKA Moscow |
| Alexander Anyukov | Defender | Zenit St Petersburg |
| Denis Kolodin | Defender | Dynamo Moscow |
| Renat Yanbayev | Defender | Lokomotiv Moscow |
| Diniyar Bilyaletdinov | Midfielder | Lokomotiv Moscow |
| Yuri Zhirkov | Midfielder | CSKA Moscow |
| Igor Semshov | Midfielder | Dynamo Moscow |
| Dmitry Torbinsky | Midfielder | Lokomotiv Moscow |
| Vladimir Bystrov | Midfielder | Spartak Moscow |
| Konstantin Zyryanov | Midfielder | Zenit St Petersburg |
| Roman Shirokov | Midfielder | Zenit St Petersburg |
| Sergei Semak | Midfielder | Rubin Kazan |
| Andrei Arshavin | Forward | Zenit St Petersburg |
| Pavel Pogrebnyak | Forward | Zenit St Petersburg |
| Roman Pavlyuchenko | Forward | Spartak Moscow |
| Dmitry Sychev | Forward | Lokomotiv Moscow |
| Roman Adamov | Forward | FK Moscow |
| Ivan Saenko | Forward | Nuremberg |
| Head Coach: | Guus Hiddink | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Dutch coach Guus Hiddink took over the Russian national team in the summer of 2006 and aside from giving several young players a chance, his biggest change was switching from the 3-5-2 formation of his predecessor to a traditional 4-4-2 setup, and he will often use a 4-5-1 formation. Defensive stability remains the hallmark of the team, which plays with a flat-back four and takes few chances. Russia wears teams down with their possession game and when they don't have the ball, they're looking to strike back on a quick counterattack. The attack is launched from midfield, where the Russians play a technical style, using a series of quick and short passes to move the ball around and pry open the defence. A playmaking midfielder (Diniyar Bilyaletdinov) plays in the centre of midfield, just ahead of a pair of defensive, ball-wining midfielders (Igor Semshov and Konstantin Zyryanov) who line up in front of the defence. Hiddink also likes to attack down the wings and relies on his wide midfielders (Dmitry Torbinsky on the left, Vladimir Bystrov on the right) to fly down the flanks and play dangerous crosses into the box where the lone striker (Roman Pavlyuchenko) can make use of his height.
Probable starting formation (4-5-1): (GK) Akinfeyev - (D) Anyukov, Kolodin, Ignashevich, Shirokov - (M) Bystrov, Semshov, Bilyaletdinov, Zyryanov, Torbinsky - (F) Pavlyuchenko
Strengths
Mix of old and young – Dutch coach Guus Hiddink has made major personnel changes since taking over the team in 2006, showing several aging players the door and deputizing a handful of youngsters, most notably naming 22-year old Igor Akinfeyev as the team's starting goalkeeper. Hiddink has struck a perfect balance between youth and experience, which should serve Russia well at Euro.
Coaching – Hiddink is one of the most respected tacticians in international soccer and is renowned for building strong teams that are worth far more than the sum of their parts – he took South Korea to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, and Australia to the second round two years ago in Germany. The Dutchman knows his managerial onions and always inspires his team members to play well above their heads.
Organization – Opposing teams will find it difficult to score against Russia. The Russians conceded just seven goals in 12 qualifying games (four in two contests against England) and posted a remarkable eight shutouts.
Weaknesses
Arshavin suspension – The loss of influential forward and captain Andrei Arshavin (he's been suspended for the first two games of the first round) is a crippling blow to a Russian team short of attacking players. Arshavin is a vital cog in the Russian attack due to his probing runs, scoring ability and playmaking skills, not to mention his invaluable leadership. He will be sorely missed.
Attacking depth – With Arshavin suspended and veteran striker Alexander Kerzhakov overlooked by Hiddink, Russia is dangerously short of attacking options both in midfield and at the forward position. Dmitri Sychev, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Roman Pavlyuchenko were inconsistent during the qualifiers and need to step it up.
History – Russia's record in international competition makes for grim reading. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has qualified for four major tournaments (the 1994 and 2002 World Cup, Euro 1996 and 2004) but failed to progress beyond the first round each time. Russia will be hard-pressed to overcome this mental obstacle this summer.
Players to watch
Igor Akinfeyev – Russia's third-string goalkeeper at Euro 2004, Akinfeyev has firmly established himself as his country's starting shot stopper. Akinfeyev is only 22, but he plays as though he is a veteran and is considered one of the top emerging young goalkeepers in European soccer. He's coming off a six-month layoff due to knee problems, so he'll be anxious to prove himself at Euro.
Roman Pavlyuchenko – A talented striker with an attitude – he once punched an opposing coach – Pavlyuchenko has a reputation for scoring outrageous, highlight-reel goals. Quick with the ball at his feet and possessing a delicate touch, Pavlyuchenko was the top scorer in the Russian league in 2006 and 2007.
Konstantin Zyryanov – The glue that holds the midfield together. Zyryanov is a hardworking, holding midfielder who does the dirty work, providing others with the space to take care of marshalling the attack. Named Russian player of the year in 2007, he can also be deployed in an attacking/creative role just behind the strikers, and chips in with the odd goal.
Key injuries/sqaud omissions: Midfielders Alexander Pavlenko and Oleg Ivanov were included in coach Guus Hiddink's provisional squad, but did not make the final cut due to a lack of international experience. A surprise omission was Alexander Kerzhakov. The striker was Russia's top scorer in the qualifiers, but he struggled since joining Dynamo Moscow from Sevilla in February. Striker Pavel Pogrebnyak might miss the tournament with a knee injury suffered in a recent exhibition game.
Road to Euro 2008
1st round matches:
June 10 vs. Spain (Innsbruck)
June 14 vs. Greece (Salzburg)
June 18 vs. Sweden (Innsbruck)
Euro 2008 qualification route
Finished second in qualifying Group 5 (24 points) behind first-place Croatia (29 points).
Record in qualifying: 7 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses
Goals for: 18
Goals against: 7
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Aleksandr Kerzhakov (5)
Qualifying results:
09.09.2006: Russia 0 - Croatia 0
10.07.2006: Russia 1 - Israel 1
10.11.2006: Russia 2 - Estonia 0
11.15.2006: Russia 2 - Macedonia 0
03.24.2007: Russia 2 - Estonia 0
06.02.2007: Russia 4 - Andorra 0
06.06.2007: Russia 0 - Croatia 0
09.08.2007: Russia 3 - Macedonia 0
09.12.2007: Russia 0 - England 3
10.17.2007: Russia 2 - England 1
11.17.2007: Russia 1 - Israel 2
11.21.2007: Russia 1 - Andorra 0
Euro History
Number of Previous Euro Appearances: 8
All-time record: 22 GP - 8 W, 5 T, 9 L
Goals for: 24
Goals against: 28
Most appearances: Sergei Aleinikov and Oleg Kuznetsov (7)
Most goals: Valentin Ivanov and Viktor Ponedelnik (3)
Biggest win: 3-0 vs. Czechoslovakia in 1960, 3-0 vs. Denmark in 1964
Biggest loss: 0-3 vs. West Germany in 1972, 0-3 vs. Scotland in 1992, 0-3 vs. Germany in 1996
Euro results:
1960 to 1988 - Competed as Soviet Union
1992 - Competed as Commonwealth of Independent States
Participated in Euro qualifiers for first time as Russia in 1996 following the break up of the Soviet Union.
1960 - CHAMPIONS
1964 - runners-up
1968 - semifinals
1972 - runners-up
1976 - did not qualify
1980 - did not qualify
1984 - did not qualify
1988 - runners-up
1992 - first round
1996 - first round
2000 - did not qualify
2004 - first round
Legends from the past
Lev Yashin: Regarded as the greatest goalkeeper of all-time, Yashin is credited with modernizing the position. Yashin represented the Soviet Union 78 times between 1954 and 1967, playing in three World Cups, and lead his country to the semifinals of the 1966 World Cup.
Oleg Blokhin: Blokhin was a superb striker with Dynamo Kiev from 1970 to 1987, leading the club to eight Russian league titles. He scored 42 goals in 112 appearances for the Russian national team and was voted European player of the year in 1975.