The best CSKA coaches, past and present. How Viktor Goncharenko became the head coach of CSKA Where is the former CSKA football coach now?

Although the appointment of Viktor Goncharenko has not yet been officially announced, it is already an “open secret.” Leonid Slutsky, who left the position of head coach of CSKA, did not hide the name of the successor, and in general such a step looks absolutely logical. It is reported that the contract with the specialist will be signed on Monday, December 12, as soon as CSKA President Evgeny Giner returns to Russia. Let's figure out what to expect from the army team under Goncharenko.

Last weekend in Minsk, Viktor Goncharenko was supposed to be awarded another prize as the best coach in Belarus at the end of the year. The specialist himself could not come to the ceremony - his Ufa had a match with Tom. Instead of himself, he sent his son Artyom, who was awarded the prize. And at Leonid Slutsky’s demobilization banquet in London, Viktor Mikhailovich was also not there, and again for a good reason - he had to thank the Ufa team for six months of joint work.

This is very characteristic of Goncharenko - leaving behind a good trail. He always tries to maintain dignity and, it should be noted, he succeeds. Although being a decent person in our time is not at all easy.

At one time, at the very peak of his career, Goncharenko did not leave BATE, although he had very lucrative offers. But at that moment, the president of the club, Anatoly Kapsky, became seriously ill and actually left the club to the head coach. But Viktor Mikhailovich could not let down his senior comrade, who helped him in difficult times. After all, it was thanks to Kapsky that after a severe injury, defender Goncharenko remained in the club and began his coaching career there. BATE has already sold most of the players who beat Bayern with Goncharenko, but the coach remained. When I couldn’t get into the European competition, I immediately wrote an application, but it was not accepted. And Goncharenko left at the end of the next season, having prepared a replacement in advance. At the request of the club, he transferred matters to his assistant Alexander Ermakovich, although at first it was assumed that they would move to Krasnodar together.

And in Kuban, the collaboration with Goncharenko left a bright mark. The team and the city loved him, the result was good, and so was the game. The fans did not understand why the coach was fired. In the 2014/15 season, the team went on a nine-game undefeated streak from the start and was in the lead. In the tenth round, I played away against the champion CSKA, got involved in open football and was beaten heavily. Then there was a fighting draw with Spartak (3:3), and a victory in Yekaterinburg. And the unexpected dismissal of the coach after the 13th round. With only one defeat and fifth place, one point from second! Formally, “due to the lack of rigidity in communicating with the players,” which caused laughter in the locker room. His place was taken by Leonid Kuchuk, with whom the Kuban team lost nine of the sixteen remaining matches and finished in a deep swamp. And the next year they were relegated from the Premier League.

Then there was Ural and the well-known situation with the debt to Terek. Goncharenko did not wash his dirty linen in public and quietly left. “Sorry, I don’t play such games.” But, in order not to let the club down, he left his assistant Vadim Skripchenko, with whom he worked together at BATE and Kuban. Thanks to the general attention caused by Goncharenko’s departure, Skripchenko got the opportunity to play fairly in the match with Terek and begin an independent career. True, a year later the situation repeated itself and he also left.

And then, last September, Goncharenko went “nowhere.” It was then that an offer came from Leonid Slutsky and the CSKA club. It was about joining the coaching staff and helping the head coach, who combined posts in the club and the national team. The proposal came from Slutsky himself, so a situation with “piracy” could not arise. Viktor Mikhailovich agreed.

It is worth noting that Goncharenko and Slutsky have known each other for a long time, since the times when they were considered the youngest coaches of the Champions League with their BATE and CSKA. They have a lot in common. Both were from small provincial towns, both were left without fathers early (Viktor Mikhailovich’s father took part in the Chernobyl epic and soon died from the consequences), and early felt responsibility for the family. And their football career ended prematurely, except that Goncharenko still managed to play for the Belarusian youth team and play eighty matches for BATE in the national championship. But already at 25, after breaking the “crosses”, he finished his performances. Goncharenko headed BATE in 2008, Slutsky CSKA in 2009. Viktor Mikhailovich is the best coach in Belarus in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and Leonid Viktorovich is the best coach in Russia for the seasons 2012/13, 2013/14, 2015/16. Both are absolute football fanatics, they try to understand the game on an intellectual, not an emotional level, they love to analyze and work on tactics. They follow everything that happens in world football and are constantly learning.

It is wrong to say that Goncharenko was the second coach of the army team or Slutsky’s assistant, this is an inaccurate definition. The second coach is the conductor of the main coach’s ideas, his person in the locker room, capable of explaining to the players in more detail and clearly what is required of them. At CSKA, these functions are assigned to Viktor Onopko and Sergei Ovchinnikov.

Slutsky needed Goncharenko more as an opponent for discussions, as a person capable of offering an alternative point of view. Previously, in this capacity we saw Valery Kuzmich Nepomnyashchiy, who, like Goncharenko, was always ready to express his point of view, argue, give advice, but not insist on its implementation. Goncharenko did the same and also tactfully did not interfere with Slutsky’s decisions and attitudes. And of course, such a role did not completely suit him, which he initially warned the army leadership about. Independent work is a priority for any coach. Therefore, the story with Ufa also looks extremely correct, and for all parties. It was agreed in advance that if the situation at CSKA changed, Goncharenko would return to Moscow; the Ufa residents knew about this from the beginning.

What will change in CSKA with the arrival of Goncharenko? Rumors about the departure of Onopko and Ovchinnikov are unlikely to come true, because Viktor Mikhailovich does not have his own headquarters to follow on his heels. That is, this is a matter of personal relationships between people, and not a change in the coaching team. Goncharenko, Onopko and Ovchinnikov worked together for almost a year, lived at training camps, and communicated. They have built some kind of relationship that will become decisive.

If we talk about the playing style, he will definitely become more aggressive. All of Goncharenko's teams acted assertively and tightly, trying to put a lot of pressure in the center and in the opponent's half. Sometimes they fought on the verge of acceptable harshness, sometimes even beyond the limit. Especially when there was a lack of skill, like, say, BATE in meetings with Bayern. This aggressive style is now in fashion, it is professed by Diego Simeone, Antonio Conte, Jurgen Klopp. When they lose the ball, their players run forward rather than backward, immediately trying to force a fight. They play as close to their opponents as possible, they don’t allow you to think calmly or even breathe. We see something similar with Ufa; it is no coincidence that its central defender Viktor Vasin is the best this season in terms of the number of interceptions. By the way, in terms of this indicator, the Ufa team is the leader of the Premier League, and in second place in terms of the number of fouls. And it is logical that Goncharenko wants to immediately return Vasin to CSKA (he is on loan at Ufa), because the army’s aged central defenders are unlikely to be able to play in such a manner. Previously, Ignashevich often pulled into the center of the field and played ahead, but now he is forced to take the gap - the starting speed is no longer the same.

It is possible that some of the other loaned army players will return to Moscow: Tkachev, Efremov, Panchenko, Bazelyuk. Goncharenko loves disciplined and selfless players who do not skimp on strength and do not take care of themselves or their opponents. However, what can you expect from a person who grew up in the traditions of “sincere football” by Eduard Malafeev - the stellar era of Belarusian sports.

Most likely, CSKA will try to play faster under Goncharenko. In any case, the long positional plays performed by his teams do not come to mind. But you can expect devastating flank attacks and maximum speed when leaving the defense. He will likely need a fast, assertive forward who can play up front and a light-footed, technical wing. In principle, there are such players in the army team, the only question is their use. Much will depend on whether Alan Dzagoev, who does not hide his desire to leave for Europe, remains on the team. Without it, we will have to solve the problem of launching attacks differently.

One way or another, you shouldn’t expect major changes. Goncharenko is mentally close to Slutsky, and the stylistic differences in the coaching style often depend on the quality of the available players. Viktor Mikhailovich is one of those who tries to make the most of what is available, and not demand from the management to buy stars under the coaching concept. And this is exactly what CSKA needs now.

On March 23, CSKA terminated the contract with Dmitry Kvartalnov by mutual agreement of the parties. At the moment, the army club is either still searching for a new head coach, or has already decided on a candidate. CSKA President Igor Esmantovich said that the decision to part with Kvartalny was made primarily due to the fact that the specialist was unable to complete the main task - to win the Gagarin Cup. BUSINESS Online provides a list of specialists who may soon lead the Moscow club. A new CSKA coach could be appointed tomorrow.

VYACHESLAV BYKOV, CONSULTANT TO THE CHIEF COACH OF HC "FRIBURG"

According to our newspaper, the first candidate to replace Dmitry Kvartalnov as head coach of CSKA was the famous former army hockey player, who also worked as a coach in his native club from 2004 to 2009, two-time Gagarin Cup winner Vyacheslav Bykov. The specialist, after winning the KHL championship in the 2014/15 season with SKA, left the coaching bridge and never returned to it. In October 2016, Bykov said that he was offered work in Switzerland (Bykov himself now lives in this country) and Russia. Now Bykov is on the board of trustees of the local club Friborg and advises the head coach of the team where he spent 8 years of his hockey career.

Will Bykov want to exchange a quiet and calm life in Switzerland for constant nerves in CSKA, where they will demand only one thing from him, just like anyone else - victory in the Gagarin Cup. Now the situation is such that he is not yet ready to go to Russia. But, perhaps, Bykov is one of those who is capable of achieving big victories with the Muscovites, as well as solving the club’s problems with attendance, so CSKA may be worth trying to persuade the eminent specialist to take the helm of the team.

ANDREY NIKOLYSHIN, UNEMPLOYED

According to our data, Andrei Nikolishin, who is known for his performances in the NHL and for the Russian national team, has the greatest chance of becoming the coach of CSKA. In addition, he played one season for CSKA from 2004 to 2005. He also reported CSKA’s interest in the Sport Express specialist. Nikolishin himself denied this information. Nikolishin's coaching career began in 2014. Then the young specialist headed Traktor. Under his leadership, the Chelyabinsk club managed to reach the playoffs, where they lost to Siberia in the first round. The specialist also managed to work at Amur, with whom he failed to reach the playoffs of the 2015/16 season. It must be taken into account that Nikolishin only recently completed his sports career and he is still a very young specialist. In addition, they say that in the same “Traktor” he had a conflict with the players, since the hockey players were not ready to train twice a day. And the CSKA hockey players, who were afraid to even smile under Kvartalnov, will definitely not be scared by this. One of Nikolishin's significant advantages over other candidates is that he is personally acquainted with Esmantovich, who, of course, has the greatest influence on important decisions in the club as the club president.

IGOR NIKITIN, IDEOLOGIST OF KVARTALNOV

After Kvartalnov’s dismissal from CSKA, the army leadership did not say a word about what fate awaited his assistant Igor Nikitin and other members of his coaching staff. Perhaps this happened due to the fact that CSKA is seriously considering Nikitin’s candidacy. However, he is the specialist who fully professed Kvartalnov’s ideology. For example, Nikitin also advocated strict discipline. And serious changes are ripe in CSKA, which could lead the team to victory in the Gagarin Cup. We need to change a philosophy that does not bring ultimate success. But not only can Nikitin be called an obvious supporter of Kvartalnov, but as a coach he did not achieve much success. Therefore, his appointment to the post of army team mentor seems unlikely.

GORDIE DWYER, YOUNG AND FUN

Perhaps CSKA should take a closer look at the former head coach of Medvescak, Gordie Dwyer, who managed to turn the Croatian club into a fairly nice team and a combat-ready team in two seasons. The 39-year-old specialist left Medvescak after the regular season of the current season, as he received an offer from the Swiss team Ambri-Piotta. And the young coach decided to try himself in this project. But if offered by CSKA, Dwyer may well leave the Swiss team and return to the KHL. After all, the army team will again set the task of winning the Gagarin Cup. And Dwyer, like any other Canadian hockey player in the past, is a maximalist.

VYACHESLAV BUTSAEV, PROMISING

Another free, promising specialist on the coaching market is Vyacheslav Butsaev, who recently completed his hockey career. However, he has already achieved some success as a coach. Butsaev reached the KHL playoffs with HC Sochi for two seasons. But this season his team took only ninth place in the regular season and was unable to continue the fight for the Gagarin Cup. After this, Butsaev had to leave Sochi.

Note that Butsaev already worked with CSKA in the 2012/13 season. Then, with the army team, he took second place in the regular season and was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

IGOR ZAKHARKIN, EX-COACH OF “SALAVAT”

You can also call two-time Gagarin Cup winner Igor Zakharkin a good candidate for the post of head coach of CSKA, who was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round this season, losing to Ak Bars in five matches. According to the specialist, it was difficult for the Ufa team to win with such injuries.

The Bykov-Zakharkin tandem, which has always achieved success everywhere and always, seems almost ideal. With the Russian team, the specialists became two-time world champions, and with SKA and Salavat Yulaev they won the Gagarin Cup once. Maybe it would be appropriate for the army club to combine Zakharkin’s theoretical base and Bykov’s applied knowledge to achieve success?

It is not only one of the most famous football clubs in Russian football, but also in the post-Soviet space. This is one of the few clubs that were able to win not only the USSR and Russian championships, but also became European trophies. How did this club manage to gain such popularity among football fans and how are things going with the modern CSKA football club? What hopes do the players and coaches have for this season?

The best CSKA coaches of the past

It's no secret that the success of a sports club is largely due to the coaching staff leading this team. CSKA coaches usually did not stay in this position for long. Therefore, the best can be called specialists who not only managed to spend the most time at the helm of this team, but also won the most titles with it. If we consider the history of this outstanding club, then the absolute leader in this race is Leonid Slutsky.

If we consider the history of the club, CSKA football coaches rarely spent several seasons in a row as head coach. In contrast, Leonid Slutsky spent seven years on the main bridge of the team. Moreover, in the last three years he led the team to the championship.

Current CSKA coaches

If we talk about the current mentors of this club, Leonid Slutsky was replaced in this post by Viktor Goncharenko. This Belarusian specialist achieved his main successes in the Belarusian championship together with the BATE team. After the end of the contract with this team, he managed several Russian clubs, all quite successfully. He was even a member of Leonid Slutsky’s coaching staff, being the team’s senior coach. Since December 2016 - head football coach of CSKA.

Football fans' expectations for the club this season

The main question that worries fans of the legendary club concerns whether CSKA coaches, led by Viktor Goncharenko, will be able to continue the three-year hegemony of their favorite club in domestic football. In the current championship, Viktor Goncharenko has left a good legacy. The team is currently in third place in the championship and is eight points behind the leading Spartak. But under the leadership of the current head coach, the club has not played a single game. The main intrigue of the season is whether this gap will be reduced and whether CSKA will be able to get ahead of Zenit, which is in second?

After his last match as head coach, CSKA rushed to the fan stand to finally “talk frankly” with a boorish fan who once promised to buy an inflatable hippopotamus for the stand (he didn’t), give Wernbloom a car (he did) and constantly insulted the head coach trainer.

The main reasons for Slutsky’s departure are easy to list. Fatigue after a difficult (coached both the club and the national team) and unsuccessful season: the failure of the national team, and the club was not in the Champions League zone, flew out of the Cup and the Champions League, and was even left without the Europa League.

After 7 years of successful work in the absence of money and the necessary personnel for a new rise - how can all this serve as motivation? We can recall the loss of support from fans, and the unpleasant story of Roman Eremenko’s disqualification for using cocaine (the press cited anonymous statements from players that other players on the team could take cocaine as a way to quickly recover from a hangover before training after a fun weekend! Believe it or not hard, but such a version exists), and uncertainty with the squad - for this championship season the club did not buy anyone (they only rented out Traore and Ionov, who did not live up to expectations), but what will happen next year?

They are openly talking about the possible sale of Alan, the defense line is brothers who have long been Balzac's age, young Golovin and Chalov are promising, but a completely new coach should build a completely new team, and not a three-time Russian champion, in whom, I hope this is true, there is interest European clubs.

Moreover, there is such a new coach. Slutsky number two. Slutsky never played professional football, Viktor Goncharenko played only in Belarus and finished at the age of 25 with an injury. He was already at CSKA - an assistant to Slutsky, who let him go to coach Ufa this year, but with a clause in the contract - the possibility of returning to the club if necessary. The need has arrived.

The heated discussion was not caused by possible changes in the composition of the new head coach, not by a discussion of his tactical model, not by forecasts of his success at the club, but by how to correctly spell his last name.

All his life in Russia they wrote his last name “Goncharenko”, and no one looked at his Belarusian passport (“Viktar Mikhailavich Gancharenka”), but becoming a CSKA coach was like a second life. Now there is a mixture of languages: Russian and Belarusian. So, in Russian they wrote - Goncharenko. In Belarusian - Gancharenka. It turned out - Gancharenko.

At the same time, the coach himself previously did not pay attention to the spelling of his last name. When issuing a passport for sovereign Belarus, the passport officer, instead of his birth name Goncharenko, wrote it in Belarusian “Gancharenko”. “All citizens were offered a choice of two spellings of their surname - traditional Soviet and Belarusian. I have a Belarusian transcription in my passport. Being young, I didn’t pay attention to such subtleties. I myself write my surname with the letter “o”, I’m used to it,” said future coach of CSKA.

They say that one day he wanted to correct this mistake, but he would have to fill out so many papers, change so many documents that he gave up and left everything as it was.

But since CSKA decided to start a new life, maybe the Belarusian coach will decide to start all over again? And in CSKA’s application, and on the club’s official website, and on the official RFPL website, he is announced as Viktor Gancharenko.

Zenit fans recognized the surname - then still with an "o" - of Goncharenko in 2008, when the young Belarusian coach led his club BATE (Borisov) to the group stage of the Champions League. Goncharenko not only became the youngest coach in the history of this tournament, but also achieved a draw with Zenit at Petrovsky - 1:1. And here Zenit found itself in good company, because Goncharenko’s team played two draws with Juventus - both at home and away.

Naturally, the young coach forced himself to be respected, so Russian clubs began to look at him. They wrote that Lokomotiv was interested in him, but Goncharenko remained in Belarus and for the first time in the history of Belarusian football led the team to the playoffs of the Champions League, where they lost to PSG in the 1/16 finals only due to the difference in goals at home and away.

Having signed a contract with Kuban, after 13 rounds Goncharenko was with the Krasnodar team in fifth place in the Russian Championship, 1 point behind second place, but was dismissed with the idiotic wording “due to a lack of rigidity in communicating with players.” After Goncharenko's dismissal, Kuban won only one match in this draw.

Another noisy resignation of Goncharenko was from Ural before the match with Terek, when there were strong suspicions about a contractual nature. Non-participation in behind-the-scenes games, of course, commands respect.

Now Viktor Gancharenko (let’s call him that at CSKA) must create a playing team with a minimum budget, carry out a change of generations and set some new goals for the players. Whether he will do it through “a” or through “o”, club owner Evgeniy Giner is not interested. The main thing is that the new coach does not ask for money. But this one is not used to asking.

Select the fragment with the error text and press Ctrl+Enter