Table of Contents
- 1 “It’s funny when Beskov is called a dictator”
- 2 “Maksimenko is on the same level as Leshchuk”
- 3 “The defeat to Leeds in the UEFA Cup was the most disappointing”
- 4 How a Dynamo veteran monitored Ukrainian drones
- 5 **Given Smetanin’s critique of modern goalkeeping styles, how might a coach balance respecting tradition with adapting to the evolving demands of the game?**
Goalkeeper Andrei Smetanin is a two-time Russian football champion with Spartak and winner of the national Cup with Dynamo. In an interview with Lenta.ru, the goalkeeper remembered what the great Fedor Cherenkov was like in the game, revealed some features of the work of the legendary coach Konstantin Beskov, and also told how he once punched the referee. The goalkeeper, famous in the 1990-2000s, spoke about his attitude towards foreign coaches, identified the main problem of Russian football and named the culprit in the recent fight in the CSKA-Spartak derby.
“It’s funny when Beskov is called a dictator”
“Lenta.ru”: This fall they remember the legendary Fyodor Cherenkov. Did you get to play with him?
Andrey Smetanin: Against him – yes. And they performed together in veterans’ tournaments. Once we came to play in Lytkarino: I was asked to replace in Spartak [Рината] Dasaeva, there are all great people around – Georgy Alexandrovich [Ярцев]Yuri Vasilievich [Гаврилов]Oleg Ivanovich [Романцев]Fedor Fedorovich. The game begins, Cherenkov gets a pass, and I start telling him: “Behind!” He didn’t even have time to shout, and he was already without the ball. And so another time, a third… In the end, he waved his hand: “That’s it, I won’t tell you any more, you already know everything.” He had eyes in the back of his head!
Spartak team player Fedor Cherenkov (left) approaches the penalty area
Photo: RIA Novosti
Do you approve of the fashion for foreign coaches in Spartak, which is not a stranger to you?
To be honest, I have a very bad attitude towards this trend – and it’s not just about Spartak. Foreigners are invited to stage the game, but what do we see? Crazy people are running along the sidelines and starting to yell. They are trying to justify them: they say that the coach was overwhelmed by emotions. Yes, what emotions are there… Can you imagine that Konstantin Ivanovich [Бесков] ran along the sideline? But his emotions were also running wild.
By the way, you had a chance to work with him at Dynamo. How do you remember the late Beskov?
It’s funny when they call him a dictator. I just don’t understand it. I have the best memories of Beskov, especially since he didn’t touch me at all. He said: “You can’t touch the goalkeepers and Fedya Cherenkov.”
Did Beskov drink alcohol during your time?
The administrator was always with him [Владимир] Mironov, who never parted with his harness. I think he was concocting something for him… We called this drink Mironovka. Once we were playing in Rostov-on-Don, we were calmly leading 2:0 after the first half, it was a one-goal game. We finished 2:2, I went into the locker room, and Konstantin Ivanovich was sitting there in the pose of an Associate Professor from “Gentlemen of Fortune.” He says: “Andrey, how are we doing with this? [хламом] can we win something?!” And shows a characteristic gesture.
In the mid-1990s, Beskov’s tough temperament did not manifest itself as often as before?
He wanted to stage the game he liked, not the one the team was ready for. Every morning Konstantin Ivanovich put the players opposite each other, and they made passes. And so for about 20 minutes. Two began to be indignant: “Why did he come to us, we already know how to do everything!” In general, they were outraged – they were no longer on the team.
Then he no longer watched matches from the stands?
As usual, first half. Then he went down to the bench.
Konstantin Beskov conducts a tactical lesson for Spartak players, 1983
Photo: Igor Utkin / TASS
“Maksimenko is on the same level as Leshchuk”
The fight in the recent CSKA-Spartak derby overshadowed the game itself. Who is right and who is wrong in this incident?
Clueless Rocha. [Руслан] Litvinov came to break things up and also received a beating. Bye [в Россию] Foreign football players didn’t come, we didn’t have anything like that. It was the legionnaires who brought all this negativity to us.
Have you ever taken part in skirmishes on the field?
I couldn’t resist only once – I hit the referee Vladimir Ovchinnikov in the neck, who “fused” us in the final of the 1997 Russian Cup (“Dynamo” lost to “Lokomotiv” 0:2. – approx. “Tapes.ru”). Okay, they didn’t delete it. Now we sometimes meet at the veteran tournament “Neverfading Stars”. I look at him and think: how I would have given him!
Why did he annoy you so much?
We were on fire almost the entire match: neither here nor there. In the end he’s one violation [правил со стороны игроков «Локомотива»] misses, second, third – and we score a second. Naturally, I came running: I was already on edge, but here there was such injustice. I had to screw him up a little…
Who has a stronger goalkeeper team now: Spartak or Dynamo?
It seems to me the same. I think [Александр] Maksimenko is approximately on the same level with [Игорем] Sea bream
Goalkeeper of Moscow “Spartak” Alexander Maksimenko
Photo: Sergey Savostyanov / TASS
Which Russian goalkeeper do you like best?
At the moment, no one. [Игоря] At the same time, I consider Akinfeev to be one of the legends and do not talk about him. You know, in Soviet times, each team had two goalkeepers, each of whom could easily play for the USSR national team. Who would fit into that team now?
Would Matvey Safonov really not have pulled it off?
I don’t see how he would stand out [на общем фоне].
What do you like about Russian football?
Now the limit has been tightened a little [на легионеров]and young guys began to appear – in Dynamo, Spartak and other teams. Very promising [Алексей] Farmers from Lokomotiv. If the limit had not been tightened, foreign players would have continued to be hired for these places. And ours would still show hope.
Matvey Safonov misses a goal from Zenit
Photo: Petr Kovalev / TASS
“The defeat to Leeds in the UEFA Cup was the most disappointing”
Why did you become a goalkeeper?
He was always big and played for the senior team. One day our goalkeepers were unable to complete the exercise that the coach showed, but I succeeded. So I ended up at the gate for the rest of my life.
How did you get from Perm to Moscow?
Arrived at the end of 1987. Before that, with Zvezda we won everything that could be won. They won their second league zone and advanced to the first division. Dynamo selector Evgeny Baykov noticed me at the game with Zorkiy and thrust a piece of paper with a phone number: “Call me!” Our coach Viktor Slesarev then drove him away.
But did Dynamo persist?
Then we sit at the base and watch video – a rarity for 1987. Suddenly Slesarev calls me: “Are you rooting for CSKA or Dynamo?” Out of the blue, I said what Dynamo was. “Well done, they’ve come for you!” It turned out that he was sitting in the corner of the room [руководитель московского клуба Николай] Tolstykh heard everything. They decided everything for me, so at the end of 1987 I ended up in Moscow. The question arose about military registration.
Internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs?
Yes. Moreover, when I had already flown away, a captain and two machine gunners showed up early in the morning at my mother-in-law’s and wife’s apartment in Perm—and I got married at 18 years old.
Did you want to “shave” at CSKA?
More likely.
But in 1998, you managed to move from Dynamo to Spartak without a scandal. How did you do it?
In fact, it was not I who moved to Spartak, but Tolstykh who sent me there. We had a good 1997 season and took third place. We went to a training camp in France, and in a test game I suffered a meniscus injury. This means I was left without football for at least a month. They gave me a ticket and told me to fly to Belgium, and I didn’t even know English. Somehow I finally found a clinic and they operated on me. Then he returned to Dynamo, but the coaching staff changed and relied on other goalkeepers. The season started poorly and there were losses. Tolstykh cut his salary by 30 percent and said that he would give everything back as soon as we started winning.
Did you keep your word?
No.
Is that why you left?
One day I’m sitting at home, Grisha Esaulenko (vice-president of Spartak) calls me. approx. “Tapes.ru”), with whom we have been familiar for a long time. He asked me what I thought about the transition. And then he’ll be stunned: Tolstoy and I have already agreed on everything, you’re in Spartak.
Goalkeepers Alexander Filimonov and Andrei Smetanin at Spartak training, 2000
Photo: Grigory Filippov / TASS
What was your relationship with the first number of the red and white Alexander Filimonov?
We still communicate well. Moreover, he got along with all the goalkeepers with whom he was on the same team. They can call me, and I can call them.
What’s the most disappointing defeat of your career?
In the UEFA Cup from Leeds in 1999. We fell just a little short then, and in some places we were unlucky. I don’t remember such a time that I made a serious mistake and we lost because of it.
Due to abnormally cold weather in Moscow, Spartak had to play their home game with Leeds in Bulgaria, 2:1. And away you conceded in the end and lost 0:1…
In the first game in Bulgaria [защитник] Dima Khlestov, to put it mildly, gave a shit. If it weren’t for our Baresi’s failure, we would have won the first game 2:0 and would have advanced further.
By the way, which of the defenders of that Romantsev’s “Spartak” was especially good?
I will name the one who acted above them – the defensive midfielder [Виктора] Bulatova. That’s who insured the defense and burned out his part of the field, succeeding everywhere!
In the spring of 2000, Spartak put together an impressive series in the championship, winning five victories and drawing with Lokomotiv, when Andrei Tikhonov missed a penalty in the 90th minute. In all these games, it was you who defended the red-white goal. Why then did they give up post No. 1 to Filimonov?
In the semi-finals of the Russian Cup we lost to CSKA 1:3. In the first half, their striker went one on one, and I, as Lev Ivanovich taught [Яшин]walked forward with his hands. They ended up kicking me in the back of the head. Then I stood there and no longer understood anything. During the break I told the doctor [Юрию] Vasilkov, that everything is swimming in his eyes. As a result, I was replaced, Sasha came out and then gave a good series [матчей].
At the end of 2000, Spartak took the Ukrainian goalkeeper Maxim Levitsky. How did you feel about this?
Oleg Ivanovich fell in love with him, but I don’t know why.
Filimonov in a game against Lokomotiv, 2000
Photo: Grigory Filippov / TASS
Three days before the start of the 2001 season, you found yourself in Sokol, which made its debut in the major league…
Dima Tyapushkin, with whom we played for Dynamo, called to Saratov. The conditions were good, almost like in Spartak. [Тренер вратарей красно-белых Юрий] Darwin said: “I would like Andrey to stay, but I will not object to his transfer.”
In the first round you went out to play at Luzhniki against Spartak…
Only a few days passed after I left, but they managed to make a statement. [Начальник «Спартака» Валерий] Zhilyaev ran around the stadium and was indignant: “Why is Smetanin playing, he knows all our combinations!” We played to zero.
“Sokol” started that championship sensationally and after ten rounds was in the lead in the standings. Why was it not possible to build on the success?
That draw with Spartak inspired us extraordinarily. A little later we [в четвертьфинале] Russian Cup beat them 3:1, scored a hat-trick [Андрей] Fedkov. No one thought of giving up, but somehow the club president comes in [в раздевалку] and says: “Fir trees, guys! I thought you wouldn’t score so many points throughout the entire season, but only a third has passed [чемпионата] – I have money [на выплату премиальных] no more!” A coincidence, of course, but then the results began to decline.
How a Dynamo veteran monitored Ukrainian drones
Have the methods of training a professional goalkeeper changed compared to your times?
Now there are more technologies, but, in fact, from one exercise that Nikolai Gontar gave us, they can now come up with five. And the result is the same.
Modern coaches require the goalkeeper to play more with his feet, which sometimes leads to mistakes. Is the requirement correct?
I think you should play with your feet as a last resort. The goalkeeper must catch the ball and clear it. All.
Have you ever wanted to take up and quit football?
Even when it was not possible to play for Dynamo for the reason stated above, I always tried, trained and waited for my chance.
Dynamo captains of different years, Smetanin is on the far left
Photo: Mikhail Voskresensky / RIA Novosti
Dynamo player Sergei Nekrasov complained that at a children’s football school he was offered a salary less than a security guard in a store. How then to work?
In this regard, nothing changes. And Seryoga still works as a security guard in the metro. When [на Москву] drones flew, he was paid an extra 15 thousand per day. Nekrasov sat on the roof of the house and, if he noticed a UAV, reported where it was needed.
How did your family feel about your profession?
When I was playing, my wife knew that she couldn’t come near me for about 30 minutes, and it didn’t matter whether we won or not. We have been together for 37 years, we have two beautiful daughters, a grandson and a granddaughter.
Who is your grandson rooting for?
On November 10 he turned one year old. This is police day… So guess for yourself.
Andrey Smetanin, November 2024
Photo: Dmitry Okunev / Lenta.Ru
Is there anything in your past that you would change if given the opportunity?
Only one thing: when they raided my apartment, there was a large sum of money lying at home. I would take it to the bank. I would leave everything else as is.
**Given Smetanin’s critique of modern goalkeeping styles, how might a coach balance respecting tradition with adapting to the evolving demands of the game?**
## Open-Ended Discussion Questions Based on Andrey Smetanin’sInterview
This interview offers a fascinating look into the life and career of a former professional footballer. Here are some open-ended questions, categorized by theme, that encourage deeper discussion and diverse viewpoints:
**I. Career & Playing Style:**
* **Smetanin expresses disappointment about his time at Spartak, particularly citing a defensive lapse as a turning point. How do you think players should balance individual responsibility with teamwork in these situations?**
* **Smetanin praises Victor Bulatov as a key player who “insured the defense.” How has the role of the defensive midfielder evolved in modern football? Does it still hold the same importance?**
* **Smetanin’s experience with *Sokol*, leading them to an impressive start before facing financial limitations, offers a compelling glimpse into the realities beyond top-tier football. What factors contribute to the success and failure of smaller clubs, and how can these challenges be addressed?**
* **Smetanin advocates for a traditional goalkeeping style, prioritizing catching and clearing the ball. In today’s game, with emphasis on build-up play, is this approach still viable? What are the risks and rewards of each playing style?**
**II. Coaching & Development:**
* **Smetanin notes that while training methods have become more technologically advanced, the fundamental exercises remain the same. Do you agree? What are the most crucial elements in developing a young goalkeeper today?**
* **Smetanin emphasizes the importance of mental toughness and the ability to handle pressure. How can coaches best cultivate these qualities in their players, especially young goalkeepers facing intense scrutiny?**
* **Smetanin mentions the challenges faced by young footballers pursuing their careers, citing the example of Sergei Nekrasov. What support systems and resources are necessary to help aspiring athletes navigate these difficulties? **
**III. Life After Football & Reflections:**
* **Smetanin’s anecdote about surveilling drones for extra income offers a unique perspective on how former athletes transition into new roles. What skills and experiences gained on the field translate well into other professions?**
* **Smetanin’s grandson’s potential allegiance to the police force, even with a footballing lineage, raises questions about generational shifts in career aspirations. How do personal passions and societal influences shape career choices?**
* **Smetanin reflects on a missed opportunity to secure his finances during a raid on his apartment. What lessons does this experience teach us about managing personal finances and navigating unforeseen circumstances?**
These questions provide starting points for deeper conversations about football, professional athletes, and the broader societal context. They encourage exploration of various perspectives and foster a more nuanced understanding of the issues discussed in the interview.
