Former director “Tractors” Andrei Balandin, in a conversation with RB Sport, shared his impressions of the team’s performance in the last matches.
In November, Alexei Zavarukhin, 43, was confirmed as head coach of Traktor, replacing Anvara Gatiyatulina . In the last matches, the Chelyabinsk team lost twice to Amur (3:5 and 2:4) and extended its losing streak to five matches.
“I think they were late with Anvar Gatiyatulin’s resignation – they delayed it, waited a year and a half. It was not Alexei Zavarukhin who prepared the team for the season, but when he was appointed, he showed his best side. He did everything possible and impossible so that the team began to show hockey, the arena of which was once again full. After defensive hockey with the “1–4” formation, “Traktor” again demonstrated an offensive game. Now it seems to me that Gatiyatulin should have stayed in the team so that he was responsible for the defense. He should have been retained as a consultant or assistant. Although, perhaps, he himself did not agree to become number two.
It is clear that the team is physically and psychologically hung up, there is no longer any excitement like before. Alexey Zavarukhin is also impassive. There is no toughness and confidence that will be needed in the playoffs. But the club has some smart heads, they need to come together and develop some sort of strategy. I hope they continue to perform well in the playoffs,” Balandin said.
Traktor, after five consecutive defeats, occupies sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with 72 points. In the next match of the Fonbet KHL championship, the Chelyabinsk club will play on Friday in Vladivostok against Admiral.
Watch live broadcasts of the Fonbet KHL championship matches on the channel, as well as on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites.
RB Sports
Source : MatchTV
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