Scala shakes up Spartak

By Eduard Nisenboim

Three years ago, FC Spartak Moskva were the dominant force in Russian football, but after losing the title to FC Lokomotiv Moskva in 2002, the giants hit the skids.

Awful finish
They were tenth in the Premier-Liga in 2003 - their first finish outside the top five since 1976. Moreover, they started this season without a guaranteed berth in one of Europe's two premier club competitions for the first time since 1980.

Titov ban
To make matters worse, Spartak captain Yegor Titov has been suspended since November after testing positive for the banned substance bromantan following the first leg of Russia's UEFA EURO 2004™ play-off against Wales.

Grim finale
Titov's ban brought a dismal end to a shambolic 2003 campaign. Oleg Romantsev's 14-year reign as coach ended when he was sacked last May, but by the end of the season his replacement, Russia Under-21 trainer Andrei Chernyshov, had also been dismissed to leave caretaker Vladimir Fedotov in charge.

Scala arrives
However, Spartak already had a new coach in mind - former Parma AC boss Nevio Scala, who had previously tried his luck in Ukraine with FC Shakhtar Donetsk. Things have gone smoothly since his arrival, the Italian veteran finally getting the club back on track.

Hard work
"I am enjoying my time in Russia," said Scala. "We have done a lot and some of our efforts have paid off though we still have much to do in the future. I am glad the players understand me and want to do what I tell them. I am happy with everything until now."

High scorers
Eight games into the season, Spartak lie third in the Premier-Liga, four points behind surprise leaders FC Torpedo Moskva. Before last weekend's 2-0 defeat at FC Rubin Kazan, they were also the division's top scorers - no small achievement for a side that was gutted during the close season.

Winter signings
Scala certainly had no hesitation in taking a knife to the Spartak squad. Many reserve players were ditched and in their places came Romanians Gabriel Tamas, Adrian Iencsi and Costin Florin Soava, Uruguayan Marcelo Sosa, Serbian Dusan Petkovic, Cameroonian Awona Zoah and Czech Ales Urbanek.

Defensive frailty
The impact of the new signings has been dramatic going forward, if a little more questionable in defence. Spartak have scored in all bar one match this season, yet have kept just two clean sheets - something that supporters have not blamed goalkeeper Wojciech Kowalewski for.

Summer reinforcements
The coach has criticised his defence on many occasions, but the club have assured him that he will be able to bring in reinforcements in the summer. Some have even suggested he will have as much as €20m to spend. However, Scala's contribution to team morale has possibly been worth more.

Title hope
"I am optimistic about the future," said team captain Dmytro Parfyonov. "We have not had the best start to the season but the lads have shown great desire and played wonderfully at times. If we carry on doing what the coach says, we will get better. I am not sure about the others, but I believe Spartak can be champions again."

The future
For now, Spartak are expected to try and sneak into the UEFA Cup in the summer by competing in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Should their recovery continue, by next year they may be ready to take on Europe's finest again.