Russia: The Star is the only team boss

With the help of Guus Hiddink wants Russia to connect glorious times. Last came from the always in the preliminary round.

Since yesterday, all the teams in terms Quarter. As the last participants met with Russia's first European Championship history (1960). The "Sbornaja" will, in Leogang Krallerhof from old to build success. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian selection not successful. In World and European Championships was always in the group stage to shut down. The fact that this time everything is different, it should already own team boss Guus Hiddink guarantee.

The 61-year-old Dutchman has with all its teams the group phase at major events successfully survived: 1996 (quarter finals) and 1998 (semi-finals), he was a bond Dutch coach. 2002, he sensationally with South Korea with the semi-finals. During the World Cup in Germany failed in the quarter-final with Australia only outsider at the last minute, the late world champion Italy. After Hiddink took over as first foreign coach "Sbornaja" and rose quickly to the favourite of the Russians. Its open nature brought him and his humor many sympathy points from players, media representatives and fans, the previously almost exclusively with stiff and boring team bosses in the post-Soviet era had been confronted.

But sporting success contributed to its popularity. With refreshing Offensivfußball partly solved the Russian team's ticket for the euro. "The Russian team must develop its own style, and I see this style offensively," Hiddink had already announced in his inaugural. In this way, including England in Moscow with 2:1 defeat. One result of which the mother country of football is no longer recover. With Croatian Protect Russia's assistance was ultimately euro dream a reality.

St. Petersburg tailwind

"We want as long as possible to stay here," is Hiddinks motto for the finals. He wants his team with similar surprise, as the last Zenit St. Petersburg has done. The Russian champion, almost exclusively with local players aufläuft, won the Uefa Cup three years following the success of CSKA Moscow again to Russia. Opponents such as Marseille, Leverkusen and Bayern (4:0) were against the fast and disciplined playing Czar old city.

The very large, international stars are missing but both Zenit as well as the Sbornaja. But Hiddink is above all to young players, such as the St. Petersburg-Goalgetter Pawel Pogrebnjak. The average age of Management is close to 25 years. Almost all players are playing with Russian clubs, only exception is from 1 Ivan Saenko FC Nuremberg. A total of six members of the Sbornaja are the Uefa Cup winner under contract. The experienced St. Petersburg-Offensivduo Arschawin and Pogrebnjak is also the heart of the Russian storm. However, Andrei Arschawin, the captain of the Russians, for the games against Spain and Greece blocked. And Pogrebnjak is struck. With Pawlutschenko novel, and Dmitri Sytschew, the Russians but about good replacement. The last test was successful: Against Lithuania, there was a 4:1 victory. (source: die presse)