Russia back for more

Russia can handle raised expectations

Russian football fans went into UEFA EURO 2008 hoping for, rather than expecting, a good showing; now they are more optimistic and with good reason, says Richard van Poortvliet.

This time four years ago, Russia were preparing for UEFA EURO 2008 with expectations in the country at a bare minimum. Guus Hiddink's side had struggled through qualification and only made it to Austria and Switzerland thanks to Croatia beating England. However, the Russians would go on to surprise almost everyone at the tournament. Playing fast fluid football, they got to semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Spain.

Four years on and expectations are much higher with a real belief that Russia can repeat that success in making the last four – and with good reason. Seven of the anticipated starting XI played at the last EURO, while the spine of the team have been together for six years.

There will be plenty of continuity with the majority of players coming from two clubs, FC Zenit St Petersburg and PFC CSKA Moksva. In fact the only significant change has been that of the head coach, with one Dutchman replacing another. The transition has been smooth and under Dick Advocaat, the Russians enjoyed an excellent qualifying campaign, where apart from a 20-minute spell in Dublin, they dominated every single encounter they played.

Defensively Russia are a much better side under Advocaat, yet there are still some worries at the back due to a lack of strength in depth. Further upfield, meanwhile, there is less reliance on Andrey Arshavin, though he has continued performing to a decent level for his country despite his lack of playing time in England. Expect the names of Igor Denisov and Roman Shirokov to figure on people's lips by the end of the championship – the Zenit pair have developed into excellent midfielders and, in my opinion, are two of the most underrated players in Europe.

At the top end of the pitch Russia have some difficulties scoring goals. They only managed to win by more than one goal twice in qualification. Under Advocaat, theirs is a much more controlled game as they look to try and open teams up by keeping possession. There is reduced focus on playing on the counterattack, which was a feature of Hiddink's Russia. That said, they are still a very dangerous side in the making and are sure to give opposition defences problems over the next couple of weeks.

Back in Russia, hopes are certainly high that this team can do well. Yet the players appear able to handle the weight of anticipation and there is no reason why they cannot cause a stir or two in Poland and Ukraine.

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