Team Focus: Unbeaten Kuban Simple But Effective Under Goncharenko

It is an unenviable task for a 37-year-old - with minimal playing experience - to walk into a dressing room of a major domestic club and command the respect needed to prevent a downturn that could send the club into oblivion. However, for the Kuban Krasnodar coach, Viktor Goncharenko, the move to Russian football has been a seamless transition with the problems of the past seemingly edging deeper and deeper into the club’s memory.

You could say that Goncharenko is not just any young coach, however. Born in the Belarusian city of Chojniki, Goncharenko witnessed the tragedy of the Chernobyl disaster first hand, with the radiation claiming the life of his father, who worked in the city as an engineer. A passion for football from an early age led to a career path that saw him feature for Belarusian side BATE Borisov - however after a successful 4 year spell at the club, Goncharenko was forced to retire from playing through injury. Such trying circumstances have stirred an inner strength that few can claim to possess.

Goncharenko arrived in Krasnodar with a prominent reputation, following his exploits with his former club BATE Borisov. After a spell coaching the reserve side, in the wake of his forced retirement, Goncharenko experienced unprecedented success in his homeland leading BATE to 5 consecutive league titles prior to his departure last year. Such domestic dominance meant that Goncharenko was able to try his hand on the biggest stage of all, the Champions League, where he currently holds the record of being the youngest coach ever to lead a team out in the group stages of the tournament - at the tender age of 31.

Kuban Krasnodar’s troubles in finding a suitable replacement for Dan Petrescu, with 4 coaches coming and going in the 14 months following the former Chelsea defender’s departure, had threatened to see the club collapse beneath the foundations that had been built during a successful 3-year period. However, the turbulent managerial merry-go-round has seemingly come to a halt with a man who is bringing the swagger back to a club who are one of the oldest in Russia.

One of the most notable traits of Kuban so far this season has been their defensive solidity. With only 3 goals conceded in their opening 6 games, accompanied by a total of 4 clean sheets, Viktor Goncharenko has managed to create a very cohesive and consistent back line - which has been strengthened by the arrivals of Toni Sunjic (7.41 rating) and Andrey Eschenko (7.31). The strong performances of the defence means that 4 of the 5 highest rated Kuban players are primarily deployed in the back 4 - with the other player, Charles Kabore (7.40), being a defensively minded midfielder.

The impressive stability at the back, with the highly-rated Aleksandr Belenov impressing in between the posts, is providing a platform from which the team’s offensive play can benefit. There may not be a wealth of attacking options within the Kuban ranks - particularly at centre forward - however Goncharenko has ensured that the team are nonetheless clinical in front of goal when the chance arises. Kuban currently average 10.8 shots per games, which is the 11th lowest in the division, however of that number 4 find their way onto the target. Such a strong ratio of shots on target means that Kuban are more than capable of making their chances count, even though they don’t possess the big name centre forward that many of their rivals at the top end of the table can count upon.

Ivelin Popov has grown into an important cog of Kuban’s attacking play, having bagged 3 goals already this season. The Bulgarian midfielder’s advanced position means that he averages 2.5 shots per game, the team’s highest by some distance and a sizeable their overall shots on goal average.

However, despite Popov’s importance, much of Kuban’s offensive play is stemming from the right flank, with 41% of the team’s attacks coming down that side of the pitch. This has put great emphasis on the ability of Eschenko to get forward from full back, accompanied by the likes of Sekou Oliseh and Danilo who have featured prominently on the right side of midfield. 5% of the team’s total passes are crosses, which is higher than the likes of Zenit St Petersburg, CSKA Moscow and Terek Grozny, who are currently in and around Kuban’s position in the upper echelons of the league. Crossing is an important aspect of Kuban’s offensive output, which could become even more prominent should the imposing figure of Ibrahima Balde be able to find his way back into the starting line up.

Possession is not necessarily the most integral aspect of Goncharenko’s vision for Kuban this season - with the club averaging 51% of the ball so far - far less than many of the other teams in the top half of league. It therefore goes hand in hand that the team’s number of completed passes is far outnumbered by the likes of Dinamo Moscow and Terek Grozny, with Kuban having made 311 short passes, in comparison to the 422 and 387 of the aforementioned teams. The role of Charles Kabore and Mohammed Rabiu, in defensive midfield positions, is therefore massively important due to the need to protect the back 4 during the times in which the team does not have possession of the ball.

Kuban Krasnodar may not be the great entertainers of the Premier League, however the team is utilising the blueprints put forth by Goncharenko during his time at BATE Borisov, and with great effect. The counter attacking style, utilising the flanks, along with a strong defensive foundation is the means through which BATE Borisov managed to come to the continent’s attention following their 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League. That performance has become a defining moment in the establishment of Goncharenko’s style, as well as his ability to find results in the most difficult of circumstances, and Kuban will be hoping that his winning mentality at BATE Borisov will lift the team to never before witnessed heights.

How impressive have Kuban Krasnodar been under their new manager thus far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below