26 Preliminary Names Announced

May 13th, 2012 | by: nick | Comments(1)

As Euro 2012 draws closer, Dick Advocaat has announced his preliminary squad for the tournament. Running down a list of 26 names, most of the seasoned players who participated in the qualifying campaign are included except for Bilyaletdinov and Bystrov. Their omissions seemed likely since they did not have good seasons. Bystrov spent most of 2011 injured and only return to full time playing in March. Bilyaletdinov returned to Russia to play for Spartak after a poor spell at Everton but only managed seven appearances this season.

The most interesting part of this squad are the names included rather than those omitted. Advocaat included uncapped players Vladimir Granat and Magomed Ozdoev. Anton Shunin, Dmitri Kombarov, Artem Dzyuba were all included despite having only four caps between them.

Vladimir Granat Defender
A seasoned defender at Dynamo Moscow with a second straight solid season. His inclusion may be due to the injury concerns of Vasilli Berezutski.

Roman Sharanov Defender
Probably the most interesting of all the names. Sharanov played for Russia at Euro 2004 and has not featured since then and most remembered for the red card he received against Spain. But he has established himself as a solid first choice defender at Rubin Kazan contributing to solid top four finishes for the last couple of season.

Marat Izmailov Midfielder
A long time veteran of the national team, Izmailov featured in the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 as a promising young talent but injuries hampered his development and prospect. He last played for Russia in October, 2006. However, a solid season with a semifinal run in the Europa League has put him back on the depth charts of the national team.

Magomed Ozdoyev Midfielder
The youngest of the 26 names on the squad, Ozdoyev may be debuting as a virtual unknown if he is included in the final 23. He is described as a winger by most sources and had a consistently first choice role this season.

Artem Dzyuba
A solid striker for Spartak, his inclusion to the preliminary squad is not too surprising but with the form of Pavlyuchenko, Kerzhakov, and Porgrebnyak, his inclusion in the final 23 is a long shot.

Full Squad From Reuters UK

Goalkeepers
Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow)
Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Zenit St Petersburg)
Anton Shunin (Dynamo Moscow)

Defenders
Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St Petersburg)
Alexei Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow)
Vasily Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow)
Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow)
Roman Sharonov (Rubin Kazan)
Roman Shishkin (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Vladimir Granat (Dynamo Moscow)

Midfielders
Igor Denisov (Zenit St Petersburg)
Roman Shirokov (Zenit St Petersburg)
Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St Petersburg)
Yuri Zhirkov (Anzhi Makhachkala)
Alan Dzagoyev (CSKA Moscow)
Igor Semshov (Dynamo Moscow)
Denis Glushakov (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Magomed Ozdoyev (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Marat Izmailov (Sporting)
Dmitry Kombarov (Spartak Moscow)

Forwards
Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg)
Alexander Kerzhakov (Zenit St Petersburg)
Roman Pavlyuchenko (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Artem Dzyuba (Spartak Moscow)
Alexander Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow)
Pavel Pogrebnyak (Fulham)