Russia’s quest against Liechtenstein

After Russia’s far from convincing 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan 2-0 in Moscow, Guus Hiddink’s side returns to play against tiny Liechtenstein.

Few would question that today’s match should be a romp and aside from the endless humour of not being the April Fool’s joke of the day, criticism of manager Gus Hiddink’s double duty with Chelsea is gaining a foothold. Against Azerbaijan, Luzhniki Stadium was ready for a tsunami of thrilling play and instead they saw a rather out-of-sorts performance that suggested none of the Euro 2008 promise.

CSKA Moskva’s Yuri Zhirkov seemed to recognize the criticism in speaking to Sports Express:

“I liked the result of the previous game with Azerbaijan first of all. We added three points and are pleased with it. I think that in such matches audience appeal is relegated to the background.

“The players do understand that after showing beautiful football our supporters expect such play in every game. But it is very difficult to show effective football in a game against outsiders.

“For example, Azerbaijan has burrowed in their penalty box and their main task was not to let the opponent play.”

While he might have been looking to deflect criticism by stating he would be “absolutely happy” with a 1-0 victory today, few in RFU would be.