Spartak Moscow appoints Oleg Kononov as head coach
Oleg Kononov only joined Arsenal Tula in June, but has now taken the top job at Russian Premier League rivals Spartak Moscow.
Published : Nov 12, 2018 20:01 IST
Spartak Moscow has appointed Oleg Kononov as its new head coach following the dismissal of Massimo Carrera.
Carrera was sacked a day after a 3-2 loss to Arsenal Tula on October 21, with Spartak languishing in seventh in the Russian Premier League after a run of one win in six games.
The 2016-17 champion has now turned to 52-year-old Kononov, who joins from Tula despite only taking charge in June.
He takes over from Raul Riancho, who was put in temporary charge and won two of his six games at the helm.
"The offer from Spartak was unexpected for Arsenal, but they wished me success with a new team. The fans also reacted warmly and I thank them for that," Kononov told Spartak's official website.
"I have been coaching for 18 years. I started as an assistant and went through every stage. I've always experienced pressure from my first days of working. The stronger the pressure was, the more I liked it.
"Pressure is the path to progress. Under it, you work for more than 100 per cent. No coach or player will develop without it.
"Nothing is lost yet. We need to win every match. I'm sure the players are ready to develop. They just need to realise their potential on the pitch."
Spartak slipped to a 2-0 defeat to Ufa on Sunday and is eighth in the league, 12 points behind leader Zenit.