Lokomotiv Moscow: Galaktionov highlights the impact of contractual uncertainties on the end of the season
By OnzeActu · · 2 min read
Lokomotiv Moscow coach Mikhail Galaktionov has attributed his team's mixed results in the second half of the season to uncertainties surrounding player contracts, as well as the departure of Dmitri Barinov.
Lokomotiv Moscow finished the last Russian Premier League season in third place, but the second half of the season was marked by a lack of consistency: in the last ten games, the team only won three times. Asked about the reasons for this slump, coach Mikhail Galaktionov mentioned a determining factor: the contractual uncertainties weighing on several members of the squad.
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“Believe me, we are our own harshest critics. We question ourselves and, during a meeting of the technical staff – without management present – we analyzed the points to improve. It is obvious that certain objective circumstances must be taken into account. We approached the winter break in a tense atmosphere, in particular because of the negotiations around contract extensions, as well as the departure of Dmitri Barinov,” Galaktionov told the RIA Novosti Sport agency.
This context therefore, according to him, impacted the stability and performance of the team throughout the return phase of the championship. Despite this turbulence, Lokomotiv generally preserved its place on the podium, but this assessment will undoubtedly leave a bitter taste for the supporters, who hoped to see their team fight to the end for the title.