Dick Advocaat skeptical about second national team
Head coach of the Russian national team Dick Advocaat is skeptical about the creation of a second national team, saying the concept has not worked in other European countries.
"Football players will aspire to be involved in the national team. The creation of "B" squad may lead to a decrease in players' motivation. In most European countries, this idea didn't work out," he said.
"To be honest, I don't have a full understanding of how this national team will work. After all, it'll have no official matches - just friendly games. We also mustn't forget that we have a youth team, which shouldn't be faded into the background. And, of course, the second national team just can't interfere with the main squad," Advocaat stressed.
The Russian Football Union announced the creation of a second squad for "talented footballers who are not yet capable of making it into the main team" last week.
Former Lokomotiv Moscow manager, Yury Krasnozhan, has taken the reins in the new team.
Russia's main squad currently shares the top of Group B in the Euro 2012 qualifiers with Ireland and Slovakia, with all three teams having 13 points after six games.
Russia and Armenia are involved in the same group in the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
