Shnyakin Criticizes Bubnovs Ratings of Lokomotiv Defenders After Krasnodar Match

Football commentator **Dmitry Shnyakin** has criticized expert **Alexander Bubnov** for his ratings of players following the match between FC Krasnodar and FC Lokomotiv in the second round of the MIR Russian Premier League, which ended with a 2:1 victory for the railwaymen.

«Important! Regarding Bubnov and his twos. I was pretty surprised.

First off, I have great respect for Alexander Viktorovich. I’m glad he’s still in action. However, I stumbled upon Bubnov’s ratings for the Krasnodar — Lokomotiv game and couldn’t believe my eyes. He gave twos to Silyanov, Nenakhov, Morozov, and Montes! Throughout the match, I emphasized the performance of the guests’ defenders, yet it turns out they’re viewed as underperformers. This is quite odd considering that the champions lost to Lokomotiv at home, and even managed to score one goal. In extra time.

I decided to rewatch the entire 100 minutes, focusing solely on the Mexican player Montes, and even edited some footage. Krasnodar was pressing hard, and the visitors were heavily defending; Montes provided cover, worked on Cordoba, and rarely initiated attacks. Interestingly, he was the one who sparked the penalty attack with a swift pass, and he could have set up another goal. But in such a match, it was fascinating to observe Montes in a defensive role.

So here’s the thing: he dominated almost everything! He lost only one aerial duel when Chernikov headed the ball. He contained last season’s best player and at times completely outplayed Cordoba. He committed a foul just once. He intercepted, blocked, and cleared whenever possible. As for mistakes: he allowed Spertsian to take a shot but still managed to be in a good position (the ball slipped through his legs), and towards the end, he let Cordoba turn, who then assisted Furtado’s threatening shot (though it’s difficult to label this as a major error).

And here’s a fun fact: during the corner before the goal, he was shoved from behind. I replayed that for you. However, he wasn’t responsible for the player who scored, Moses. And I won’t fault Levnikov here; he let a lot of fighting happen, and the second goal from Batrakov came after some tough battling.

I implore you to watch the video; I’m exhausted from cutting it. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Mexican’s performance. My take is that he’s not a poor performer at all, but arguably the best player on the field. Alright, I thought I should act as a journalist, maybe I’m biased. I’ve been in touch with acquaintances from both clubs, and here’s their feedback (I apologize for hiding their names at their request).

Krasnodar player:
— He’s a solid defender, and I like how he initiates attacks, even though he didn’t do much of that with us. He handled himself well against John, I must admit.

Lokomotiv player:
— He won every aerial duel. His task was to limit Cordoba’s space—he succeeded there, played proactively, and read the game well, forcing him to the flank. I think it was one of Cesar’s best matches for Lokomotiv.

So I’m not out of my mind. And my video isn’t some AI manipulation. It feels like we were watching different matches. I’m not sure how Alexander Viktorovich calculates effectiveness, what principles or criteria he uses, but I’ll approach his assessments… uh, more thoughtfully, I guess. That said, I still enjoy listening to him, respect his work, and wish him good health,” Shnyakin wrote in a Telegram post, including footage of defender Cesar Montes’s actions in the match against Krasnodar.

After two rounds, Lokomotiv is in first place in the league standings with six points, being the only team in the Russian championship to secure two victories in their opening two matches of the Premier League.