How Stanislav Cherchesov weathered a storm to raise Russia’s game | Andrew Roth

The hosts began the World Cup as the lowest ranked side in the tournament but their durable manager has guided them to a quarter-final against Croatia

An ambitious manager with an ice-cold demeanour on the pitch, Stanislav Cherchesov has withstood two years of criticism to shape Russia’s most successful World Cup squad from what once looked like its weakest in history.

Resembling a mustachioed police captain sent down to clean up a crooked precinct, the Osettian-born former goalkeeper has instituted his physical, inexhaustible style of football while rarely cracking a smile at pitchside. “I believe this is only the beginning so I have to save my emotions for the future,” he told reporters after Russia’s shock defeat of Spain, a match that looked thrilling in retrospect but largely came down to 120 minutes of football comparable to a war of attrition.

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