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The first round of Lithuania's "A League" championship ended promising a long-unseen intrigue. EuroFootball.com closely followed the events from the very start of the competition. Let's try to see what new and familiar things we saw in Lithuanian football, analyze how each team performed at the beginning of the championship to achieve their goals, and what we can expect from the 2007 season.
But first, let's briefly remember what happened in the offseason. During winter, there were plenty of changes in teams - five clubs changed coaches compared to the previous year, and almost all teams experienced significant changes in their lineups. However, it was not encouraging that, unlike the previous season, there were not many more well-known players competing or still competing in the Lithuanian national team. Additionally, many of the best "A League" foreigners chose to continue their careers in other countries.
However, just one month after the lightning-fast first round, it seems that the weakening of the league, which at first glance did not happen - the departing foreigners were replaced by new ones, other players began to partially fill the places left by Lithuanians seeking bread abroad. Some teams managed to stabilize their game, while others faced difficulties, resulting in a lack of clear favorites in the championship. Only six points separate the sixth place from the first, so it can be said that up to six teams have real chances to fight for the medals.
Lithuanian championships are like a breath of fresh air, reminiscent of previous years when the champion "Kaunas" left competitors far behind already at the beginning of the championship and left no chances for anyone, with the second-place "Ekranas" also at risk. The competition was more interesting in the middle of the standings. In general, since 2003, "Kaunas" and "Ekranas" have not faced significant resistance and practically competed with each other for gold medals - Kaunas won seven times, while Panevėžys settled for one championship title. The last time neither of these teams won the Lithuanian championship was in the final years of the old "autumn-spring" system, when in the 1998/99 season Vilnius' "Žalgiris" surpassed Šiauliai's "Kareda" after a fierce battle.
Another striking feature of the season is that four Lithuanian clubs started their official battles for the Baltic League championship much earlier this year, already in March. However, it is difficult to see that it had a major impact on the start of the "A League" because the matches against the strongest clubs from Latvia and Estonia were more similar to preseason games - as the clubs were still forming their squads, and although almost all emphasized the benefits of such a league, they were more inclined to focus on the upcoming Lithuanian championship.
However, less positive novelties can also be noticed. Almost until the start of the championship, it was not clear who all the participants of the "A League" were, nor were the goals of the tournament schedule, and the last two clubs to join the championship "train," it must be admitted, did not bring anything good. The "Kaunas" team decided not to play in the "A League," and instead a team composed almost entirely of players from the "Kaunas" club took its place, while the new team "Interas" from Visaginas was formed at the last moment and quickly assembled by taking some players who were not needed by other teams and borrowing many young players from the "Vilnius" club.
In addition, "Interas" is currently playing away games, at the Vilnius "Žalgiris" stadium, where only the biggest football fans or fans of the opposing teams come to watch their games. At least in this respect, the "Šilutė" team, which plays at home, seems better, but based on the small number of spectators in this team's home stadium, it can be inferred that the people of Šilutė are not very interested in a team formed in this way. So, if we say that football is played for the spectators, the question arises whether such clubs are necessary for the highest Lithuanian league. It is at least hopeful that "Interas" can play in Visaginas for the second season in a row, but it would not be a big surprise if a situation similar to that of "Šilutė" repeated itself and the team did not appear to represent its city to the spectators.
Another important issue for football fans is televised broadcasts. While it is clear that raising the level of football should primarily be encouraged by attending matches at stadiums, there is no doubt that the possibility of watching the Lithuanian championship on television increases its popularity and is a positive thing.
However, for several years now, "A League" broadcasts have started in full swing before the season even began, and this season is no exception. It is a reality that Lithuanian football, apart from such universal products as the national team, is not interesting for television, as it does not attract enough viewers and therefore does not generate enough revenue. But in this case, it takes courage and unity from football officials and clubs, which is not visible. It is odd to see the announcement by the NFKA and LFF about an agreement with the 5th channel for broadcasting "A League" matches when it is no secret that clubs, in order to have broadcasts, still have to pay for them themselves. Only a few clubs can do this - those who know something about the financial capabilities of the clubs can easily guess from which cities we will definitely not see broadcasts.
But let's get back to football itself and examine how individual teams look so far. Apparently, we should start with the club that deserves it the most - clearly the undisputed leader of the championship, FC . It is interesting to remember that after the first season matches in the team's presentation, President Algimantas Breikštas stated that their goal was to win gold medals, and then such statements from the club's manager, who finished seventh last season, at least appeared worrying and not in line with reality. However, after the first round, the saying can be applied, as Algimantas Breikštas himself said in a recent interview with "Futbolo ekspresas," that he laughs last who laughs last.
Despite playing on equal terms three times in the first three games, "Vilnius" sent a warning to all competitors after losing to the defending champions "Kaunas," and then they continued with six consecutive victories. Frankly, given the many preseason matches of the capital's team, the productive play of this team was not a big surprise. During the offseason, "Vilnius" managed to stabilize the goalkeeper position by inviting two quite reliable Lithuanian goalkeepers - Liudvikas Valys and Pavelas Leusas, who replaced the Polish Maciej Kijewski, who, despite having leadership qualities, often couldn't play due to the foreign player limit. Additionally, Algimantas Breikštas's journey to Brazil paid off because they managed to get rid of the label of being a team gathered only from "beach" Brazilians. Apart from promising second-year players Rodnei, Paulinho, and Muller, the Vilnius team added more solid players playing good defense - Andreson, Erasmo, and a striker who they missed for a long time - a goal-scoring forward Kleyras, who has a good nose for goals and can score with both head and feet.
Another important part is that Antanas Vingilys, who came from the Ukmergė "Vilkmergė" team and previously worked more with youth, with the help of his assistants, managed to get everyone, even those who preferred individual play like Muller, to work for the team, and forced the hot-tempered Brazilians to hold back on the field. Ironically, "Vilnius" emerged as leaders despite the injury to their captain Aivaras Laurišas, who was an undisputed leader of the team in the second part of the previous season and helped them recover. It will be interesting to see where coach A. Vingilys positions Laurišas once he returns. The same can be said for experienced defender Tadas Gražiūnas, who has not played in a match for Vilnius due to injury.
In second place in the championship is the country's champion FBK, whose owner Vladimir Romanov arguably set new records for changing coaches and replacing Belarusian Vladimir Kurnev after preparing for the season at the Commonwealth Cup tournament and leading him for just three games. With the arrival of the latter, another change took place - E. Riabov moved to work at "Šilutė," while the coach who previously coached the latter, D. Gvildys, came to assist A. Červenkovas in "Kaunas."
Despite the changes, these did not necessarily lead to success, as the Kaunas team looked dull in the first three games and had to share a point with "Vilnius" and only won convincingly against "Šiauliai" and "Interas." However, "Kaunas" still does not demonstrate the same quality of play as last season, and under A. Červenkovas' management, they have also failed to win the maximum points in the matches against "Žalgiris" and "Ekranas." If it were not for the impressive goal-scoring series of captain Ričardas Beniušas, as could be expected, there could have been more lost points.
One of the biggest problems for "Kaunas" at the start of the season has been the minimal contribution of foreign players. One of the main reasons for last season's success in the league, Edinas Pehličius, is currently in very poor athletic form, Pascal Mendy did not start well, and Georgian Nukri Mančkava could not play due to injury. Therefore, they especially lacked success on the wings, Oleg Strachanovičius and Rafael Ledesma took time to adapt, and with the departure of players to Edinburgh Hearts, the defense weakened.
Overall, there are already positive developments in the "Kaunas" team. After two years, the former team captain Darius Sanajevas returned, N. Mančkava has recovered, and R. Ledesma is gradually finding his form. If there are no major changes due to a sudden transfer to "Hearts" or the changing of coaches, it will not be easy to take away the title from the champions.
In third place, quite unexpectedly, is Vilnius. Despite not strengthening significantly during the offseason, the team from Vilnius demonstrated a tumultuous start to the season - they were unexpectedly defeated 7-0 by "Interas," but they did not yield to "Ekranas" and "Kaunas." The team is captivating its fans with a volatile spirit, even without many high-level players.
The team is successfully adapting new foreign players - Brazilian Willer Oliveira and Ukrainian defender Sergii Koziubierda scored half of the team's goals (eight). On the other hand, this also reflects the lack of forwards, as W. Oliveira is more of a defender and did not have many goals in his previous teams. However, besides the reliable Gvidas Juška and Otávio Braga, the team lacks consistent goal-scorers like Nikolaj Misiukas or from the reserves Aleksandras Romašovas.
Another remarkable feature of the season is the crisis in the goalkeeper position for the team coached by Russian specialist Alexander Tarchanov. Due to the injury of Vaidas Žutautas, who played unreliably after being an understudy for a long time, Arvydas Kacinkevičius, who is not ready to play, replaced him, and the newcomer Stanislav Kozyrev cannot play until he resolves his visa issues. According to experts, "Vilnius" also lacks physical preparation because coach A. Tarchanov prioritizes playing with the ball while preparing the team.
How this will affect the team during the season is difficult to predict, but it is unlikely that Vilnius' play will improve further. With D. Milošeski and B. Božinovski returning, the defensive game should settle down, and if forwards start scoring and the team is strengthened by a couple more players, "Vilnius" still has enough reserves to recover and fight for the top spots.
Another club that did not have a successful start to the season is the vice-champion Panevėžys. The team from Panevėžys, like "Vilnius," experienced inconsistent play during the start of the season - they suffered a 7-0 loss to "Interas," did not lose to "Ekranas" and "Kaunas," but lost to "Šiauliai" at home and were convincingly defeated by "Vilnius" away.
The lack of a clear leader led to new problems at Panevėžys due to former longtime head coach Virginijus Liubšius leaving and the start of a new era. Changes are happening, and some former stalwarts no longer have the same motivation. It seems that the officials from the Panevėžys club who have been seeking players abroad for several years have now stuck with the Lithuanian national team's Gediminas Paulauskas and Mantas Savėnas. Paulauskas and Savėnas remained in the team for too long, and as is often the case, their careers have seen a decline - neither of them is demonstrating their best play. This was also the case for Povilas Lukšys, who, despite being one of the most dangerous strikers in the league in recent seasons, has scored only once in the opening rounds this year. Another player from "Ekranas," Arūnas Klimavičius, left for Russia during the offseason, but it wasn't much of a big loss for Panevėžys, as his younger brother Linas Klimavičius and Laurynas Rimavičius successfully replaced Dainius Gleveckas and Tavi Raahnan.
However, Panevėžys is starting to recover, and the decisive match against "Kaunas" was crucial for this, as Panevėžys led by Mantas Savėnas fought as equals with their opponents. Encouraged by the good result, Panevėžys defeated "Interas," and Mantas Savėnas once again impressed with a hat-trick, while D. Gleveckas also made a comeback. If P. Lukšys starts scoring too, Panevėžys has all the chances to be back among the leaders.
In sixth place is Marijampolė. Algimantas Gabrys' team puzzled their fans with their inconsistent play at the start of the season - they were defeated 7-0 by "Interas," did not lose to "Ekranas" and "Kaunas," but lost to "Šiauliai" at home and suffered a convincing defeat by "Vilnius" away.
Newcomer foreign players - Brazilian Willer Oliveira and Ukrainian goalkeeper Serhii Koziuberda - have made a significant contribution to "Sūduva" until now, both scoring half of the team's goals (eight). On the other hand, this reflects a lack of stable forwards, as W. Oliveira is more of a deep-lying midfielder and has not been a prolific goalscorer in his previous clubs. However, it also underlines the striking issues, as neither W. Oliveira nor Valerijus Mižigurskis or Aleksandras Romašovas from the reserves seem capable of scoring goals regularly. Nonetheless, besides winning by a narrow margin against "Šilutė," "Sūduva" managed to score goals that brought points in matches, but in the derby against "Vilnius," precise play in attack, and the lack of depth on the bench, was felt.
Still, if the problem is solved and injuries do not hamper their progress, "Sūduva" has the potential to perform well. They will need a strong leadership from Darius Maciulevičius, but it is doubtful whether "Sūduva" can repeat the success of last year - winning the LFF Cup and securing a spot in the UEFA Europa League.
At the bottom of the standings, the teams are roughly ranked according to their capabilities. At just 5 points behind the sixth place, "Šiauliai" is not a straightforward opponent for any team and has delivered a surprise by beating "Sūduva" but will likely have to settle for a role as a "spoiler." Interestingly, the team from Šiauliai has not played a drawn game yet - they have won three times and suffered six losses, four of them by a narrow margin.
The eighth and ninth positions are shared by the two teams from Western Lithuania - Klaipėda and Šilutė, respectively. The Šilutė team, created from the "Kaunas" players who were not needed, may be seen as a reasonable result, while the Klaipėda team did not set specific goals for the season despite prioritizing young players, and they will undoubtedly aim to perform better. The clear underdog of the league is Visaginas, with the youngest squad - only six players over the age of 25 - and they may aim for avoiding heavy defeats.
The second round of the "A League" starts on Saturday. From the beginning of the round until the end of the season in November - there are 135 more matches. After extending the Baltic League battles and Lithuanian clubs joining the battles in European tournaments, the championship could become even more unpredictable. Let's hope that the competition will be honorable, stadiums will attract as many viewers as possible, and the intrigue will last until the end of the season. Here's to good Lithuanian football...
Note: The author's opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of EuroFootball.com.
