Comment by Zhelyu Stankov, Tema sport:
History often likes to make jokes, and depending on the circumstances, we can also put quotes, because the “joke“ often has a positive nuance. And the history of the glorious CSKA is marked by such unforeseen events from both poles.
If 18 years ago someone, whoever they were, had told anyone that CSKA would not become a champion in exactly such a period of time, they would have sent him for specialized treatment or included him in the list for the presidential elections. During this period of time, the army men were more or less to blame for the drought themselves, but the main reason was the appearance on the map of the so-called Ludogorets project. We remember that about the titles being stolen and – “let's play”.
Here is a sign from history, which, intertwined with some coincidences, can produce, as a joke, the main favorite for the championship title this season. Someone will immediately press the blue button with a request to interrupt any debate on the issue, because the high-flying drone for about a year is Levski, which at this moment is the favorite for the next winner in the First League. But as they say, everything is now completely in the red hands.
Why already? Well, because CSKA already has a coach, with all due respect to the dedication and passion with which Hristo Yanev worked. Yes, before Velasquez, the coaches of “Gerena“ also worked hard, but they didn't succeed. The red football community gave all its trust to Marcus Gizdol for a negative time, and to return to the topic of jokes and coincidences, we will look at the program.
We will rush to the conclusion before the presentation. CSKA has 6 days ahead that are by no means marked by routine and that can send the club and the team into another dimension. Not exactly a different orbit, but if everything in these 6 days works out, the pulse will already show different values.
Day 1 is Monday. CSKA plays Ludogorets for the last time at the national stadium. This team was the last opponent of the “Bulgarian Army“ before the destruction of the red shrine. Then CSKA fell and it was not a good way to say goodbye at all. In reverse, if the Reds beat the team from Razgrad on Monday, this will be an excellent impulse to move 350 meters east to the brand new home. You beat a main rival for the title and you are on the runway for takeoff.
Day 6 is Saturday. The brand new home, which cannot gather all the red hearts on the opening, will provide CSKA with the opportunity to add three more points from the match with Slavia. These 6 days are not just a routine week of the championship. They represent a bridge between the past and the future of the club — symbolic closing of the page with away matches by defeating a main enemy and triumphantly stepping into the modern present at their own new stadium against Slavia.
However, there is also the possibility of the “joke“ with the opposite effect. Instead of acting as a runway, these 6 days carry the risk of artificially inflating tension. When a team is accused of having its fate throughout the season decided in less than a week, this often leads to stiffness, and with CSKA there are examples back in time. This will be the main psychological trump card of Ludogorets, who on Monday will want to show that the experienced train driver has already shaken off the problems and is ready to drive the train again, regaining its monopoly.
It is clear that the issue here is acquiring a large dose of positive emotions. The change to another dimension will not happen with a magic wand in one week. Even if CSKA wins both games, it will not win the title, and the long process of building under Gizdol's leadership is still ahead. The opposite is also true - possible missteps against Ludogorets or Slavia should not be taken as a catastrophe, but as the starting point of a new, more modern cycle for the club. For the team from Razgrad, it is clear that nothing will be the same again. Once knocked down, Ludogorets understood that everything in this world has an end.