by Mantas Aliukonis
Just months removed from their latest A Lyga title, Vilnius Žalgiris find themselves in unfamiliar territory: struggling, splintered, and soundly beaten. Two back-to-back losses to Kauno Žalgiris—first a historic 3-0 rout in the league, then a 4-2 extra-time defeat in the cup—have turned whispers of crisis into an open reckoning.
More than just bad results, these losses have exposed a deep rot running through the reigning champions: questionable transfers, a growing injury list, leadership uncertainty, and a tactical identity that seems mismatched with the current squad. The once untouchable giants of Lithuanian football are wobbling. Can anyone steady the ship before it sinks?
The Student Surpasses the Master
Much of the recent narrative centers around Kauno Žalgiris head coach Eivinas Černiauskas, who has now outcoached his former mentor Vladimir Cheburin in two decisive fixtures. These wins were no flukes. They came with conviction and tactical clarity—a sharp contrast to the disjointed and often reactive play of Vilnius Žalgiris. Černiauskas, once an assistant at the capital club, seems to have taken their blueprint and improved upon it.
The Kaunas side, more cohesive and balanced, is beginning to believe in its ability to challenge for the title. Meanwhile, Vilnius looks like a champion in name only, desperately clinging to a sense of identity that’s slipping away.
For Žalgiris fans, it all feels eerily familiar. The current collapse echoes the 2024 FK Panevėžys title hangover—unprepared, underperforming, and seemingly asleep on their laurels.
Despite operating with a €4 million budget—still the highest in Lithuania—Žalgiris is being pushed by rivals like Kauno Žalgiris, who now boast a €3.1 million war chest. And the stats are deceptive: before the COVID era, defending a title was seen as tougher than winning one. But in recent seasons, repeat champions have been vanishing as parity increases.
The problem isn’t just form—it’s structural. Vilnius Žalgiris currently operates without a sporting director. Recruitment has been left to owner Vilma Venslovaitienė and Cheburin, who together assembled a squad riddled with imbalance and questionable depth. It’s a far cry from the meticulously crafted title-winning teams of previous years.
Transfer Mistakes and Talent Drain
The club lost both of its attacking pillars from last season: midfielder Paulius Golubickas, who moved to Poland’s Ekstraklasa, and striker Liviu Antal, who retired after netting 20 goals in 2024 and returned to Romania’s third division.
Inexplicably, the club also parted ways with one of its most promising young forwards, Romualdas Jansonas, who now thrives at Kauno Žalgiris. Žalgiris attempted to replace him by shifting Patrik Matyžonok—a former center-back known for his pace—into a striking role. Alongside him, they brought in Henrique Devens, a flashy but inconsistent Brazilian previously with TransINVEST, who had just returned from an unremarkable stint in Qatar’s second division.
Youth players like Gustas Jarusevičius and Kajus Bička have shown promise but continue to be overlooked in favor of underperforming foreign imports. Meanwhile, after a personal conflict with Cheburin, Motiejus Burba—despite scoring his first senior goal this season—was demoted to the reserves.
Injuries Compound the Crisis
Žalgiris has also been ravaged by injuries. Nikola Petković, the club’s primary striker, tore his ACL in a friendly against RFS, ending his season. New Balkan defender Petar Bosančić suffered a freak injury during training—tearing both his cruciate ligaments and Achilles tendon. His contract was mutually terminated before he ever played a match, despite being officially registered.
Younn Zahary, a vital center-back from the Comoros, underwent surgery and won’t return for over a month. Dynamic midfielder Deividas Matulevičius is just now returning from an ankle injury, and winger Adam Fofana, one of the few attacking threats, is likely out for the season with ligament damage.
Even goalkeeper Arpad Tordai was recently sidelined with a groin injury—common among keepers and potentially career-limiting if it becomes chronic.
Tactical Confusion and a Disjointed System
This season, it appears that Cheburin has shifted to a so-called Scandinavian football model, demanding that the team adopt a “box-to-box” approach—where players are no longer tied strictly to their designated positions on the field. Instead, they play a hybrid style of football, with the core principle being continuous vertical movement: players are expected to push forward and drop back dynamically. In this system, central midfielders and full-backs play especially critical roles.
When attacking, players from various positions must move into specific zones to receive the ball, and then quickly retreat to their original areas—forming a defensive block that aims to disrupt the opponent’s build-up play and control the transitional phases of the game.
Overall, Žalgiris this season often lines up with five defenders, including three center-backs and two wing-backs who push high toward the midfield line.
However, Portuguese winger Bruno Tavares arrived from Latvia overweight and often fails to track back, exposing the flanks. His corner delivery has yielded no goals. Ebenzeer Ofori and Dino Šalčinović offer little control or creativity in the middle, while 35-year-old Yuri Kendysh, though still diligent, is being stretched beyond his limits.
But the big question remains: can Žalgiris successfully execute this Scandinavian model with their current squad? The answer is far from clear. Given the limitations of their foreign recruits, who often lack the required level and adaptability, implementing this system effectively has proven extremely difficult—even for a club with Žalgiris’ championship pedigree.
Off the Pitch: Rumors of Rot
Beyond tactics and talent, fans and insiders point to an increasingly opaque club culture. Rumors persist of personal ties between Venslovaitienė and Cheburin, with suggestions the club now functions more as a private fiefdom than a competitive institution. The inner circle is tight, and UEFA prize money appears to be directed toward loyalty rather than results.
Last winter, Cheburin’s health prompted talk of managerial changes, but the club opted for continuity. Now, the consequences are being felt. The team has no identity, no consistent lineup, and no spark.
Summer Window: Last Chance?
The summer transfer window will open on June 20 and run until July 20, making it the only remaining lifeline for the Lithuanian champions. What steps must be taken to salvage the current situation?
First and foremost, Žalgiris should appoint a high-level sporting director and a new head coach. A strong candidate for this role would be Mariano Barreto, the former head coach of Kauno Stumbras. During his time with Stumbras, Barreto led a young and competitive squad to two Lithuanian Cup finals—winning one of them against Žalgiris—and achieved solid league results despite a much smaller budget. Under Barreto, Stumbras became an organization focused on youth development, where talented Lithuanian players and foreign recruits were effectively integrated.
More recently, Barreto worked in Saudi Arabia, serving in a sports consultancy role that involved helping develop the sporting structure of clubs and implementing technical director responsibilities as part of a state-supported football project.
A UEFA PRO license holder, Barreto has previously stated in interviews that he enjoyed his time in Lithuania and would be interested in returning—provided the right conditions are in place, such as having sufficient autonomy to operate. At this point in his career, he envisions himself either as a sporting director or head coach, and while he has received solid offers from the Middle East, he favors working in Europe.
Barreto also mentioned that José Couceiro, well known in Lithuania, has stepped down from his roles as technical director and vice president of the Portuguese Football Federation. Couceiro previously led the Lithuanian national team to historic heights, reaching 37th place in the FIFA World Rankings in October 2008.
Portuguese specialists with experience as coaches and sporting directors are already well regarded in Lithuania—could that be a reason for Venslovaitienė to pick up the phone? Time will tell.
In any case, the Lithuanian champions now need at least 4–5 serious reinforcements to save this collapsing season—starting with a center-back, strengthening the midfield and wings, and securing a new striker. Indeed, interested players are already making themselves known, former Hegelmann winger Michael Thuíque reportedly among them. As for those who haven’t delivered—it’s time to show them the door.
Final whistle
For now, FK Žalgiris remains the most decorated club in Lithuania—but glory fades fast when structure fails. Without urgent action in June, this season may be remembered not as a bump in the road, but as the beginning of a fall from grace.
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