Rostov-on-Don has a great pitch that measures 105 by 68. What kind of football are you expecting in the match? Rostov have a team mostly of Russians, whereas Zenit are mostly Brazilians.
It is a wonderful pitch in a good condition, as for any difference in ideologies, it’s more of a battle between two teams, each with its own aims. Both teams want to win and both teams have their plus sides, which we’ll both look to exploit. What will happen on the football pitch, no one knows.
Football is interesting because it is unpredictable, every game is not easy, look at the games with Ural and Lokomotiv. I have no doubt that the game against Rostov will also be quite tough, but at the same time, an interesting game. Rostov play a good game and press and play forward with short and medium passes, so we’re expecting a good, quality game of football.
Is everyone available ready to play? How are Mantuan and Erokhin? Do you have any more injuries?
No, we haven’t, but we have training today and tomorrow. Sasha Erokhin is back and today he is in full training. We’ll see if he plays after today, or at least tomorrow. Gustavo Mantuan is not available, but from Monday or Tuesday he will be back in training with the squad and be back for the next game.
Wilmar Barrios came on against Loko, how is he and can he play a full 90 minutes?
I think he’s ready. He only had a few training sessions before Lokomotiv, literally two or three after a long time out, he didn't train for almost three weeks, so he wasn’t in perfect shape. We were careful as the injury was quite serious, so we tried to look after him as much as possible. Now he’s been in full training for a week, so in my opinion, he is ready to play a full match.
Rostov haven’t traditionally been one of your main rivals for the title, but are now in second place. Does this give you additional motivation for the match?
We have a mood and motivation for each game corresponding to the goals that we face. In this regard, we need to continue to prepare in the same way, to show the best possible and high-quality game. At the same time, the mood, the struggle, and those components, including the movement, in which we must not concede, are important.
There has been news that Zenit are looking to sign Gustavo Mantuan on a permanent basis. Can you comment on this?
I don't know the financial details of the deal, but on the pitch, Gustavo has exactly the qualities we want in our team and we would like to see him stay here. That’s all a job for the club’s management.
Valery Karpin, Rostov’s manager said the game isn’t a title decider, but just a game between the two top teams in the RPL. Do you agree with him?
I completely agree with him. Every match is important for us, just as it is for Rostov. With eight games left before the end of the season, it makes no sense to talk about a title match now.
What in your opinion is causing a lack of development in Russian youth football?
That’s an interesting question. I think it requires a mass effort to create the right conditions for children. We know the country we live in, and most of it has very difficult weather conditions, including in St. Petersburg. If we are talking about football pitches and locations, then it can be quite difficult to find somewhere to play.
We also have the coaches they should be passionate about their work, be teachers, they should love their job and children. I think that through love of football and children, you can create a really talented generation of good players. We know finances are important, and it’s important that children's coaches receive adequate salaries so they can do their job, and concentrate on the thing they love.
Our children love football, and lots of them want to play, but at the moment quantity does not equal quality. We have to move in this direction and this cannot be done quickly.
