Robert Renan is sat next to you ahead of the match with Dynamo, does it mean he’s not going to join Brazil’s youth side and will remain at Zenit?
We’ve spoken to the Brazilian coaches and management, and it will be better for everyone if he plays here for some time before he joins them a bit later.
This is your third match against Dynamo this season. What do you think of them now and how much have they changed?
It’s not been long since our Cup match, and neither side has changed much dramatically. We know how Dynamo play and they know how we play. Compared to the cup match, we will have more first team players available for us. Dynamo are a very good team, they’re well organised and play well in defence. We are expecting another difficult, tough match and getting ready to play our best.
Mateo Cassierra has only scored once in the RPL this season, against Lokomotiv. Does the fact that he scored take the weight off his shoulders?
Of course, it will now be easier for him, it was totally his goal. He hit it great and put it into the back of the net. The fact that it got a deflection off the defender, that happens. He deserved that goal and it was a very important one. I said he would score and do it at the right time, and it happened.
I hope this will allow him to kick on and score the chances he gets in matches. He has all the qualities for this, we will try to help him feel good, to score goals, and carry on working hard for the team and dealing with the problems that we face.
How do you rate this season so far?
In 90% of our matches we are satisfied with the results and how we played, both in defence and attack. Being 100% satisfied is impossible, perfection does not exist. There have been mistakes in every match and it’s impossible to play perfectly for 95 minutes. Every team in the world, with the possible exception of Manchester City, doesn’t control the whole game. But even they have times when things don't go their way.
We’re having a very good season, we’re solid and confident. I like how we’re playing.
Is everyone available for the Dynamo game?
Everyone is preparing for the game and everyone is available. Some have had more training, and others less. We’ll have to see how everyone is, but fitness-wise, everyone is doing well.
There’s a rumour that Danny's sons, Francisco and Bernard are of interest to Zenit. Have you heard this and are you in touch with Danny?
I do keep in touch with Danny every now and again, Zenit are interested in absolutely every player that can strengthen our team, either now or in the future. If that’s Danny's sons that would be great, a good story for the club.
The president of the RPL has talked about a possible league playoff or a third round with the league split into two division. Do you think this is a good idea and could it help interest in the league? Would you like a title playoff?
This is a journalist’s question, and one for those who are against our club. I think of the phrase: "You must endure with love." Everyone has their own thoughts on this subject, the Italian championship is interesting to watch, what kind of gap do they have there? It is interesting to watch Spain’s La Liga, what’s the gap there?
You can also look at other championships where the leaders are far ahead, and no one wonders if they are interesting. They are interesting - and we are interested. These are exclusively questions of those people who have a negative or prejudiced attitude towards our team. Our fans, I think, like our game. It is not easy for us in every match and you can see it. There is no huge gap. In my opinion, the championship is quite interesting. As for the reorganization, this is definitely not our job.
This isn’t the first time Zenit play Dynamo this season, with the last game being the loss in the cup. Does this make the upcoming game more interesting and are you looking for revenge?
We are not looking for revenge, we want to go out and play some good football, we want to win every match. This is our aim and how we approach every match.
