“The match was difficult for us in the beginning, we conceded after the first cross from the wing. After that we improved and were able to score the equaliser. We were creating enough chances, but our accuracy wasn’t great. We had the advantage before Krylia were down to ten men, but after that incident we fully took control and had a quality match that ended with a win.”
A question on the Spartak against Rostov match, with a certain outcome there is a chance for you to win the league in your next match. Would you like to become champions after the game against Spartak?
“I’ve already said that the result of the match doesn’t matter, we have to focus on the way we play. This match is over and now we’re going to think about the next one. We don’t know how it will end. Speaking of today’s Spartak v Rostov match and our next match, we just have to do our job. We don’t need to count the probability of something happening, we only have to focus on our game and our actions.”
Would you say that today’s match was too easy? We’ve noticed that some players weren’t very active on the pitch today because there wasn’t much for them to do...
“It requires a lot of work for the match to be this way. Even if someone wasn’t very noticeable on the pitch, movement and teamwork are important, and that helps the players who shined today. Everyone works hard and tries to do their absolute best.
Was it difficult to find motivation to play against a team near the bottom of the league?
“I think Krylia are one of the most motivated teams at the moment. They had a very unfortunate defeat against Pari NN and it should motivate the team even more, they plan to play at their best in every match. It’s the same for us, we have to do our best each time we’re on the pitch. The matches against Krylia are always difficult for us, especially the away ones, we haven’t won here in awhile and the players were fully aware of that. Today we won and every streak starts at some point and then ends sooner or later.”
Congratulations on the win! Malcom has set the record for Brazilian players in the RPL, he's now scored 22 goals in a season. What would you say about this period of time for him? Considering that there are still five games left, would it be possible for him to set the full record?
“I’m really happy for him, the way he plays this season and how hard he's been working for the team, both in attack and in defence and that's got us great results. For us it’s important when the team wins and scores, but we’re also happy for our players’ personal achievements. I’ll reiterate, Malcom is doing great this season and the results he’s getting are totally deserved, he loves what he’s doing and works hard for it. This is football, and in football everything is deserved.”
Do you think he will be able to break the record?
“We do our job, and records will be looked at after.”
Is this football interesting for you when it feels like only you are playing?
“Every match is interesting for us. It might seem that everything is easy, but again, when the score is 2-1 any mistake can lead to you conceding a goal. Obviously when you take the lead and the score becomes 3-1 or 4-1 you feel calmer. Though when the score is 2-1 we understand that any shot could lead to a chance for them or a goal conceded, which can change the game either way. Today we were able to use the advantage that we had. Matches are different, they can be easier and they can be very difficult, every team in every league has these matches throughout the season, when things go great for them and others when things go against them. All teams try to win and they go on the pitch motivated to win. Sometimes they’re successful, sometimes they’re not, that’s football.”
Do you need Ivan Sergeev? Could you give him to us? (Question from a Krylia supporting journalist)
“Obviously we need him. Look at his statistics in our team. He scores a lot and does well for the team. Now he’s improving his fitness after injury. Of course we need Ivan both on and off the pitch. He’s a great player and a wonderful person.”
