On the Fan's "La Barra del Zenit' banner

It was a huge and very pleasant surprise for us. We saw the banner as we were warming-up and went onto the pitch. It was a wonderful gesture from the fans! Believe me, this meant a lot to us. We want to thank the Zenit fans for helping us to adapt quickly to Russian football and doing everything to ensure that our stay in Russia and in St. Petersburg is as comfortable as possible. Thank you! 

The remaining five matches

We are not mathematically counting the points, but we understand perfectly. We have to be in the Champions League next season. Because it's Zenith and we must be there. You are right, it all depends on us. If we play with our heart, fight in every match, from the first to the last minute, then we will be able to get a place in the Champions League. 

The first part of the season

Our team has changed a lot. A lot of young players have joined the club, especially during the summer transfer window. We've been playing together, but have not succeed in achieving an ideal mutual understanding on the football pitch. There are many aspects in which we can improve our game. Even though we are a new team, we are staying at the top of the league and have played some good football. We did not got as far in the Europa League as we would like to have, but I think that getting into the Champions League will be a good result for us, even if we do not finish first in the Russian championship. 

Criticism

I'll say this: in football everything is possible. Some matches didn't end as we had expected and some ended completely differently as they logically should have. We do not pay attention to the criticism. It is important for us to win, to play with our head held high and with utmost determination. But we are not looking to blame anyone, we are try to play our way in every game. 

On the upcoming matches with Dynamo Moscow and Arsenal Tula

We are faced with some very difficult matches. But you know, we are used to difficulties, which there have been a lot of lately. In general, the Russian championship is extremely difficult, there are many teams playing hard. But we have the experience to deal with such clubs, and Dynamo and Arsenal are no exception. Zenit must be decisive to win.

The full version of this interview is available on bobsoccer.ru