Sergey Semak: "I'm pleased the fans saw an exciting and successful game"

The blue-white-sky blue manager on the win against Lokomotiv Moscow, the appearance of Kokorin and an attacking game.
We played great and scored a lot, we created even more. It's a pity that they made us worry at the end when we should have calmly ended the match. Overall it was a great game and an absolutely deserved victory. The guys did well and today we played with great desire from the first to the last minute. I'm pleased the fans saw an exciting and successful game

What happened to the team in the last five minutes of the first half, when they could not get deal with the pressure from Lokomotiv? 

We were playing against the champions of the country and this is not park football, There were moments when we held the initiative and there were moments when Lokomotiv were attacking. 

With a score at 4-1 and 4-2, Zenit still went forward and attacked. Do you support such tactics or should the team sit back?

Of course, I support this. We must always play football and attacking does not mean being silly and flying forward. Everything was absolutely right and you can't just sit back and defend to get a result. But if you're attacking you have to keep things in the back of your mind and not leave the defence exposed. The losing side always takes risks and this should be exploited. 

At the end of the match Kokorin came on and Mammana was included in the squad. Does this mean that they have fully back?

They have returned to the first team squad, but only recently began to train. Once they are fully fit and ready we can expect to see them. It's hard to say when they will be in the right condition. Kokorin and Mammana are training with the team. I hope the period of just training will soon end and we'll see their full return. We are waiting for them. They are needed and important players for our team. 

Zenit had 18 chances. How did you create such a large number? This is also the second game in a row when Zenit scored from a corner, you've claimed a lack of quality, is this the case?

Success is connected with everything. We have worked on and always will work on quality. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not. At the beginning of the season it was not always possible to finish chances, now it's going better. As for shots on goal, there are different matches. You always need to play attacking football, but your opponent does not always allow you to play that way. We are one of the contenders for the championship, but there are many strong teams and a big struggle is ahead of us, There are some equal teams in the Premier League and any team can beat any other. All our matches are very difficult, and to say that we should always shoot 10 or 15 times is not right. 

Can you say that today Zenit took the championship?

Of course not. This has nothing to do with the championship title. It was one game of many, although with the champions. We wanted to get them back after two poor games last season. We try to play for our fans and gave everything in this game. This is one of the steps we needed and there are many more over a long time. 

It is less than three days after Copenhagen, even so, the team looked great in the second half. Is a busy fixture list not a problem? Will there be rotation in Astrakhan?

There are problems, but with coaching, the medical team and the analytical departments we all think how to make sure that all players are in the best possible condition. If there is an opportunity to rotate someone, we will try to use it. This is all part of the coaching staff, trainers, analytical and medical departments job. We try to maintain the state of players at the optimum level. Today it was not bad. Let's see what will happen next.