Sergei Semak: "We're not happy with the result"
The Zenit boss on the home defeat to Rubin Kazan.
Why did Shatov start the game upfront and not Zabolotny, who would have been more dangerous infront of goal?
We have quite tall players, not less than Rubin’s. I wanted quicker forwards to play more actively. In the first half, we were not able to find our sharpness. In the second half, we began to play better and the match looked different.
Lunev looked uncertain today. What do you think about his game today?
Yes, this is the second match in a row in which he had made mistakes. It's been a difficult season and probably he has got psychologically tired and from this basic mistakes occur, that is not typical of him.
Will Dzyuba not play in Prague either?
He has a relapse of an injury which meant he could not play today. As for Prague, we will decide tomorrow.
Ivanovic was playing in the Dzyuba role at the end of the match, was that desperation - or a tactical plan?
All our attacking options were on the pitch so it was necessary to do something extra to increase the pressure. There was no point in playing three defenders, so we played with two. Unfortunately, nothing could be squeezed from it, although he added something extra upfront.
How serious is Yerokhin's injury?
We'll see. Perhaps this was a foul that deserved a straight red card. It was very dangerous and with a big risk of causing serious damage. That moment was very unpleasant. God forbid that there is something very serious.
How would you grade the first stage of the season?
We are first in the Russian Championship and first in the UEFA Europa League. Targets were not given to me, that's for sure. There is a negativity as we should have played better. There were good matches and some not very good. Given the problems that exist, results are absolutely fine.
There are many rumors that Paredes and Ivanovic could leave the team in the winter transfer window. Can you comment on this?
This often appears in the press, but doesn't mean anything. It's nonsense and I've no idea where it comes from. As for Paredes and Ivanovic, there is no official information. They are the same team players as everyone else. As for those who remain or will leave, we will discuss this separately for each player. We are not going to force anyone to stay. If there is an opportunity to strengthen any position, we will do it too.