Sergei Semak: "We have to do our best and give our all to get the result tomorrow"

The Zenit manager spoke to the press ahead of our fifth Champions League match of the group stage. 
Sergei Semak: "We have to do our best and give our all to get the result tomorrow"

This is the first time Zenit have not flown to the away country for the press conference and it’s being held here in St.Petersburg, why is that?

We’ve done this as we have the option as it's not obligatory this season as the time between matches is really short, we have work to do on the training pitch here in St. Petersburg. It's better for us to do it here as it’s more comfortable for us to train here. It’s what we always do for Russian league games.

Who’s not making the trip to Belgium?

I cannot say who is not flying, but I can who is not playing as some may join us, Karavaev and Wendel are injured and Lovren is suspended, Chistyakov and Krapukhin are not registered and Dzyuba is still a question and we’ll know later today if he’s available to play.

Do you agree with Daler Kuzyaev that Zenit were too passive in the first match, were there other mistakes in the first match?

We were too cautious in the first match and we not bad in the first match had some good control in the game. Sadly, the final result was not what we expected, but after they scored we played more freely and we managed to score, we also had a lot of chances that we didn’t manage to take.

We didn’t deserve to win but that’s football. The team just need to play defensively well, if you don’t concede that’s how you get results.

Belgium teams don’t have a fixture list as tough as us in Russia, they didn’t even finish the previous season and they have a flexible fixture list, while you’ve played non-stop since June. Do they have an advantage physically? And what issues do you have in the team?

Well we have problems and a lot of them, yes some of our players who’ve been out have only had two or three training sessions before playing and each game brings new challenges and new changes, so yes there are problems. Rotation is needed, more players on the bench are needed and some clubs just can’t afford to do that. It does give new players chances to players to play in the Champions League.

Yes you’re right this season is unusual as there was no full preparation, but we have to do our best and give our all to get the result. 

If you aiming for third place so you have to score twice in Belgium, will you be more attacking in this game? 

We know the situation perfectly well and we always try to play this way, but sometimes it doesn’t go our way. We know we have to score and so we need to be at our best to get the result.

What are Zenit missing that’s not allowed you to make the next round of the Champions League?

To progress in the Champions League we should have strengthened certain positions in the team during the summer. It’s also about the readiness of the players and our best players being in optimal form. Our opponents had had some advantages and that hasn’t made it easy for us.

Has the limit of foreign players harmed your performances in the Russian Championship and in the UCL?

I have said a lot about the foreign player limit and I’m not in favour of those limits. But that is up to the heads of our football and who develop our game. We need quality players, tournaments and clubs first and there are questions around that. We have to grow our own players first and foremost as it’s an issue for everyone playing in the Champions League. We have a shortage on our bench with two or three players, just like Krasnodar do, but in Europe they have an open market where players can move to any club at will. It’s a question for the governing bodies of our football. 

What do you think about the situation with the match against Ural will be played without fans and the following game with Borussia Dortmund with fans?

It’s really important that the fans are here and we welcome them, they make the difference. It’s not us who decide this and it’s not something we can influence, there are strange things that happen in life, but we want fans in every home and away match, no matter how many, but it’s not a question for us. 

You mentioned Dzyuba might not play, is this a new issue with him?

In the last game he picked up an injury, so yes it’s a new problem, we’ll decide today or tomorrow if he’s playing.