William de Oliveira: "The four point gap is not much, so we can’t relax"

The Zenit coach spoke to us about training during the international break, Wendel's adaptation to Russia and the upcoming game with Khimki.
William de Oliveira: "The four point gap is not much, so we can’t relax"

Zenit won their last two matches in a row before the international break. Did this interrupt your form and cause a problem?

Let's hope this break will help us. Those players who did not travel have had a rest to recover. Those who’ve had little playing time have also used it to get in shape. 

You’ve had joint training sessions with Zenit-2 and the youth team. Why is doing this important?

It has improved everyone’s physical fitness and gave us the chance to look at the younger players who might be joining the first-team in the future. 

Zenit were brilliant in their last match with CSKA before the break and many fans noticed your connection with Wendel. Can you tell us what you were talking about? 

People have asked me this question many times! Some even thought Wendel and I were arguing! (Smiles). It wasn’t this, he was very upset with himself at the beginning of the game as he had lost the ball several times. Wendel came to me and was angry with himself. It might have seen he was angry with me from the outside, but it wasn’t. Wendel is a very nice and calm person, and his reaction was as a bit of a surprise to me. But that's expected from someone who wants to win. During the half-time break, Sergei Sergei changed some things and the second half went well and he scored two goals.

Did we see Wendel at his best in Moscow?

When he joined us we knew he would not be ready right away and that he was a player for the future at Zenit. He joined us from Portugal and before that, he had only played in Brazil and it is not easy to get used to things here. We knew his skills and we knew what sort of top class he is. He has already contributed a lot, but there is more to come and Wendel has room to improve and we are looking forward to his progress.  

Zenit face Khimki next and they’ve been in good form recently despite being lower down the table. Are you afraid Zenit may underestimate them? 

Of course not. Khimki have shown everyone what a good side they are. They’ve been picking up a lot of points and are playing confidently and are solid in defence. There have some experienced players as well as some young and hungry footballers. We know that the game will be very difficult and we tell our players they have to give 100% or we won’t get the win. We are preparing very seriously for this match.

Having beaten CSKA Moscow, you’ve moved ahead of them, but Spartak Moscow are only four points behind you. Are you worried or is the gap enough to feel calm and confident?

The four point gap is not much and if we lose just two games it’s gone, so we can’t relax. We know everything is in our hands and we will concentrate as much as possible and get the necessary points.