The match against Fenerbahçe, a European club, was long-awaited. What do you think of the game?
“It was good, except for the fact that we couldn’t score and win at the end. The atmosphere was great, the fans supporting their team, all this brings so much happiness.
If the stadium was full, it would’ve been even more fun, just like at the Gazprom Arena. Though the atmosphere at our stadium is better (smiles).”
It was a friendly match, but which objectives did the coaching staff set for you?
“Our objective was to go out on that pitch and win. The previous friendly match we played against Sepahan wasn’t successful, so were the recent games in the league and in the Cup, so we needed to redeem ourselves. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do it. Although I think we had good chances, we just didn’t push hard enough. We conceded two very disappointing goals, but the second one was a nice one, the player did great.”
How different was this match compared to a Russian league game?
“I don’t know whether they played with their first team or not. Judging by what the game felt like today, I would say they looked more tired in the second half. It was visible that they didn’t have enough to play the match till the end.”
You mentioned the match against Sepahan. Would it be correct to say that defeats in friendly matches also upset you?
“Obviously, we always want to win. The match with Sepahan wasn't the best for us, so we had to redeem ourselves.”
It’s international break now, what are you plans for the days off?
“I don’t have any, we’re going to return home and have two days off, but it would feel like there’s going to be only one because of the long flight. I will spend it with my family.”
Zenit weren’t very successful in the last two matches. What is the reason for this setback in your opinion? Or is it just a usual situation for football as it’s impossible to win every match?
“Clearly everyone has setbacks. Every year Zenit have those periods of time when something happens and the team loses a couple of matches in a row. I think after the international break everyone will rest, the called-up players will return, then all of us are going to gather together to talk and to work on our mistakes so we can start winning again.”
