The game turned out to be quite exciting, it was unfortunate that we conceded first and gave ourselves the job of playing catch up. We allowed a simple chance to turn into a conceded goal, it was a player error, you should never head the ball into the middle of the penalty area after a ball in. This made the rest of the game more difficult as we had to attack, and this allowed space for Krasnodar to counterattack, which is their strength, that and set pieces. But we were able to turn the tide of the match and scored two good goals. There were other good chances, Pedro and Mostovoy had good chances in the first half. Mantuan, had a chance that should have been finished, then the final moments would have been calmer. Overall, the game probably was exciting to watch.
Unfortunately, Krasnodar’s “hospitality” also affected our team’s mood. Our relatives, families and parents were given tickets right under the roof in the upper tier and I don't understand this. We always try to give visiting teams good seats for their families, plus, our fans had their allocation cut without warning or reason. So today we were playing for our families and for our fans. I really want them to be treated with more respect.
In the first half Zenit played with three central defenders, after the break you went to four defenders. So did your initial tactics not work and can you tell us about the changes you made at half time?
No, nothing changed with our tactics, neither in the first or second half. In the second half Douglas moved to a three because he’s been out for a while and is not in peak condition, but his leadership meant we needed him to play. He is a real hero because he has hardly trained recently, and we weren’t sure if he could play, so to assist him, we played him in a position that was less taxing in the second half.
A wide player has to run a lot and has to defend and attack, plus Douglas is a player who works well with the ball and is reliable when controlling the ball. Artur played in his position and did well. He’s a team player, just like every other player on the team. Well done to the lads, the match was not easy, but we deserved the win in my opinion.
You played without Wendel and changed your formation, is this a one off? Will you play as usual when Wendel is back?
I think yes. It’s not only Wendel, we have quite a lot of other issues. Mario Fernandes is out and we have been missing Douglas, who hasn’t been in full training. Basically, three first team players have been missing for us. We are without some fullbacks and are trying to make up for that by changing formation.
Some influencers on social media are already congratulating Zenit as champions, is that right? Are Zenit champions?
I don’t think that’s our fans, it’s fans who want the opposite probably. It’s the same every year. I said before the match, this isn’t a title decider. The only thing we’ve got from this game is the win, and that allows us the chance to lose a game. But it would be better if we didn’t lose any of the seven games ahead of us. Ours and Krasnodar’s fixture lists are quite similar, so four points is nothing. I was in a similar situation when I played for CSKA, we had a four point lead with two games to play, we just needed a win, but we got two draws and lost the title, with two games! Now we have seven. So there’s no title talk.
Was the standard of refereeing today up to the level of a top-two match today?
I don’t want to discuss the referees. I think everyone saw perfectly well. You should only say nice things or nothing at all, and in this case, it is better to be silent. Otherwise I will get a ban. I remember when I got banned for going onto the pitch in a confrontational manner. This is why I never approach the referees anymore, because I don’t know what I can say. It’s better not to say anything about referees.
If we return to the match, Cassierra scored a very nice goal at the start of the second half. Was this the key moment in the match?
Maybe it was key, maybe not, but it was 100% very important. We had just started the second half when we equalised and this made it mentally easier to play, as we were back on equal footing. It was a very important goal, as was the second. It’s a pity that the chances we had weren’t scored and we needed to be calmer in front of goal. Andrey Mostovoy, Mantuan, and Pedro in the first half... Incredible chances that should have been scored, at least two of the three. Anyway, congratulations on the win and there’s a lot of work ahead of us. We will train as usual and then we get what we deserve.
It’s Cassierra’s birthday, did he promise to score?
He always works hard for the team. Scoring goals gives confidence to attackers, but he is also a team player. If the forwards don’t score, the midfielders do, and the team wins. He works hard in every match, and he did well today. He gave both the team and himself a gift on his birthday, a beautiful goal and an important win.
