The match against Orenburg was on Sunday and you play Rubin on Wednesday, with this fixture list do you have time to recover and prepare?
Of course, it’s not easy with such a fixture list, and there’s not enough time to analyze our opponent fully, but that’s fine. The main thing is the players recover and be in a decent condition for the upcoming games.
Rubin have drawn with both Lokomotiv and Krasnodar this spring, what do you think of this team?
Not just in spring, but they’ve played well and been physically well-prepared throughout the whole season. Their matches are always competitive and they make good use of their players' strengths. Rubin, after Zenit, are second in terms of away wins, which means they know how to win points both at home and away. We’re expecting a very difficult match, but there are no others.
The team have only scored seven goals in their last seven matches. How do you feel about this situation?
I’m fine with it. The main thing is we score points. This is the first, secondly, our team is top of the league when it comes to goals scored and top with least conceded, so I don’t see a problem.
How do you go from one game to another? How did you spend last night?
It’s impossible to switch off immediately, after the match you analyze the game and think about the next match. After yesterday's match, I watched football and had dinner with friends who were visiting, then went home, and today it was school and work.
How different is this Rubin team from the one you played at the start of the season?
This team has developed more connections as their players have gotten used to each other, they know what’s required and are used to each other. The team is very strong and that first match was a good result for us, but was very difficult.
The players said yesterday that they have not fully recovered mentally from the matches with Spartak and Krasnodar. How can this be done? Is this more difficult than recovering physically?
Of course it is difficult for a team at the top of the league. Those chasing us usually have an easier time mentally and with motivation. We must find it inside of us as there aren’t many matches left. All clubs are prepared for Zenit, we’re the champions, so we must be ready too.
