Four matches without a win and only two goals scored. What changes will you be making? Either in training or to the team? Vasiliev did very well in Voronezh so could he or other players start before the end of the season either in the league or the Cup?
The league is the league and the Cup is a Cup, where did rotate a lot, but looking at the games where the teams that play against us defend deeply, then our attacking game has become worse. These results in each match has been different from each other, in some we were really lacking in attack, other we didn’t finish, like in the last match. There is only one answer, we must continue to work hard.
We'll see about the changes, we need to look at the players' condition and see who is where. Now the fixture list is easier and we have the opportunity to breathe, with more time in training. With the previous games, it has been very difficult to do much in training sessions due to lack of time. We need to look at the players who haven’t had much playing time and see who deserves to start the remaining matches. Now things are interesting, and there’s more ahead of us. We will work hard and aim for positive results.
It’s clear things need to improve in the remaining matches you have left, maybe there are players on the team who can make a difference right now? Like Pedro did in the match with Spartak or Erokhin against CSKA?
Every player tries to benefit the team and yes you’re right. In one match it was Artur, in another Pedro, and in another Sasha Erokhin. Of course, we want our forwards to score more and we rely a lot on the performances of Ivan Sergeev and Mateo Cassierra. As for the other players, everyone is ready.
Do member of the Zenit board, like Alexander Medvedev or Alexey Miller come into the Zenit locker room? Maybe after a loss? Do they ask your permission to visit the locker room and speak with the team? Not every manager likes it when things like this happen without their agreement.
They are the management of the club and they come to the locker room after a game. They can say what they think is right because they are at the head of the club.
There were two controversial VAR moments in the last match. Which surprised you more, when Claudinho's goal was ruled out because Wendel was offside in the buildup or when the penalty was awarded because of Alip's handball?
I think the referees watching from distance know better, the issue is that similar situations were not dealt with in the same way. There was a penalty not given in the match with Orenburg when the ball was going towards goal, it was the same as when the ball hits Alip’s hand... in one situation it’s a penalty, in another it’s not a penalty. The way penalties are being interpreted now, means referees can interpret every incident as they want.
Regarding the first point, I’ve already spoken about how the lines are drawn, it’s difficult for me to say how and where they are drawn. I’m not talking about this moment, but in general, whenever the lines are drawn. But I don’t know the programme they use and I cannot say how large or small the errors are, it's hard for me to say.
How is Nuraly Alip after his mistake in Voronezh? Have you spoken with him about the incident?
I think it was an accident. How is he feeling? I think the same as any other player would. To drop points at the end of the match, even though there were absolutely no dangerous chances in front of our goal in 100 minutes, and not to win this match, it’s a shame. But we needed to score more to avoid this situation. We had some good chances that we should have taken. 1-0 is not a score that allows you to relax at the end of the match or bring the game to a close. Any deflection, shot or mistake, can lead to the loss of points. We had enough chances in the second half to have scored more. There was not enough composure and quality to confidently bring the match to a win.
You’ve said that the fixture list has become a little easier, do you think it’s possible to fully recover at this stage of the season? I would like to know about the physical condition of the team. Who is ready to play against CSKA?
I hope everyone will be available for the CSKA match, other than Mario Fernandes. We are keeping an eye on the condition of the players and there are no major issues regarding injury at the moment, despite the amount of games. We’ve used rotation to rest our top players where possible. Now the fixture list is a little easier and we have more days to prepare for matches. I hope we can rest and be in a good condition for the upcoming games.
