“Zenith” in the current season pulls out victories even in very difficult matches ”

- “Tambov” won three consecutive victories after the change of coach, while “Lokomotiv” is experiencing serious problems with the roster. Can wards of Yuri Semin lose points in the fourth match in a row?

- A pause for the matches of the teams, most likely, benefited the favorite more. Railroad workers got the opportunity to take a breath and heal the injured. I think this will play a role, and they will appear as a completely different team. Yes, the vice champion has staffing problems, but there are enough players in the roster to replace the injured leaders.

- Do you have the feeling that Lokomotiv was not ready to play on two fronts this fall?

- All teams experience similar downturns: both physical and psychological fatigue, injuries are imposed. I repeat, a pause for the matches of the national teams should go “Loco” only to the advantage. Perhaps Semin will make some changes.

- Zenit away will play against Rubin. In the first round, Petersburgers scored five unanswered goals against the opponent’s goal. Should we expect a rout in Kazan?

- The affairs of Rubin, after a good start, are not going well. Slowly, the team descends to the relegation zone. In such a situation, it’s hard to talk about some prospects, especially since Kazan has a large group of very young players who do not have experience in the struggle for survival. Here, first of all, we need strong psychologically fighters. Unfortunately, young players are not famous for this. Yes, and Roman Sharonov is still very young. In the first year of work, he felt the pressure, unstable results and the “basement” of the standings.

Therefore, in this meeting, everything is on the side of Zenit. The victory of Petersburgers should not be easy, after all, Rubin plays at home, but the leader's class cannot but tell. In addition, the first place in the standings and a small margin gave the team confidence. It is hard to believe that Kazan in this game will be able to score points.

- Many already believe that the wards of Semak in their level of stability and class are the main contender for the championship. Do you agree?

- Zenit this season is strong in that it wrests victories even in very difficult matches. They always include a football player who takes on the game and makes a result. You can recall even the last meeting with Arsenal, which was very difficult for the leader. But in the end, 36-year-old Yuri Zhirkov with an excellent assist launched an assist, and Serdar Azmun completed it. From such episodes, the campaign for the title is formed. Here we can recall the champion “Spartak”, which literally pulled out many victories on its veins. Now the Zenit pursuers are not famous for their ability to squeeze rivals. They do not include football players who can solve the episode at a difficult moment.

“The change of coach gave a result, but you need to look at Tedesco from a distance”

- “Spartak” on the road will meet with “Ural”. Under Domenico Tedesco, the red-and-white returned to victorious rails and made it to the quarterfinals of the Russian Cup. What do you associate the transformation of the team with with the psychological effect of a change of coach or with his tactical and personnel decisions?

- I would not say that the German seriously transformed Spartak tactically. Yes, he switched to a circuit with five defenders. Tedesco believes that it is this arrangement that is currently more suitable for red and white players, based on their level. In some matches, the changes paid off, but in the same game with Arsenal the team did not succeed, it looked unconvincing. So in relation to Spartak you just have to wait.

The change of coach gave a result, but you need to look at Tedesco from a distance. Now for the red and white, it's time for crucial matches. They can either approach the top five, or finally get bogged down in the middle of the tournament table. I can’t say yet that Spartak Tedesco looks much better than Spartak Oleg Kononov. I repeat, to draw conclusions, you need to wait.

- Zelimkhan Bakaev became the brain of red and white and looked great in his debut matches for the national team. There is no feeling that he is turning into one of the best RPL players?

- I agree. There were games in which he really led the team behind him, scored important goals, pulled out matches almost single-handedly. Just about such players I spoke a little earlier. Due to individual qualities, Zelimkhan is able to turn the course of the meeting. This suggests that he has good potential, but in order to reach a certain level, stability is needed. As they said in my time, out of five matches, three you have to play great, one - good, and only in one you have the right to give slack. When Bakayev starts playing on such a schedule, it will be possible to say that he is one of the best RPL players.

- Krasnodar will try to interrupt the losing series in the Russian Championship in Tula. Wards Murad Musaev four games in a row in the RPL reduced to a draw. How can one explain such a "peacefulness"?

- There are a lot of nuances. Firstly, the team has to break into two fronts. Secondly, Krasnodar throws it into heat, then into cold. But this is enough to successfully play in the RPL. Thirdly, in the summer a large group of players joined the team. We can say that the southerners, like Lokomotiv, should be helped by a pause for the matches of the national teams. The players got the opportunity to take a breath and purposefully prepared for the remaining fights of the year. But in Tula, Krasnodar will have a very difficult time. It's always hard to play there. From this meeting it will be possible to judge how the current composition of the southerners is able to "gnaw out" points.

- The main hope of the team in the attack quickly became Marcus Berg. What do you associate with such a striking forward progress? At the beginning of the season, the fans did not take him seriously, and Vladimir Bystrov even called it a “tree”.

- He is a soccer player of the Swedish national team, and this already guarantees a certain level. At first, Berg really had problems associated with the game philosophy of Krasnodar.

He had to adapt to the combination football of the team while he was more used to acting on long assists in the fight and throwing behind the defenders. It took Marcus time to adapt, and now he looks much better. If Berg manages to finally fit into the game of Krasnodar, the team will benefit from this, after all, the Swede is really a good level forward.

- There is no feeling of annoyance that Berg actually takes the place of one of the most talented strikers of the country, Ivan Ignatiev?

- Everything is in his hands. Ivan needs to enter the field and win the competition. To do this, you need to prove your worth in the training process. And so everyone knows that Ignatiev is a talented guy. But in this situation, the interests of the club are at the forefront, who is stronger, he plays. At the moment, Berg rightfully falls into the starting lineup.

"The decline of Chalov? Sometimes you should give one place. "

- CSKA will accept “Wings of the Soviets”. In the last round, the army team defeated Sochi. Can we say that they finally emerged from the crisis?

- It is probably premature to talk about this after defeating the last team of the championship. CSKA need to begin to beat strong middle peasants and direct competitors. I think the wards of Viktor Goncharenko also need time. A large number of young soccer players are gathered in the red and blue, so it is not surprising that sometimes they have problems.

- Also in Sochi, managed to distinguish the best RPL scorer of the last season Fedor Chalov. Is it worth it to expect that now he will again start to score regularly?

- Firstly, he is one of those young players on whom CSKA has certain hopes. He is also characterized by instability. If you recall, in his still short career there were already long “dry episodes” when Fedor was harshly criticized. Now he scored Sochi, then scored for the youth team. If Chalov continues to consistently score, he may return to the national team. Everything is in his hands, he is a talented guy. Fedor is the future of the Russian national team, but he must understand that this status must be constantly justified.

- Was Chalov influenced by the story of the failed transfer to Crystal Palace?

- Based on his age, he can react to such things in his own way. Here you need to connect Goncharenko. He should talk with the football player, inspire confidence in him. Sometimes it should be given in one place. The club should understand that the performance of the team will depend on how such players reach their potential.

- Finally, another team from the first five “Rostov” on the road will face off against Dynamo. Is it possible to write off the yellow-blue from the accounts in the fight for medals after it became known about the financial problems of the club?

- If everything Karpin said is really true, then this is a serious bell. Everyone knows how financial problems can negatively affect any team. There are enough examples of how strong clubs disintegrated before our eyes. In this situation, understanding from the leaders of the region is required. It is important to understand how interested they are in having a cool club, especially since this season Rostov has a great opportunity to compete even for getting into the Champions League. If desired, funds can be found. It remains only to expect that this situation will be resolved, and coaches with football players will be able to calmly work on and give results.

- Is there a feeling of annoyance that all this is happening exactly with Rostov? After all, Valery Karpin really has a very nice team.

- I want to believe that everything will end well. Karpin indicated the presence of a problem and gave a promise to the leadership of the region. As I understand it, the people’s nerves in the club are at their limit, and there simply was no point in putting up with it further.

- Your former Dynamo team under Kirill Novikov practically does not lose. What are the prospects for blue and white in the current season?

- In this situation, the main thing is not to calm down. It is felt that after a series of successful results the fans got some euphoria, but the team is in any case at the bottom of the tournament table. You can’t relax, because a couple of defeats can return Dynamo to the relegation zone. In this regard, much will depend on recent matches before the winter break. They need to score the maximum number of points and rise as high as possible in the standings. And there, and up to sixth place at hand.