Lokomotiv is the main contender for second place: Bushmanov on the fight for silver, Spartak and the match Krasnodar - CSKA

- Five rounds before the end, Zenit is ahead of Lokomotiv by eight points. The outcome of the champion race is already predetermined?

- Maybe yes. Zenit is the clear favorite in the fight for gold. Hardly anyone can catch up with him for the remaining five rounds.

- In the remaining rounds, Zenit will have two difficult matches - with CSKA and Rostov. Do you think these teams will not be able to prevent them from taking the first place?

- Wards Sergei Semak are in great shape. They are charged to win the championship. At the moment, they are objectively closest to the gold medals. I do not see what can prevent Petersburgers from taking the first place.

- In your opinion, can Artem Dzyuba be considered the main character of the latest Zenit matches in the RPL?

- Of course. Dziuba held games with Krasnodar and Dynamo at a high level. He scored three goals and gave an assist.

- Does this indicate that Dziuba is showing his best football at precisely the most important moments?

- Practice shows that he has leadership qualities. At the key moment, he is able to take on the game, score the ball and lead the team. We have seen this before at the World Championships in Russia.

- Can the acquisition of Serdar Azmun, Yaroslav Rakitsky and Vilmar Barrios be considered the main factor of the confident game of Zenit in the second part of the championship?

- I would not call it a key, but weighty - yes. All three joined the team perfectly and strengthened the game of the St. Petersburg team.

- What do you think is key?

- Work Semak.

- For three years in the “Zenith” was replaced by three head coaches. How did Semak succeed compared to Mircea Lucescu and Roberto Mancini?

- He united the players around a common goal and continues to do so. He managed to create a cohesive team that knows exactly what he wants to achieve.

- Did his experience of playing for Zenit affect his relationship with the players?

- Semak played a lot where and is in great respect everywhere. I think that this could also have a positive effect. Many current wards know him well.

- If we talk about the fight for silver, Lokomotiv is the main favorite?

- Yes. They almost did not change the composition, the team is well-equipped. Like many Russian teams that won the championship, he unsuccessfully started the next season, but now he looks powerful and confident. At the moment, Lokomotiv is the main contender for second place.

- The railway workers have a win-win series of 11 meetings. They can be called the best team of the second half of the season?

- “Zenit” at least does not look worse, but rather even better. But Lokomotiv is very close.

- Who would be particularly noted in the “Lokomotiv”?

- First of all, the Miranchuk brothers. In my opinion, they became full-fledged leaders of Lokomotiv, despite their young age.

- In the 26th round, two more candidates will play second place in the RPL - CSKA and Krasnodar. Which of these teams is the main rival of railway workers?

- Both teams are able to fight. Now they are inferior to Lokomotiv on points, so not everything is in their hands.

- On the eve of this season, CSKA almost completely updated composition. How successfully did the army team manage to get through this difficult period?

- Given the circumstances, the team spends a very good season. There are a lot of young players in it who continue to develop.

- Most recently, "Krasnodar" was considered the main competitor of "Zenith" in the fight for gold, and now occupies only the fourth place ...

- Murad Musayev has a very nice team that plays its own football. And it does this regardless of the opponent and the venue of the meeting. But so far Krasnodar has failed to consistently perform at a high level in the decisive matches and, as a result, fight for the victory in the championship.

- In the previous round, Krasnodar lost points in a meeting with Akhmat. Why does the team first show a bright game in the match with Zenit, and then cannot break the resistance of the middle peasant of the RPL?

- The reasons may lie in psychology. At some moments, the bulls lack concentration, stability and purposefulness. But the root of this problem can only be understood by the coaching staff, which is in constant contact with the players.

- In the last rounds, Krasnodar began to experience serious problems with the implementation of scoring chances. This is due to the lack of high-class striker, which the season ago was Fedor Smolov?

- In my opinion, the departure of Smolov did not have a negative impact on Krasnodar. The team was able to compensate for his loss. In particular, Ari had a great season until he got injured. It can be noted and Ivan Ignatieff, who has every chance to grow into a good striker.

- For three meetings, “Krasnodar” missed three times after the draw of the standard provisions. Does this indicate the level of football players defense?

- Playing on standards depends on a number of factors: concentration, ability to act on a position or to patronize a specific opponent. If there is such a problem, then it must be solved.

- Is it fair to say that defense is the weakest link in Krasnodar?

- Southerners play style assumes that the team will skip counterattacks. There is a risk that the opponent will get a lot of space and be able to run away into the lead. But Krasnodar deliberately acts in a similar way. I like football aimed at attack. The “bulls” need only balance the game and allow as few mistakes as possible in their own half of the field.

- Is Krasnodar capable, continuing to bend its line and relying on its own academy, to win the championship in the RPL?

- “Bulls” are engaged in the development of their students, which is absolutely correct. But do not forget that the club spends substantial funds for the purchase of highly skilled foreign players. Perhaps the team needs to continue to believe that this path will bring it success. In my opinion, Krasnodar is progressing, albeit not in the way many would like. At some point he will be able to win the championship of Russia.

- Yuri Gazinsky and Alexander Martynovich will not play in the match with CSKA. In their absence, Krasnodar has no chance to get ahead of a direct competitor?

- A very serious loss, with the most likely to affect the absence of Martynovich. It remains only to guess who will replace him in the center of defense. But this certainly does not deprive Krasnodar of the chances of winning. The rivals are about the same level, and the factor of their field will play for the southerners.

- The match between CSKA and Krasnodar is remarkable for a number of duels. So, a place at the gate will be taken by Igor Akinfeev and Matvey Safonov, to whom many are already tipped for the post of the first number of the national team. How do you rate the game young southerner goalkeeper?

- I am impressed with his performances. I called him to the youth team. He did not enter the field in official matches, but it was clear that he had a very big potential. I am glad that he is beginning to implement it. But do not hurry with far-reaching conclusions. Safonov is young, he needs to prove and progress a lot. It is obvious that he has great prospects.

- According to the level of Safonov's potential, can you compare with Akinfeev?

- Igor began performing at 16 years old. I took part in his debut match for the CSKA team, when he scored a penalty in a match with Wings of the Soviets. Samara team had a huge advantage, but could not upset the young goalkeeper. Goalkeepers of this level does not happen much. I think comparisons between these athletes are still premature.

- Should we expect the appearance of Safonov in the Russian team?

- This is a question to the head coach of the national team. In my opinion, it is too early.

- Both teams are famous for their young talents: Fedor Chalov, Ivan Oblyakov and Ilzat Akhmetov represent CSKA, Ivan Ignatiev, Magomed-Shapi Suleymanov and Daniil Utkin - “Krasnodar”. Whose youth has great potential?

- Today, CSKA players look brighter. They are a little older, so they had more opportunities to prove themselves. But the players of Krasnodar also have every chance to gain a foothold at a high level.

- Who is the favorite of the match?

- Due to the fact that Krasnodar will play in his field, their chances look a bit preferable. But to call someone a definite favorite here is impossible.

- In the previous round, Spartak smashed to the Tula Arsenal. The team lost the chance of getting into the Champions League?

- After this match, red and white is hardly worth thinking about winning a ticket to the Champions League. Perhaps the team of Oleg Kononov better focus on how to get into the Europa League.

- Is it fair to blame Kononov in the crisis of "Spartacus"?

- “Spartak” is in the process of restructuring. The team has undergone significant changes over the past few months, and this is always a difficult process.

- Most of all criticism fell on the share of Alexander Maksimenko and Ilya Gaponov. Is it fair to hang all the dogs of young players?

- Maksimenko is not the first time appeared on the field in the main part of "Spartacus", but had a very bad match. As for Gaponov, I would not say that he completely failed. He spent his first match for the red-and-whites, and the whole team did not matter. I would not call Alexander and Ilya the main culprits of the defeat.

- Given these results, how likely is it that in the new season Spartak will be headed by a new coach?

- Five rounds ahead. Conclusions can be made only upon their completion. If the team plays well, then the mentor has credibility. But in case of unsuccessful results, it can be very quickly exhausted.

- Even if the coach heads the team for six months?

- Sometimes it happens.