“The Germans have iron will and discipline”: Kirichenko about the Schurrle phenomenon, the problems of CSKA and the match “Krasnodar” - “Locomotive”

- Before the central match of the 7th round between Krasnodar and Lokomotiv, the leadership of the southerners issued a statement in which they recognized the staffing problems of the team and the inability to make a serious gain due to financial rules fair play ...

- This is a serious headache, but it is not so great as to delete “Krasnodar” from the list of potential applicants for the top three according to the results of the championship. Although playing without the middle line, namely, it has suffered the most, will be very difficult. As they say, show your center and I will say what kind of team you have.

- What is more important for Krasnodar now - to hold positions in the standings of the championship of Russia or to save strength and adequately perform in the second match with Olympiacos?

- It’s almost impossible for them to fight back against the Greeks. But in the RPL, everything is very good, so the upcoming meeting comes to the fore. With a successful set of circumstances, they can come out on top, so that a victory over Lokomotiv will be a good excuse after a failure in the Champions League. This is the most important match both in terms of raising morale and taking into account the prospects for the outcome of the season.

- On paper, Lokomotiv is superior to the opponent both physically and emotionally. What can hinder the "railroad"?

- Yes, they are favorites, but the home field factor will play an important role. I am sure a full stadium will be assembled. In addition, many games start red-green passively, so it’s important how Yuri Semin brings his team to the away match. If you start the same way as with Dynamo, then the hosts will be able to act as the first number.

- Speaking of Dynamo. When the team of Dmitry Khokhlov was inferior to Zenit and Lokomotiv, experts and fans alluded to a high class of opponents. A defeat from Tambov will be evidence that it is time for the coach and the club to part?

- Everything is very complicated with them. The team is really built before our eyes and continues to be the most unpredictable in the championship. Dynamo can both lose to Tambov and gain the upper hand. Another question is how much patience the management has and what credit of trust Khokhlov has. The team is raw and unplayed. You have to make a discount on this.

"Zenith" is not permissible to take risks "

- Zenit head coach Sergei Semak is disqualified for insulting a judge and will watch the match against Ufa from the rostrum. Will his absence affect the actions of the team, or is it able to win without a mentor?

- We have a very smooth championship and there are no teams that are head and shoulders superior to their opponents. Each of the sixteen can give a surprise. Yes, Zenit is a favorite, but Ufa residents play at home on an artificial turf and are better adapted to these conditions than their titled counterpart.

- Maybe the coaching staff should already start modeling the game with Spartak, which will take place in the next round?

- I know Semak well, he is always very respectful of any opponents, especially since Ufa is a club close to him. In addition, Zenit intends to defend the title of champions of the country, so losing points for them is simply not permissible. And it makes no sense to simulate a meeting with Spartak, because this will not work even with a great desire. Ufa residents play five defenders, Muscovites - four.

“You said you knew Semak well.” Strongly surprised that he allowed himself incontinence, which ultimately led to punishment?

- It seems to me that this moment was somehow too inflated. Nothing of the kind was there. Sergei apologized for his statement, I think this could close the story. He can be understood, he is a coach of the country's champions and is under strong pressure.

- CSKA does not look like a clear favorite in a meeting with Akhmat. Do you agree that the rivals have ceased to be afraid of the army team due to their game and emotional instability?

- At a minimum, CSKA is not a competitor to Zenit and Lokomotiv. Even though they won against red-green. I am talking about the championship as a whole. It is unlikely that a team that scored just five goals in six rounds will terrify opponents. They will face approximately the same problems in the seventh round.

- How does CSKA get out of this situation?

- As soon as possible, think about amplification. Goncharenko has almost no bench. Before the match with Spartak, I looked into the red-blue and realized that the coach has minimal ability to influence the game. At the same time, everyone is expecting a breakthrough from the army. That year was not like that, which is probably why the last season turned out to be better.

“Shomurodov is able to progress”

- Let's move on to the match between Rostov and Rubin. Will a too soft attack line of the Donetsk team run into problems, taking into account the fact that Roman Sharonov’s team makes excellent use of pressure?

- I prefer Rostov, but do not wait for open football and a large number of goals. Kazan is well defended, so the meeting will end with a minimum difference in the long run. I think the yellow-blue ones are able to print the gates of Yuri Dupin.

- The author of four of the ten goals of “Rostov” was Eldor Shomurodov, who still joined the team when you. Were your current striker results a big surprise?

- Not. It was immediately evident from him that he was promising, it just took time to adapt in our championship: get used to high speeds and a tough fight. Now this issue has been resolved, and we see an absolutely deserved and logical result. It is also important that Shomurodov is able to progress further, and very noticeably.

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🔴⚪️📸 Emotions of victory # Spartak, CSKA # RPL # Spartak # power

Publication by FC Spartak Moscow (@fcsm_official) Aug 20, 2019 at 2:59 PDT

- At the moment, Shomurodov’s main competitor in the scorer race is Alexander Sobolev from Wings, who will try to score Spartak in this round ...

- For now, I will not rush to give him an assessment. To begin with, he needs to win the role of the leader of the Samara, to show stability. I doubt that alone he will make the difference in a match with an opponent of the level of red and white. At the same time, Spartak will be very difficult in Samara. To call him invincible now the language does not turn.

- In the first meeting of the Europa League playoffs round with the Portuguese “Braga”, “Spartacus” clearly identified obvious problems with their physical condition. Is Kononov’s team really tired?

- Of course. Eight people are under constant pressure. To withstand this is not easy, because the body has some physiological norms that can not be fooled. If they had an extra day of rest before each match, they would have looked different.

- In the summer, Spartak made a number of transfers, and one of the first was the acquisition of Esekiel Ponce. What impression did he leave?

- So far, everything is somehow complicated. Forward does not stand out on the field, so his game is difficult to comment on.

- What can you say about Jordan Larsson and Reziuan Mirzov?

“ For me, Larsson continues to be a mystery.” But we expect more from Mirzov and I think that soon he will live up to expectations. He just needs more time to adapt to the style of Spartak.

- In that case, why didn’t André Schurrle need adaptation time?

- He is an extra class athlete. Probably, in the RPL next to him you can put only Branislav Ivanovich and then not by game, but by status. Schürrle is German, and they have a fantastic approach to work. For example, Brazilians can afford too much, and football players from Germany have iron will and discipline.