“It is a great honor for me to be a coach of such a team”: Tedesco about his appointment to Spartak, the tasks and trust of Fedun

“We need to relieve pressure from the team, so I don’t want to set tasks yet”

The appointment of Domenico Tedesco to the post of head coach of Spartak turned into a real epic. Rumors about it went right after Oleg Kononov was dismissed. A German with Italian roots, according to media reports, either flew to Moscow, then returned back to Germany.

In the end, the point was set on Monday, when Tedesco held the first training session in the team. But even after that, the club did not make official statements. They were expected at a special press conference at the Otkritie Arena. But it also began much later than indicated - the journalists had to wait for Tedesco and the CEO of Spartak Thomas Zorn for an hour. Entering the hall, they first apologized to the audience, and Domenico even greeted the media in Russian: "Good evening."

After that, the coach admitted that he only at the last moment managed to settle the last contract details with the former Schalke 04 club. In turn, Zorn said that Tedesco was the only candidate for the post of head coach, and stressed that the contract was signed with him until May 31, 2021.

“It's too early to talk about some tasks. The coach only accepted the team. Let him first get to know the players and evaluate their potential. It is necessary to relieve pressure from the team, so I do not want to set tasks yet. As for my personal responsibility for the results of Spartak under Tedesco, this is a question for the shareholders and the board of directors of the club, ”said Zorn.

“I really liked in Moscow and on Red Square”

The specialist himself began with a declaration of love for red and white.

- It is a great honor for me to be here and become the coach of such a team. This is a club with a huge history. Now I have an interesting period: I get acquainted with the players, and this feeling makes me very happy.

- What football will Spartak play with you? At Schalke, you often focused on pressure.

- Now we are talking about Spartak, and it’s better not to ask questions about Schalke. In principle, there were a lot of different matches, we used different tactics. Now we will think about a new team. I don’t think that Spartak will play like Schalke, we’ll come up with a different style.

- Spartak is considered a great team, but over the past 19 years it has only won the Russian championship. Does this status interfere with the club?

- Thomas Zorn and Leonid Fedun assess the situation realistically, we will build on this. Past merits are understandable, but now you need to think about the present. In a conversation with the leadership they just said that in the near future we will not talk about specific places. It is necessary to stabilize the game and then to enter some leading positions. But the team has great potential and step by step will try to go to higher goals.

- You have already completed one training session at Spartak. Which players can you mark?

- In the first lesson it’s incorrect to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the players, especially since the team has many injured. First of all, I look at the psychological state of the players.

- You had an excellent relationship with Schalke fans. Can you make contact with Spartak fans?

- My heart still beats in unison with Schalke. In "Spartak" I will also build relationships with fans. I think the clubs have a lot in common, including in terms of fan culture.

- What will be the composition of your headquarters?

- From the German side will be Andreas Hinkel. We worked with him at Stuttgart, you all know him. Goalkeeper coach - Max Urwanski. He supported me in the Erzgebirg when there was a difficult situation. I am counting on such people. The physical training coach will remain Vladimir Chepzanovich.

At this moment, Tedesco was asked if he would have a Russian assistant and whether Roman Pilipchuk, already working at Spartak, could become one. Zorn interrupted the journalist and stated that this was “not the topic of today's press conference,” but the coach still will not have domestic assistants. Further, media representatives continued to ask questions to the specialist.

- How much can you put the game to the team?

- Until December, we will try to just consistently gain points. I don’t want to make any promises yet. We will work with football players on self-confidence, so that they recover after all problems and begin to show results. And next year we’ll talk more specifically. For now, we need to cheer up the team.

- Who do you know in Spartak besides Andre Schurrle?

- Followed the 2018 World Cup, the qualifying games of Euro 2020. Of course, I know George Dzhikiya, Zelimkhan Bakaev. I’ll try to get to know the team better. As for the foreigners, I heard about Esekiel Ponce, who played for Roma. Gus Til? Something familiar.

- Tell us about your conversation directly with Fedun?

- I met Fedun once, and we got a good conversation. I needed to meet him. I want to say thanks again to Zorn and Fedun for their trust in me.

- In Schalke, you had conflicts with experienced Benedict Höwedes and Naldo. Is your young age a problem?

- Everything happens in life, no need to pay attention to it. Different situations arise between the player and the coach. But Jikia should not worry about the captain's armband, since I took it from Höwedes. Age is not the main criterion for me. There are no problems in this regard, so Andrei Yeshchenko can also be calm.

- Does it bother you that for the first time in your career you have to manage a team through an interpreter?

- Now I work with a translator calmly, I do not think that this will become a problem. You just need to get used to this, but before this experience really did not exist.

- What tactics do you intend to play in Spartak?

- We can consider various schemes, for example, with three defenders. We can play four defenders. Everything is possible, but while I saw football players only on TV, everything in life is different. We will train and watch. In the near future you will see everything, until you’re specifically ready to speak.

- Is it better for you to win - 4: 3 or 1: 0?

- I like to see more goals. Better 4-0 win than with a minimum score.

- Spartak has practically no chances to get into the first three RPLs. But you can focus on the Cup of Russia.

- It's too early to talk about this. Let's play with Rubin and draw conclusions. Then there will be a match with Rostov. All tournaments are important for us, including the Cup. We will try to achieve maximum results in all competitions.

- Why did you decide to leave for Russia?

- I really liked in Moscow and on Red Square. Highly appreciated the atmosphere in the city and communication with the club management. The Zorn figure also played a role in my decision.

- What mistakes did you make while working at Schalke?

- For seven months I was unemployed and could rethink a lot. We really had a lot of controversial issues. But now, having gained some experience, I will not make those mistakes. We spent a lot of energy in Schalke for the team to function. And before my first season in Gelsenkirchen, when we had time to prepare, we became the second in the Bundesliga.

- Are you ready to work under pressure?

- It's not a problem for me. I understand how difficult it is when a team loses several matches in a row. But I am ready to work.

- How do you feel about jackets?

“I have nothing against the jackets.” Clothing is not a decisive factor. The main thing is the result, the rest is not important.

- Are you going to learn Russian?

- Always willingly learn new languages. But those that I know have nothing to do with Russian. However, I really have such a desire - to learn Russian. It will be interesting to do this. I think one day I can say something on it.