“Russia is able to prevail over Belgium”: Sychev about Cherchesov’s demands, Guillerme’s mistakes and Bakayev’s talent

“Cherchesov does everything right”

- Back in June, you said that the Russian national team was able to defeat Belgium in the qualification of the European Championship. Since then, your opinion has not changed?

- No, I do not refuse my words. To date, the team has come a long way in the qualifying tournament and scored the best form. In addition, the match with Belgium will take place at home, and in the hearts of the fans, and indeed within the team, real unity reigns. Therefore, I think that Russia is able to prevail even over such a formidable opponent. The prospects are very bright. Moreover, the result no longer prevails, everyone will be relaxed. Let's see who will enter the field, but I think that Stanislav Cherchesov will stop at the optimal composition. Belgians will definitely not be easy.

- What is your impression of the game of the Russian team in recent matches?

- It can be seen that the guys really want to not only show a decent game, but also to please the fans. Because there was no such unity for a very long time. It's nice that people finally stopped spreading our football and started supporting their team. And the players pay them with the same coin.

- When you were a national team player, the team had a completely different attitude. Do you have any sense of envy?

- No, to be honest, I'm only happy for the guys. Because before the World Cup, they said too much negative, and it is very difficult to withstand. But they managed to change the situation, to prove that the team should not be buried before the starting whistle. Unfortunately, our fans are sometimes too emotional and not very objective. Therefore, there is no envy, on the contrary, a balm for the soul when they are praised.

- Some fans criticize Cherchesov for not calling Fedor Chalov to the national team. Don't you think that he should trust young football players more?

- I think that he is doing everything right. Stanislav Salamovich has his own rules, which he brings to the wards. He himself has repeatedly said that age does not matter, no one will look at your passport if you show a game at the national team level. If Dmitry Barinov entered the field, then, unlike Chalov, he meets certain requirements. Objectivity is in the first place, and nobody knows better than a coach how football players behave within the team. Therefore, we are not talking about youth distrust here.

- At the moment, there are very few pure strikers in the national team.

- In general, now really there are not enough young original forwards. Therefore, the variability, of course, leaves much to be desired. Before the European Championships, something will need to be done, because usually everyone thoroughly examines each other. You cannot be held hostage by one system, because the opponent will easily pick up the key to it. But we have a competent coaching staff who will figure out how best to use these or those attack players.

- Spartak midfielder Zelimkhan Bakaev recently made his debut in the national team and participated in an assists attack. In your opinion, does he have a great future in the national team?

- I think so. It can be seen that he is doing well with his head, modest, hard worker. I also remember him from the matches of the Lokomotiv youth team with the Spartak take. Already there Bakayev stood out for his speed, strokes, passes, the ability to control his left foot. And now he caught the bird of happiness, proved with his work that he deserves a chance to play for the national team. It is evident that he does not face star disease. I think Zelimkhan will still progress. Therefore, we can only be glad for such bright young football players, which, unfortunately, we do not have so many.

- Is it possible to say that Guillerme is currently experiencing not the best period in his career?

- It is worth remembering that football consists of mistakes. And when the goalkeeper allows them, this is most noticeable. That is why it is not worth comparing the errors of the goalkeeper and the attacker, since in the first case we are talking about the last frontier. But no one is perfect, so it's funny to talk about a series of failures. It just so happened that at first there was a match with Spartak, and then with Juventus. I think everything will be fine, Guillerme is a guy with character. Yes, we always have a lot of advisers and amateurs to laugh around, but he does not pay attention to it. And no one should have doubts about his competence. This is number one not only in Lokomotiv, but also in the national team.

“Against Bayer Lokomotiv will be released as the last battle”

- After the European Cup matches, there is an opinion that Lokomotiv is the only Russian team for which it is not a shame. Did he really show himself better than the rest?

- Objectively, yes. No offense to CSKA, “Zenith” and “Krasnodar”, but Turintsy - the very litmus test that shows the level of the team. And the railroad during the two games not only acted on an equal footing, but also outplayed Juve. The result, unfortunately, is negative, but I am very proud of the guys.

- Do you understand how Lokomotiv managed to close Cristiano Ronaldo?

- Yuri Semin found the right keys. Perhaps the Portuguese got a little tired. But the guys themselves did everything possible.

- Why did Maurizio Sarri replace him at the end of the match?

- I think this is the right decision. Amid fatigue, one could get injured. But over any football player leaving the field, emotions prevail. Of course, then Ronaldo got cold and talked with the coach. And the conflict was settled.

- What are the chances of Lokomotiv to advance to the next stage of the Europa League?

- I believe that the railroad will succeed. It seems to me that it is obvious to everyone that the home game with Bayer will be the defining match for the team. In it, they will come out as the last battle, beat the Germans and get into the playoffs.

- Recently you started to lead your own podcast. How did you come up with this idea?

- My relatives threw it at me, convinced me that it was worth a try, although I myself am calm about such things. Honestly, while I’m not very good at the process of recording, it’s a lot of work. I’m talking about what I understand, so this is not a big problem for me. Nice to hear positive reviews. If people like it, then we raise interesting, emotional topics. We don’t want negativity.

- As guests, do you plan to invite only your colleagues?

- We want to expand the audience, so we will call everyone who is interested in football, opinion leaders, those who have something to say about the game and their feelings for it.

- Your co-host Denis Kazan does not pull a blanket like a fan of English football?

- No, everything is very correct. We have many common themes. But the guest is still, therefore, what is primarily interesting to him is the priority.