"Didier asked for pancakes every two weeks": Sychev about Drogba, tea addiction from Basta and his podcast

“In life there is too little good and sincere”

- How does your quarantine go? How do you entertain yourself?

- Like everyone, we are trying to somehow “survive”. Isolation found me in Krasnaya Polyana. Clean air, mountains - the only thing that saves. Of course, here everything is closed for a long time, everything is prohibited, so we are sitting in the apartment. We leave only to breathe, get to the store - and back.

- How is the situation on the streets?

- Calm down. There is a village here, therefore, in principle, there are few people, everyone observes quarantine.

- You are a great connoisseur and connoisseur of tea. Which do you prefer now?

- “Puer”, just delivered today.

- Few can boast of such an unusual hobby ...

- Addicted to him by accident. It all started with the wedding of Denis Glushakov in Rostov-on-Don in 2009. Of course, there were other drinks at the celebration itself, but after that we went to the concert and met Basta (rapper Vasily Vakulenko. - RT ). It was he who began to educate me on the topic of tea drinking. And now for more than 10 years I have been fond of. I can’t call myself an expert, but the “mileage” gained solid.

- In this case, tell us which kind of tea is suitable for all of us in the current psychological state, when you need something tonic, soothing?

- It’s hard to say, because each one has their own variety, depending on the purpose. But of course, given the circumstances, you need something powerful, like "Puer". I myself just dabble in that. With him, you can forget about the surrounding reality for at least a few hours. At the same time, it gives energy, so you should not overdo it, otherwise there will be nowhere to put it later. Unless to wash all the dishes, rearrange things, overwrite, overload, clean up the apartment.

- During self-isolation, many think about life, rethink their values. Is something similar happening to you?

- No, nothing has changed dramatically, the world has not collapsed. Yes, after the pandemic is over, there will be an adjustment to life in general. But I try to maintain a positive attitude and thinking. You need to be prepared for any changes, adapt to realities, otherwise you will not move in an interesting direction for you. This requires strength, it is not easy, especially if you are sitting on the couch. But you are your own boss. I have a desire to comprehend the new, and I definitely do not want to stand still. There are many plans that I will try to implement.

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Publication by Dmitry Sychev (@ dsychev11) 12 Apr 2020 at 6:18 PDT

“We are pleased to invite Semin to take part in the podcast”

- You and the journalist Denis Kazansky are leading a fairly successful podcast on YouTube. Did you manage to record something before quarantine?

- No. Usually we don’t do this, we try to upload videos in hot pursuit, with fresh emotions.

- Did you expect the podcast to become so popular?

- Of course not, because for me it was a new experience. Then I did not even know how Youtube works, I had no idea whether such a format would be interesting. But then positive reviews began to come in, and I realized that we were on the right track, that we had hit the nail on the head. All analyzed and approached the matter with the soul. Indeed, in life, as well as on the Internet, there is too little kind and sincere. And in the podcast shows the "kitchen", which usually remains outside the standard interviews, the players appear in front of the audience as ordinary people, with their own ways of life, jokes and misses.

- How do you feel about negative reviews?

- We carefully study constructive criticism, it makes us work on ourselves. After all, being an interviewer is not easy. It turns out that now I am on the other side, so sometimes I feel a little out of place. Of course, Denis constantly helps me out. But progress, albeit slowly, is underway.

- How did you come to make a podcast on YouTube?

- This happened spontaneously, one might say, the stars came together. The idea was brought to me by my good friends from Lokomotiv, and then it all spun around.

- Which issue was the brightest?

- It’s difficult for me to single out, it’s more logical to ask the audience. Each of our guests is a multifaceted personality, we try to invite opinion leaders who have left their mark on football and in life. Therefore, each issue was good in its own way. And with Dmitry Tarasov, and with Roman Shirokov, and with Alexander Kerzhakov, and with Sergey Ovchinnikov. We have not seen some for many years, and there is a reason to meet. I liked the release with hockey player Darius Kasparaitis. I learned a lot about him.

- There was no thought to call Yuri Semin?

- We would love to, but everything depends on time. It would be very interesting to talk with such masters of the coaching workshop, and Yuri Palych is one of the first candidates. He actively leads Instagram, keeps up to date. Therefore, be sure to invite him.

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Publication by Dmitry Sychev (@ dsychev11) Mar 12, 2020 at 7:27 am PDT

- If you could choose any athlete, who would you invite?

- Honestly, I haven’t thought yet. The list is long. There are many ideas, we try to work in different directions, invite guests not only from the world of football. Perhaps he would call someone from foreign stars, legionnaires who spent a lot of time in the Russian championship. I want to listen to their stories.

- What about former Olympic partner Didier Drogba?

- Why not? By the way, he recently conveyed greetings to me through Andrei Arshavin and Alexei Smertin. Apparently he still remembers eating pancakes with caviar on my birthday.

- What was that story?

-In Russia, it is customary to put down for a birthday. But in France, unfortunately, there is no such tradition. But I thought that the guys would be pleased, so before training I brought a whole plate of pancakes that my mother baked. He explained that this is so with us. Everyone liked it so much that after 30 minutes there was nothing left. After class Didier comes up to me and says: “Can you make me such a plate separately?” Then every two weeks I asked.

“How do you remember the Ivorian?”

- Very demanding. First of all, to himself, but also to partners, too. Of course, this is not always pleasant, but at the same time encourages. Understanding that there is such a person in the team, you do not stop there, strive for more. This is the role he played in Olympic.

- Was there a feeling that he was a star?

- No. He plowed along with everyone. It just worked out better for him. Of course, Didier was the leader of the team, the fans idolized him. But no stardom, he remained demanding in every match.

- Didn’t you think that African football players are different from the rest?

- I got the impression that they are very purposeful. For many, the only chance to break free and provide a better life for their families is to plow and gain a foothold in European football. Difficult childhood and life in Africa play a role. In addition, they leave the comfort zone very early.

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Publication by Dmitry Sychev (@ dsychev11) Nov 15, 2019 at 4:53 PST

“The fan is very difficult to lure to the stadium”

- Do you have enough time to follow the Russian football?

- Of course, I try to keep abreast of events, but, frankly, I look more at English. I try not to miss a single review. Of course, the first five to six teams are of primary interest, especially Liverpool. But the battles at the bottom of the standings are no less exciting.

- What impresses you with the Merseysiders?

- The team has always had a character. Actually, it was he who attracted me. I have been following it since the days of Stephen Gerrard. In general, I am more interested in the idea, not the result.

- In the RPL with ideas these days are worse even in comparison with those times when you played?

- Yes. It seems to me that in the 2000s, football itself and the players were brighter. Now the level of skill has fallen due to the outflow of great masters, and there are too few strong Russians.

- It turns out that the domestic school graduates few talented players?

- Everything is relative. I do not want to offend anyone, but before there were more bright, young, visible players. Now everything is averaged. Few people create something really interesting on the field. There is a struggle, but there is no pleasure in the game, only torment. And this can not please the audience. But we are working on entertainment, I hope that soon we can expect a qualitative leap.

- What can help our football?

- Work in this direction is ongoing, we already have a system for the development of young players, and soon it will begin to bear fruit. We need to improve the situation in children's football, because everything comes from the foundation. Of course, nothing will happen without financial injections. And we are talking not only about the sport itself, but also about management. Good governance at all levels plays an important role. This is a great way where everything is interconnected. This is also not enough.

- So, you need to educate and sports managers?

- Yes, and do it in the realities of the new world, where money and spectator interest rule. The fan is very difficult to lure to the stadium. He wants to want to see a beautiful picture. To provide it, we need brains.

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Publication by Dmitry Sychev (@ dsychev11) Jun 1, 2019 at 6:44 am PDT

- You yourself do not plan to go into this area?

- I plan. That's why I recently graduated from the FIFA management school. I want to do something useful. A lot of plans and ideas on this topic. Of course, this is not done on the knee and not in five minutes. But the training was effective, received a large amount of knowledge.

-  Lokomotiv and Zenit unsuccessfully performed at the group stage of the Champions League. What did they miss?

- Hard to say. There is a combination of factors that is not the first year that slows down our teams and prevents them from continuing on in the spring. To do this, you need experience in participating in truly competitive and intense matches in which the skill of football players will grow by leaps and bounds. While we can not compete with representatives of the big five European championships.

- But “Zenith” has the experience of playing in European competitions. And their group was weaker. Why didn’t they succeed?

- Of course, you need to be inside the team, to be aware of what officials, coaches, and football players themselves think. It is incorrect to talk about what you do not know. Probably, there was not enough depth of composition, bright performers who could make a result.

- At the same time, in the Russian Premier League (RPL), Zenit is a confident leader. In your opinion, has the intrigue died completely this season?

- Yes, everyone understands everything already.

- Because of the coronavirus pandemic, there is no football. How do you fill this gap? Maybe you are reviewing old matches or follow the championship of Belarus?

- No, I don’t review the matches, because I don’t want to be sad. I’m just trying to hold on, because you can’t fix the situation. It's cool that there is a championship of Belarus, the main thing is that everything is safe. Of course, football without spectators is a sad sight, but we have no choice. The guys play well, try. Compared to my time, the neighbors' game level has grown, legionnaires have appeared.

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Publication by Dmitry Sychev (@ dsychev11) Jul 18, 2019 at 3:16 am PDT