"Even with ten men they looked worthy": Cherchesov on the game with the Turks, the removal of Semyonov and tactical changes

- How would you rate the last game with Turkey in general?

- I said the day before: it's a pity that there won't be spectators at the stadium.

They did not see this game with their own eyes and could not support their team.

Let them be sick against us, it would add a certain courage. 

The match itself was divided into three phases: the first - before sending off, the second - five to ten minutes after it and the third - the time remaining until the final whistle.

Unfortunately, in the unsuccessful ten-minute phase we missed twice, and this played a decisive role.

And so even with ten men we looked decent against the background of a good Turkish team.

During the break, the players were tuned in to win and in the second half they made substitutions aimed at strengthening the attack.

- What do you expect from the Russian national team in the last League of Nations match with Serbia?

- We have only one game left.

On Monday we will hold a training session in Turkey and in the evening we will fly to Serbia, where we will continue training.

- What was the reason for the decision to bet on the formation with five defenders?

The Russian national team has not played in this way for a long time.

- We wanted to play differently than usual.

And everyone saw that at first the Turks did not know how to resist us.

We understood how we would defend ourselves and go on the attack.

The opponents were uncomfortable, because we put a lot of pressure and did not allow the owners to get out of their half of the field.

Actually, this is how the Russian team scored the first goal.

We decided to change the scheme, and the team heard it the day before.

We talked both with everyone together and with the players personally, so that they understand the idea.

And before the removal of Semyonov, everything turned out as we wanted.

I think the change of formation was the right decision, because the Turks had a difficult time.

- How do you assess the episodes with the removal of Andrey Semyonov and the controversial penalty in the second half?

- I would not like to discuss it.

There is a desire to answer questions regarding the game.

It is clear that the decisions of the referees are part of football, but I would not like to talk about this topic.

- How to properly learn to control yourself on the field, when you need to take a break in pressing and switch to playing from the opponent?

- We will discuss it calmly.

As soon as Semyonov was removed, they immediately began to confer on how best to rebuild the game.

But you still can't make a replacement in a second.

Then we made changes and everything fell into place.

In such situations, experienced players should also concentrate.

But even after the removal, in the minority, we created chances.

What happened will serve as a lesson for us.

If such a situation has developed, it means that it is necessary for some reason.

It is sent to analyze it correctly.

- Are you satisfied with the way Alexey Miranchuk's game has changed after leaving for Atalanta?

Agree, in pressing and during defensive actions, he became much more responsible and concentrated?

- Absolutely correct question.

Today he came out in the same position that he occupies at Atalanta.

He felt comfortable there.

It is clear that there are nuances that he must take into account while in the national team.

When Alexei left for Italy, I supported his decision, because the level of resistance there makes it possible to add.

I think in the matches with Moldova and Turkey, we saw that Miranchuk has matured.

Another thing is that he needs to show his leadership qualities and, as we say, put points, that is, score goals and give assists.

- In the previous match, Fedor Chalov entered the field from the first minutes.

This time, Anton Zabolotny appeared at the forefront of the attack.

What was the reason for this decision?

- Firstly, he arrived at the location of the national team in good physical shape.

Secondly, he plays according to the same scheme in Sochi and performs the same role there that he received in the match with Turkey.

By and large, he coped with it, but the attacker, of course, needs goals.

He failed to score, but he completed all the other tasks facing him, worked for the team as we demanded of him.

Later, we will calmly analyze what Zabolotny could have done better.

- The Russian national team on the eve of the match with Serbia suffered several losses at once.

Disqualifications were earned by Fyodor Kudryashov, Roman Zobnin and Semyonov.

How will you solve this problem?

- Now we will discuss how to proceed.

In a normal situation, we could take everyone who left with us, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, they will go home.

We will have 22 players left, and with them we will prepare for Serbia.

We wouldn't want to have that many losses, but that's part of football.