Miodrag Bozovic: "Spartak should be happy with the draw"

As soon as Lokomotiv drew level with Spartak, the Railwaymen's manager Miodrag Bozovic told the post-match press conference about the changes in the squad and explained the substitutions he made.

- This is a derby, the fans should enjoy the game, - said Bozovic. - But I think the first half wasn't spectacular. When we saw their lineup it became clear they were going to rely on counter attacks. They had one opportunity in the first half, but we were better after half-time, and scored. It's a pity that we conceded. Spartak should be really happy with the draw.

- Unlike in the previous game, you kept Fernandes on the bench, sending Mykhalyk to cover the area. Was it because you were playing away and had to be careful?
- In the game against Terek we lost many tackles in the back of midfield. We needed a sturdy player who would tackle opponents, and Mykhalyk played well.

- The Niasse-Pavlyuchenko and Sheshukov-Fernandes substitutions seemed to have been caused by the foreign players rule. Is this suggestion correct?
- No. I had to withdraw Niasse because the guy got tired, he had run an impressive distance. When Spartak changed formation from five defenders to four, there came a need for a different player up front. Roman is good at playing his back towards the goal, intercepting, and anticipating passes in the box. We started having more opportunities to deliver the ball to the area using wing crosses. Sheshukov asked to get substituted.

- Was there any plan to mark Shirokov?
- I respect Shirokov but nowadays teams employ zonal defence. I'm happy that Roman has returned to football, I'm sure he will be useful to the national team. In that episode, however, we had to fear not only him, but also Movsisyan and Dzyuba. We counter not players, but teams.

- Were you surprised Spartak didn't field a single forward?
- We were, but then we realized that the hosts would be staffed with five defenders, Jurado and Promes would play in the front line, and a variable three-piece unit would cover midfield. As soon as we knew the names, we knew the formation.