Yuriy Syomin: Goals decide the outcome

Speaking to a press-conference, Lokomotiv head coach Yuriy Syomin commented on the clash with Spartak during the Russian Premier League’s Gameweek 6.

- In the first half we were less aggressive than our rivals and lost many challenges. In the second one the team wasted opportunities to level the matters. Today we did not do enough to win. All in all, it was a good physical game on both sides. Perhaps, there were few combinations but enough action. The players did not spare themselves and made it worthwhile for the fans, I think.

- There had been many rumours of Promes missing out this time. Did it surprise you to see his name on Spartak’s starting sheet?

- We gave consideration to Spartak’s latest selections rather than pay attention to this.

- Vitaliy Denisov seemed jaded.

- I can’t say that he did poorly, but guys returning from the international duty were tired. Denisov played two matches in the heat in Uzbekistan and Qatar.

- How do you assess Igor Denisov’s match fitness?

- He can still build on his fitness a lot. Yet, he applied himself at trainings so he was in the first eleven.

- Why did you sub off Samedov?

- It’s easy - Kombarov outperformed Samedov in the opening half.

- What do you make of Portnyagin's debut?

- He had a 100% chance to score. Both he and Henty need to show better quality.

- Ahead of this fixture, did you look into the possibility of playing against Spartak in counter-attacking mode?

- We looked into the possibility with counters, yes, as well as into pre-planning our offence – the way it happened in the second half. But goals decide the outcome, and we failed to score. So there’s no point talking about it any more.