Syomin: I want to apologize to the supporters for the game against Bayer
After the game against Bayer (0:2) Lokomotiv head coach Yuriy Syomin apologized to the red-green crowd and told about the team's future.
- We are all very disappointed. The first half was good tactically, but our spirit was weak. Very unexpectedly we started losing too many tackles and suddenly lost confidence after the first half. As for the second half, we yet need to look at the statistics but I didn't like it. If we view the chances, we hardly had less than the opposition. But that did not matter because we lacked the Lokomotiv spirit.
- In Leverkusen you fielded Murilo in defensive midfield. Why did you keep him on the bench today?
- We don't keep anyone there. The starting XI for the next game is formed based on the result of the previous one. The previous game left much to be desired.
- What did Lokomotiv lack in general to qualify for the play-offs or the Europa League?
- Today we lacked character. But in general we need a more varied choice of players to qualify for advanced stages. The injuries of our leading players influenced us. The players who were on the field today had almost no practice during the week. Their form is far from optimal. But these are our internal reasons. I want to apologize to the supporters for the game.
- In the last few weeks Miranchuk has been a big news on the transfer market. Could this have its toll on his play and the team's performance?
- I don't want to talk about this. Everyone looked bad. We had no team in the second half.
- Will you now bet on the Russian title?
- I hope we lose as few points as possible before the break. After the New Year we'll have a new team.
- What do you mean?
- I mean, in terms of character. That's most important. If wyou have character, you'll have the result. If you don't, you lose even if you have a star team. A new team does not mean new players. It's hard to say what changes we'll have, but many will recover. Like Farfan, who is immensely important. The players who were injured for a long time will go through a proper month-long training camp, not a week-long. We'll take them to a good condition.
- The game against Atletico will have no tournament significance. What will be the lineup and the goal for the game?
- I don't know, there are two games ahead. Our goal is to represent Lokomotiv with dignity and form an opinion how it will look like next year. We'll fight.
- Kulikov has made a good impression. What would you say about his play?
- He is our closest reserve. It's hard to say in advance if he will get much or few playing time. It depends on him. Sometimes young players make two or three bright appearances followed by a downturn. We need a longer bench for rotation, for rivalry. Today we're a bit short of that.
