Leonid Kuchuk: "Volga failed to surprise us"

At a post-match press-conference Leonid Kuchuk said the opponents didn't surprise him with new tactics.

- Were you worried about this game?
- All games make me worry a bit. Another game, another opponent. We have to take our points, they have to do the same. You always have to be on call. We have been carefully preparing for this game, and Volga tried to surprise us with different tactics but I wouldn't say they succeeded.

- Are you satisfied with how Lokomotiv played before the red card?
- I don't really cut the game in parts, before and after. There's a match that you play from first to last minute. It can go differently: you can get into troubles in the first minute, or in the last seconds. I've had such games in my career. You have to start a game smoothly, and today we avoided open play but employed a lot of tackles instead.

- How are Boussoufa and Diarra? Are they in Moscow or abroad?
- In Moscow. They are great. Smiling, practicing, soon ready to fight. We're all ready to fight.

- Why Guilherme?
- Do you have any doubts about him? Sometimes it's difficult to understand a coach's logic, but I made my choice. I think Guilherme is a great goalkeeper, as well as Ilya Abayev. There were several nuances that made me choose the Brazilian. But I cannot explain you my way of thinking. It's not a decision that I made in five minutes. I see him practicing every day, I see his reaction, his positional play, his form, and it's my decision. Health is also a big factor.

- Sheshukov helped the defenders a lot today, more than usual. Was this your directive or his decision?
- It was the tactics: how you make the opponent open up, what you do to make it happen, how you interact and who goes to spaces. It's about finding spaces to start attacks. We work on it during practices: the players interact and learn to cue. By the way, our central backs joined attacks today. And there's nothing unusual about it. The opponents tried to close spaces and we had to open them up.

- Have you already congratulated Yanbayev?
- Not yet. The Brazilians promised to congratulate him in a Brazilian way. Do you remember how we congratulated N'Doye in Spain? I think Renat should get ready for something similar. Guilherme and Maicon have been really preparing for it, I have no idea how he will look like when he gets out of the dressing room. Renat played well, he was very active.

- There's a homestretch ahead - are you ready for it?
- I get ready for every game, not for a homestretch. Every game is a test for me and the team. It doesn't matter whether it is Spartak, Volga or Zenit. If you work like this, you can count on some dividends, and if you just pray for luck you lose. I want to thank the guys they view every opponent as their biggest challenge.