Syomin: Emotions will help us recover
Lokomotiv head coach Yuriy Syomin speaks to a press conference after a victory over Zenit (1:0) in Gameweek 11 of the Russian Championship.
- Do you agree that because the Miranchuks are sidelined the team untapped some hidden reserves?
- I think so, yes. We have a victory, we have the result. But the Miranchuks are irreplaceable as of now.
- In half-time Smolov said the calendar had been tailored to satisfy Zenit. Do you agree?
- I agree that the calendar has been tailored wrongly. The teams that compete in Europe should have advantage. That’s how it always has been, I gave many examples. Now, in two days we are scheduled to play against Atletico. You can argue Atletico are taking on Real today, that’s true. But Atletico are stronger than any Russian club and so we should have had at least some minor advantage, say, in one extra day of recovery. Why have the Lokomotiv – Zenit fixture today? Why not reschedule and give us that extra day?
- Why did you keep postponing substitutions until the last minute?
- Our team were even in terms of physical performance. The only thing we had to react to was when Ivanovic moved to the attacking third. We pulled Murilo to defence that created a vacuum in the centre. That led to the substitution of Smolov for Kolomeytsev. Otherwise there would have been no changes. Why change anything if it works?
- Before the game against Baltika you said Aleksey Miranchuk could be fielded against Zenit. Do you think he could play against Atletico?
- We are expecting him back in every game. He has been training and doing some sets of exercises. We need him. But it is important for me that a player himself tells me he is ready to play.
- Would it be fair to say the game with Zenit was a preparation for Atletico?
- No, it wouldn’t. We progress from one game to another. If Zenit had won, he would have secured a six-point lead. Now we are even. The championship is interesting, five teams are claiming the leadership, and so every game is important. Now we have two days to get ready for Atletico.
- How has Atletico changed compared with the past games against Lokomotiv?
- Atletico is the leader in La Liga, which means it is the leader of the world football. There’s the Guardiola-style, and there’s the Simeone-style. Atletico is very strong.
