Syomin: We had chances but something just wasn't right
Lokomotiv's head coach Yuriy Syomin comments on the game against Juventus (1:2) in round 4 of the Champions League group stage.
- We are disappointed. We could have secured one point or even win, but we lost. I am thankful to the players. It was a good game. They played according to the plan and responded well to the unexpected goal. I think we can be satisfied with the game despite the defeat. The players thanked the supporters for the sold-out seats, we had good chances but something just wasn't right. In the last minutes our general weariness had its toll. Again, I say thank-you to the supporters.
- Why did you choose the attacking tactics?
- It's easy. Today we fielded our best players.
- Miranchuk demonstrated very good play. Will it be difficult to make him stay at Lokomotiv?
- Where is he going? If it's Juventus or Barcelona - let him go. The brothers are Lokomotiv. Aleksey is the stands' favourite, he's enjoying playing here. The same with Anton.
- Will Lokomotiv play more aggressively in the remaining games?
- We are aggressive in every match. Tactics depends on many factors: who your players are, what their condition is. In the previous game Juventus gave us less opportunities, whereas this time we had chances. I am happy with how the guys played against Juventus, the world's top footballers. Except for the last episode. By the way, Douglas Costa constantly scored against Dynamo Kiev when I worked there.
- Are you not being discouraged by Guilherme's blunders?
- When did he last make a similar mistake? I can't remember. How many times did he save today? The most important thing is that he himself wouldn't be discouraged. Check out the speed of the ball when Ronaldo kicks it. Outstanding keepers can save such attempts. After the goal the team were enthusiastic to equalize.
- Lokomotiv is one of the few teams Ronaldo was unable to score against. Today, he even got substituted. Did you prepare the team in some special way to playing against the Portuguese?
- We prepared ourselves to playing against Juventus, not Ronaldo. How can his play be considered bad if he set up for the first goal? Ronaldo never plays badly - he plays either well or outstandingly. I want to wish Juventus good luck. I hope that in the Champions League Final we will see Juventus and Atletico.
