Zenit’s midfielder spoke about the meaning of the win in Khimki and what it means coming closer to winning the title and about the fatigue from the trip in Turin.
• Of course it wasn’t an easy match today against a really strong opponent, we knew that going in. Moreover we came here immediately after the trip to Turin, where we really fought hard. In the beginning we felt tired, but afterwards we were able to do what we needed to win. We wanted to leave for the national team break in a good mood.
— What did the coach say ahead of the match? What did he want you to do?
• He said that we just have to win — this is the most important match from the point of view of the title. And during the break when we were up, he said that we had to wait for the counter-attack. It seemed to me that if we had done a little better with that then we could have scored again. But fatigue played a role.
— Were the last 10 minutes pretty nerve-wrecking?
• Not really, we played how we played. There wasn’t any stress or panic. The opposite really, we wanted to score again. But we weren’t able to although on defence we were really concentrated and confident.
— You were again in the central zone today. Where is it more comfortable for you? On defence or on attack?
• Everybody knows that I love to play in the “8” position. Today I could have scored, but after the 70 meter sprint I was so tired that I just couldn’t shoot. I like that position. The coach is giving me freedom and I can defend or attack.
— How do you rate this win in the chase for the title?
• It’s really important. We needed to preserve the gap with CSKA. The next match is at home against them and of course it’s going to be an even more important match. If we can beat them, then I think that our chances to win the title are going to be really high.
