«Zenit’s» midfielder on the victory over PSV, Depay’s trash talk and AVB’s absence on the bench.
—Before the game we wanted to go out on the pitch with the kind of mentality that we had in the first match and that’s what we did. We were very organized on defence and looked for our chances on the counter-attack. We moved well on the whole and after the final whistle we were very happy.
• What do you think is the major difference between «Zenit» and PSV?
— I think that we were calmer. Depay before the match said that he doesn’t know a single player from «Zenit». I think that now he knows. That’s the difference: some want to prove something by their game, others in the interview.
• Who do you want to play in the next round?
—Why not against an English team? In any case, we are going to concentrate on our next game and try to go as far as we can.
• Can you say that «Zenit» is in optimal form right now?
— Yes, we feel like we are in great shape and we have to continue along the same way.
• What was it like to play without Villas-Boas on the bench?
— We had the impression that he was with us still. We were getting tips from Luis Martins the whole time and so it wasn’t a problem that he wasn’t there.
• What do you think about the pitch?
— Keeping in mind the kind of weather here in St. Petersburg in January and February, I think it was absolutely ideal today. They did a great job today.
