Dynamo head coach Marcel Licka answered journalists' questions after the win over Zenit. The match was held at VTB Arena on Sunday, April 28th (1:0).
— A victory over Zenit is always a festival. Today the opponent has shown both its skills and strength. Honestly speaking, up to the moment when we scored a goal, Zenit had the game under complete control. They possessed the ball, tried to look for free zones in our defense and could have scored. On the other hand, our defense was disciplined. I remember one chance organized by Zenit from the set piece, when it was very dangerous. And so, during the game, we were able to close Cassierra, Wendel, and fast Mostovoy well.
Unfortunately, in the first half we were bad in transitions. The team lost the ball often making one or two passes, and in general we played passively in front. In the second half, we changed something, prompted the attacking players to stretch Zenit defense and run behind the defenders' backs. When Bitello came on the pitch, Dynamo play has been transformed into the 4-2-3-1 formation. We started to play better between the lines and possess the ball. It's clear that a goal gave us even more strength and confidence, because just running after the ball is hard.
— Zenit lost to Rubin at home before the match against Dynamo. And Rashid Rakhimov said that it was impossible to run forward, when playing with such a team. You copied that tactics today, only the Kazan side scored two, and you scored one goal. Zenit played on the road, so they were not so aggressive. Have you watched this match and noticed something useful for yourself?
— Rubin and Dynamo have a slightly different game structure, different players. But I repeat, our performance in the first half was not so good. As a team, we need to be more active. When you run after the ball, you don't rest. Rubin can boast good discipline in defense, power play, quick counterattacks and set pieces. We were looking for our play between the lines through Carrascal and Bitello, but we also succeeded due to a set piece.
Of course, we watched Zenit matches against Rubin and Orenburg in St. Petersburg, and our game in the Russian Cup, when we lost.
— Did you have any desire to field a semi-reserve squad today, as Spartak did, who kept in mind the Russian Cup match in two days?
— We made a rotation in the games with Orenburg and SKA-Khabarovsk in the Cup. Now I think we can play two matches in three days, using the same squad. Perhaps there will be some small changes, but everything will depend on how the players feel.
As it was, for example, with Bitello, who was not so fresh after the game in Orenburg, so today he did not appear in the starting line-up. But he got his 30 minutes and will be fresher by Wednesday.
— The gap from Zenit is now three points. How do you assess the chances of catching up with the St. Petersburg side?
— I am very glad that we are back in the championship race. On the other hand, when such a fight for gold happens in Russia, Zenit always win. When necessary, the St. Petersburg team wins its games.
Krasnodar and Krylya Sovetov are playing tomorrow, and if Krasnodar win, they will come out on top. There will be four games left to play in the RPL, and Dynamo are going to play against Krasnodar in the last round. For me, this is a super ending!
— Dynamo have been winning over Zenit quite regularly lately. Do you know anything special about them?
— If Zenit had scored first today, it would have been very difficult for us to come from behind. For 60 minutes, the St. Petersburg team controlled the game, and we did not perform in attack very well, but I rate this match on our play in defense. In fact, Zenit had one chance from the set piece, all the other attempts have been cleared by our defenders.
