Marcel Licka: We came from behind and showed character in the derby

— Did Dynamo performance in the second half correspond to the play that you wanted to see from your team?

— I want Dynamo players to understand my football philosophy. It is obvious that everything doesn't always go according to the plan. But I am happy that today we managed to come from behind, showed character and won the derby. In the first half, we didn't play confidently in the final third: Makarov didn't use a good chance, although he had scored a lot with his right foot in training on Thursday. It's football, it happens sometimes.

In the second half we began to play more confidently and went into pressure. Of course, we benefited from the opponent's mistake, but Nababkin committed it under pressure – Tyuka played well in that episode. Today, the team showed good intensity for the entire match, despite the heat. Both sides demonstrated good football, the score could have been 3:3, but we were a little more lucky. I am sure that the fans liked this kind of football.

— When did you feel that Dynamo would win today?

— I felt it only after the referee's final whistle. The opponent fielded Adolfo Gaich, and there were two powerful strikers ahead, so the tension didn't leave us until the very end. Emotions are the most positive after such a win. During the game, I lived football, which was very attractive.

— In the first half Fedor Smolov was lost, grabbed his head and made a lot of mistakes, but you showed patience and left him on the pitch almost until the end of the match. Why did you make this decision?

— Smolov often takes responsibility by playing the ball. Yes, he had quite a lot of ball losses today. I am sure that in games like that, we need mentally strong players who may fail three times, but on the fourth one they will make a difference. I didn't even have a thought that I could substitute Smolov during the break. I was sure that he would play 70-80 minutes at a good level, and, as the second half showed, Fedor could do it. By the end, he took responsibility for himself and scored the game winning penalty. He deserves high praise.

— Nicolas Ngamaleu won a lot of tackles and was able to work much. What do you think about his play?

— Moumi plays well not only in attack, where he takes the ball and looks great in one-on-one situations. But he also helps a lot after losing the ball. Honestly speaking, I didn't know him very well when I came to the club, but after two weeks of training I was surprised by what kind of player we have in the team. He has been showing a stable level since the first game against Krasnodar. Today Nicolas scored a goal, which will add to his self-confidence. I am very happy for him. He is one of the best players of our team.

— Diego Laxalt has done a lot of work on the pitch. Do you like his play as a central midfielder?

— I don't want central midfielders to only intercept the balls and kick them away. We didn't have a player for this position, so we decided to use Diego there. He really wanted to play in the middle. He feels great there. In his person we found a fairly aggressive footballer with a good ball interception. He can come forward well and make a difference in the final third of the pitch. At the same time, he is not physically ready for 100 percent yet and can do even more work.

— Who would you name the best player of the match?

— At Dynamo, I would choose Moumi or Diego. If we take CSKA, then I liked Victor Mendes' play.

— But the experts chose Ivan Oblyakov as the best.

— I still like it better when Oblyakov comes as a playmaker. Perhaps today he performed on the wing because of other players' injuries.

— During the break, you replaced Bessmertnyi for Eli Dasa. Comment on this substitution and Stanislav's chances in the first team.

— His chances are good. Bes wants to progress that we see in training. Physically, he is on the level. Stas is still a young guy and will develop. It was a very difficult match for him from a psychological point of view. He faced such an experienced football player as Oblyakov. I can't say he played badly. I simply decided to field Eli, who added experience and established himself great.

— Why did you decide to field Yaroslav Gladyshev at the end of such an important match, who is still playing with a cast on his arm?

— Gladi played a week ago. He had a fracture, but this does not prevent him from training and playing. He doesn't look at his cast and isn't afraid to fight. We needed a fast player on the wing, so we decided to field him.

— This match was crucial. Have you especially tuned in to the Moscow derby?

— Of course, it's always nice to win the derby, because there is not a favorite in them. There is always a lot of fight of characters on the pitch, and it doesn't always turn out to be a nice game. But today I think all the fans enjoyed such football.