Marcel Licka: Thanks to Andrey Lunev for keeping us in the game until the very end

— We can only comment on the second half, because in the first half we didn't get into the game. We played poorly both with and without the ball. There was no aggression, no necessary movement. I wanted players with the ball to take responsibility, play one-on-one, and look for spaces between the lines. If you slow down the game against a balanced team like CSKA, it's very difficult to break through their defense. The army team moved forward very quickly, finding fast Fayzullayev, Oblyakov, and Guarirapu. By the 15th minute, CSKA could have been leading 3-0.

In the break, we didn't talk about tactics, because our attitude to the game and our work with the ball were more important. In the locker room, the players had a tough conversation themselves, then I added a few words of my own. The second half was better, we equalized the score, but unfortunately, at the end, we again gave the opponent several chances. Many thanks to Andrey Lunyov, who kept us in the game until the very end.

— Can you explain what happened to the team in the first half?

— Only CSKA was on the field. I didn't like that we weren't attacking the opponents aggressively. And when we had the ball and needed to play at speed, we turned around and passed back. That's not how you play. Each player had their own task in moments when there was a loss of the ball in the opponent's half of the field, but CSKA always quickly threw the ball forward and could score more on counterattacks

— Nicolas Ngoumou received a yellow card and was clearly very agitated, but you kept him on the field until the end of the match. Did you have a conversation with him?

— Yes, we talked to him at halftime. You need to understand that there is a foul when the referee whistles. You shouldn't stop and demand a foul from the referee when there's a quick counterattack by the opponent. And 3-4 players did just that. If you are slightly touched and fall, you should immediately get up and play on. And if you see that the referee lets play in such episodes, don't do it again. This was also one of the reasons why we didn't focus on the game in the first half

— Why was the transition to a 4-4-2 formation in the second half justified?

— The score was 1:1, and we wanted to win. El Mehdi is quite a fast player and fights well for aerial balls. When the second forward came on, the three central defenders of CSKA started playing narrower, and Mumi and Bitello could have more opportunities to take risks and beat one-on-one. But there were few such situations. Unfortunately, Eli Dasa got injured, who could have used this zone well. Kutya came on in a difficult situation in such an intense game, entered it well and helped the team.

— Why wasn't Milan Maystorovich in the squad?

— Milan has an injury. He worked individually and joined the training process only before the game. When he came out to train yesterday, he said that he was not ready 100 percent. It's clear that he wanted to play, but honestly said he couldn't make strong passes. Many thanks to him for his honesty. But his absence was not the reason for our poor performance - we are a team, we win and lose together. I am the coach - I am responsible for the lineup, responsible for the game and responsible for the result.

— There is an international break coming up. Are you surprised that the Russian national team will hold a camp without friendly matches?

This is the decision of the federation. Of course, it would be better for me if the players stayed with me. We have 13 players leaving for different national teams, so as always, we will have a broken team. I wished those who are leaving a good journey and good luck, so that they return healthy and in a good mood