On the eve of the match with Khimki, the centre-back of the White-Blues told about his progress, the adaptation of newcomers and recalled the February game against the Moscow region side.
— The team finally took pace and won three matches in a row. What helped to reverse the unsuccessful streak?
— We were patient and worked hard. It is clear that any team faces unsuccessful streaks. We just had one and then took pace. We are playing better from match to match and we are expecting a good game with Khimki.
— Nicolas Ngamaleu said that the main thing was to fight one for all and all for one. Is it possible to say that everyone in the team is doing it now?
— Yes, we started playing much more aggressively and confidently, supporting each other and moving better. We are doing exactly what the coaching staff requires of us. Now we are a whole unit and we are fighting for each other.
— Nicolas also noted that he communicates with you most of all. What language do you speak together? Did he have any troubles in adaptation?
— Sometimes I try to practice my French, but we often speak English. We have our own team with Eli and Mathias. I think Nicolas has adapted pretty quickly and I helped him too. Moumi is a very positive guy and I immediately established contact with him. Everything is fine.
— It's more difficult for your teammates from the center of defense, because Roberto Fernandez and Nicholas Marichal are not so good in English speaking. Are there any problems because of this? How do you interact with them?
— I first was surprised that they know only Spanish and there were certain problems at the beginning. I even had to learn a few simple football terms in Spanish that are used during the match. I still tell them in Spanish. For example, I shout salimos («we're going out»), and then repeat this command in Russian or English. Now they are studying English with tutors. I try to help them too: when Niko says a word in Spanish, I answer him in Russian and that's how he remembers it. Communication is still going on.
— The defensive line has been constantly changing until recent time for various reasons. How difficult is it to come to the pitch with new partners all the time?
— We understand each other well with Robbie (Roberto Fernandez). We have already played many matches together and we support each other on the pitch. It's a little bit different with Nico, because he has different style of play – he's faster and likes to attack an opponent leaving the position.
— This season you have become the regular centre-back. Did the first part of the championship bring satisfaction for you personally? What would you like to improve?
— There is always a lot to improve, but on the whole I am happy. I'm getting better and more confident from game to game. Of course, I want more clean sheets, but everything is going as it should. I liked Slavisa Jokanovic's sentence that there is no past in football. I can only influence the present and the future, so I keep working and getting better.
— Who is the strongest forward for you?
— There are a lot of interesting and different forwards in the Russian Premier League. I would not like to single out anyone. If a person plays at RPL, it already means that he is a good striker.
— Sergey Parshivlyuk scored his first goal for Dynamo in the 79th match. Are you willing to score your debut goal too?
— Of course. I even scored in the match against Spartak, but, unfortunately, my goal was canceled due to the offside position of Nikola Moro. I really want to score, but it does not happen. Sooner or later I'll score, but I want to do it as soon as possible.
— In fact, you played your first match at Dynamo against Khimki in February. What did you remember about that game?
— I came out in the second half when Roman Yevgenyev was sent off. I had to play against a very fast and powerful striker Didier Lamkel Zé. I think I played a good match and didn't let him create a lot of chances. I was praised then and I enjoyed my debut.
— Our team won by 3:0 in that game. Can the fans expect a lot of goals this Saturday?
— Of course. Fortunately, we finally rode on our wave scoring three times in three consecutive matches. I think we can do even more, because we create chances for it. I hope the team to score more than three on Saturday. But for me, as a defender, I expect to keep a clean sheet.
— Our opponent is guided by Spartak Gogniyev, whose teams are known for unusual set-pieces. Have you managed to spy on something?
— I have seen some cuts, but our coaches will show and tell us everything necessary during pre-match theories. I think we can be luckier. In the previous game with Lokomotiv, our set-pieces were fine. I hope that this tendency will go on, and we will not concede either from the set-pieces or throughout the game.