Dynamo Head Coach answered journalists' questions ahead of the match against FC Ufa.
— We will face a serious opponent on Sunday. Ufa have never lost over the past six outings. The previous match against Spartak was going very well for them until the last seconds, but they missed the victory. Ufa play firmly and actively. They go into tackles aggressively. The team is very well organized and can cause troubles to any rival.
We can also mention the centre-forward Agalarov, who is showing his best side. We will need to find free zones in attack, control the ball properly, switch quickly in transitions and capitalize on our chances.
— Dynamo are considered one of the contenders for Gamid Agalarov? Could you integrate him into your team?
— We are not talking about the future now. At the moment, he belongs to Ufa. On Sunday, we won’t go all out on neutralizing only Agalarov. Team defense is important for us.
— Dmitry Skopintsev and Guillermo Varela will miss the match due to disqualification. If Sergey Parshivlyuk is expected to take the right wing, who will play on the left one? Zaurbek Pliyev?
— There are other options in this position. Either we will make a replacement in this position, or we will change the game formation. When one or another player misses a match due to disqualification, we can play well. We have players who can take the left-back position.
— Arsen Zakharyan, Konstantin Tyukavin and Gamid Agalarov were included in the shortlist for the best young player of the year. Who will you vote for?
— It is very good that there is such an award. All these players are very talented and have great potential. Such young stars appear and this is very important for the whole Russian football.
— Several players are on the verge of disqualification at once. Will you ask them to play more carefully in order not to miss the encounter against Zenit?
— How can I tell them to play more carefully? I can't go up to them and say: «Think about the next match against Zenit». They can't give 80 percent. Ufa are a tough rival. You can recall the first round game, which turned out to be difficult for us. We're going to give our everything this Sunday.
— In that game, the team lost a two-goal lead. Then this situation repeated again in the match against Spartak. What are you doing to prevent the team from this confusion?
— Every week I am often asked a question about the goals that we conceded in a particular match. We've talked quite a lot about it. There is no need to constantly focus on negative aspects. For example, we were losing in Kazan. However, we could show the character, make a U-turn and win. The game against Spartak was played 6 weeks ago, and we don't want to go back to that. We will face a serious opponent on Sunday, and now we are thinking only about it.
— How do you assess the authorities’ decision to increase the permissible match attendance to 70 percent?
— We are very delighted that the quota has been increased to 70 percent. When a large number of fans support us in the stands, we always feel it and it inspires us. It is worth of remark that our fans gave us a great support in Kazan.
— Today it became known that Dynamo fans would leave the fan sector after the first half in solidarity with CSKA supporters. What is your opinion about this situation?
— I am aware of this, but I cannot fully assess the current situation. We need to find the fastest possible solution to these problems. Obviously, all teams want to play with the support of their fans. After the first half, we will miss it, although, of course, we would not like that.
— When Daniil Fomin leaves the pitch, Dynamo don’t convert a penalty. Are there any other good penalty takers in the squad?
— Of course, there are such players. Clinton and Nikola did not score from the penalty. But they are not the first and not the last players who failed. Daniil Fomin is our regular penalty taker, but we don't think about his constant stay on the pitch in order to be ready to take a penalty.
— Dynamo won three consecutive matches. Is it possible to say that the team's football is now close to what you want to see?
— Three victories in a row give us confidence in our own abilities, but they do not guarantee success in the upcoming outings. We need to continue working day by day and try to improve our play. On Sunday we are also waiting for a victory, we are tuning in to it and we will do everything possible to achieve it.
— When you look at the table, do you pay attention to Dynamo pursuers, or how many points separate Dynamo from Zenit?
— After each game, we look at the table – both at the top and at the bottom of it. At this stage, we are satisfied with our result. We understand the current situation, but we do not waste energy on unnecessary thoughts about the tournament position. We only focus on the upcoming game.
— This week Valery Karpin met the players of the Russian national team in Moscow. How did you react to this situation?
— I don't see any problems. There should be such meetings. The Russian national team is going to play important play-off matches, so this was probably discussed. This meeting did not affect our training work in any way, so I treated it normally.
— There is a monitor on the coach's bench where your assistants are watching the match. Is this necessary to view controversial issues or some tactical rearrangements?
— First of all, we need it to make tactical changes online and convey them to the players as quickly as possible during the interval.
— Did you adapt to the weather features when preparing for the December matches in Moscow? Or they are not much different from those in Germany?
— The weather is nice. There is a lot of snow, and my family really likes being outside. As for our training, the pitch quality is excellent, so everyone shows a professional attitude at any time of the year.
— Recently, Ralf Rangnick moved from Lokomotiv to Manchester United. He said that there are offers that cannot be refused. Is there such a dream club, after receiving an offer from which you will immediately accept it?
— I don't think about it. I am completely focused on my work at Dynamo. If we talk about my dream club, then this is the club where I made my first steps in football — SV 07 Bischofsheim.