- You won three victories. Moreover, in the last two meetings did not experience noticeable problems. Is it all too easy for you?- Why did you get that victory was easy !? I’ll tell you that on the eve of the match with the Swiss, we had some problems. One and a half period was a tense struggle, we squeezed an opponent only at the end. And with the Belarusians ... Yes, the first period we played very well. Well started, quickly scored. But after the fourth goal the opponent seized the initiative. They could even score. In the third segment of the match, however, they began to play well again.
“Are you guys even tired?”“Tired, of course.” But everyone understands that our victories are only because we are doing everything right. They went out on the ice organized, perfectly tuned to the match. So it is necessary to continue. It’s worth a little relaxation - and it’s all over. See how many sensational results in the tournament! In Sweden, this is quickly punished. But no one thinks that we are a cut above all the participants. Just for now, successfully hammering.
- And why did you still set the goalkeeper Semyon Varlamov in the game against Belarus? Why didn’t they give him a rest? There would be a good workout for Nikita Bespalov, his successor.- For some reason, you think too bad of Belarusians. But this is a serious team! See how they played with the Finnish national team! I could not take risks. What if Nikita could not stand it, “broke”? And we can’t lose. We just secured a place in the playoffs today. In the event of a defeat, the situation in the standings would not be so blissful. We had no right to make a mistake. There are no passing matches in this tournament. Now, if the Belarusians had not beaten the Finns, then I would have thought about the candidacy of the goalkeeper.
- Are you really afraid of today's opponent?- Of course, like any other. Seriously tuned, assorted their game, determined tactics.
- Coaches are rarely happy with everything even after victories. What problems does the Russian team have now?- Sometimes we have failures in defense. It seems to be a good game, and then there are times when we do not play so clearly at our gates. I'm still worried about the realization of the moments. We have a lot of them, but we can’t always put an end to it. We will work on this.
- It is clear that you will prepare seriously for the Finns. What do you think of the team that lost to the Belarusians, but then left no chance for the Czechs?- We played twice with this team on the Eurotour - we won once, and once lost. The national team shows Canadian, power hockey. It will not be easy for us.
- What did they then lose to the Belarusians?- Underestimated, it seems to me. In general, I think that most of the sensational results come precisely from underestimating the opponent. We are trying to keep players in shape. Of course, victories give them confidence, but we are not going to “throw caps over”.
Alexey Shevchenko