- Do you feel offended that this time Andrei Arshavin was appointed team captain?
- No offense. I believe that our main task is to win the upcoming match. And what will be captain Arshavin is not a question.
“How is the captain determined at all?” Should he be elected or appointed?
- From the very beginning it was the prerogative of the head coach. He decides everything.
- Did Gus talk with you on this subject?
- No, there were no conversations.
- What is the role of the captain of the national team?
- I do not know. Probably should get the guys to be the leader of the team.
- So you can appoint a leader?
- Probably, this is determined in the game. Those who play better are appointed.
- Now the team is in a very difficult situation. Guus Hiddink had never before encountered so many injured footballers.
- I would not exaggerate. Of course, the situation is difficult, but we are still obliged to defeat the Estonian national team. We will strive for this.
- The defense of our team will be completely new.
- Of course, there will be some kind of restructuring in the composition. Moreover, there are no two leading defenders - the Berezutsky brothers. But our main goal is attack. No one will defend most of the match. The main thing is to play successfully in the attack. And reliable in defense. The young guys who appeared on the team are ready to prove themselves.
- Maybe you have to take some part of the defensive functions on yourself.
- Wait, we still do not know who will enter the field. I will not take over the functions of others. But I’ll leave as part of ...
- How do young players behave? Not shy?
- So they are only young by age. And in the national championship they play all the time. The same Shishkin. Or from Lokomotiv ... They play for their clubs.
- In everyday life they have no problems?
- No, no, everything is OK. The guys understand everything. In the know about the tasks for this match.
- And during training, their legs do not tremble?
- On the contrary, they are ready to prove that they were called to the national team for a reason. They were distinguished by their game qualities, and they behave confidently.
- That is, players for growth?
- Not like growth ... A new team is just being created, young players are invited to the team.
- What is known about the opponent?
- We do not expect any riddles from the opponent. They build their game from defense, with one or two strikers. Rather, there will be one forward and one below him. Estonians defend in large numbers. They try to tighten the game, push the opponent away from their gates.
- And what tasks will we have?
- Ball control. I hope that the field will be in good condition. Did you see him?
- They write that good. But there are suspicions that it is not better than in Khimki. The penalty is covered with sand.
- It can’t be worse than in Khimki. It’s just a disgrace. But in any case, in Estonia we will play attacking football and try to score as soon as possible. The faster we open an account, the faster Estonians will begin to open up. And we will have free zones, space.
- In St. Petersburg, it was not possible to score quickly.
- There was some kind of nervous game. Just because they did not score at the beginning. And a burden of responsibility began to put pressure on us. The first game with Israel affected, where we lost points. The psychological pressure was very great. It's good that they scored in the end.
- The most important question is how is your back?
“It worries, but much less than before.” Let's see what will happen in the evening training.
- But with the team you decided to go to Estonia.
“Yes, because there is a possibility that I will recover.”
- Do they give injections?
- No, what injections are there - they do massage. And I put ice.
- Tell me, was there still a conflict between Titov and Hiddink in the locker room after the match with Holland, because of which Yegor allegedly refused to play for the team?
- I do not know. But anything is possible. Maybe at that time I was in the shower and missed everything.
Alexey Shevchenko, Tallinn