- Are you able to set up a team for the match for third place?
- Yes, we already talked after the match. The guys are professionals. They know what it is to lose and what it is to win. And they know when to raise their heads.
- But doesn’t it matter for hockey players what place is second or sixteenth? “The winner gets everything.”
“I don't think so.” We have been building a team for a long time. And we have exactly the team that fought on ice today. I have no complaints to anyone about dedication and hard work. I can’t blame anyone. We did not have a chance to score. In overtime, they looked decent and spent most of the time in the opponent's zone. But any mistake is unforgivable.
- What do you think of the violation of Bergenheim against Markov?
- Apparently, it was hard for him in Russia.
- Deliberately went to our defender?
- Intentionally? .. But the Finns in the first match played aggressively, on the verge of a foul. And so they started the second game. This is not to say that we were not ready for this.
- Can you somehow explain the mistake of Alexander Eremenko in overtime? Nerves?
- Sasha just wanted to finish the moment faster, he did not have the patience. And in the episode with the first goal ...
- Who will play in the match for third place?
- Perhaps, Vasily Koshechkin. We need to see how Eremenko will survive today. He feels guilty, although we do not blame him for defeat. On the contrary, we are with him.
- Only three hockey players stopped in the mixed zone. The rest do not respect the fans?
- Do not judge them strictly. They are very worried. They understand that they could not meet the expectations of the fans. But I can promise that regardless of the outcome of tomorrow's game, they will talk to the press.
- Can you restore the team by Sunday?
- Yes.
- How?
- I will talk.
- Do not you think that the Russian team is fatally unlucky?
“If I think about it, I can leave the profession.” Yes, we had a dream to be the first. But I'm sure the guys can raise their heads.
“Is that your defeat?” Or did someone bother you during the preparation?
- No, no one interfered with me and now no one interferes. We created the necessary conditions on the part of the federation.
- Is defeat of Finland your personal fault?
- You can always find questions to the coach. But I do not think that I lost this meeting.
“But still, what happened?”
- Today the guys tried very hard. And I have no complaints about the players. We were just out of luck with the realization of the moments.
Alexey Shevchenko