- Will you stay in the national team?
- My contract is valid for one more year. If the federation does not interrupt him, then I am ready to continue work. We have already prepared a schedule of training sessions for the next season.
- Are you sure that next year will be better?
- We will try. Now we are faced with the task of looking at even more candidates for the national team, with an eye to the future. Not far off, after all, is the Olympic Games. We will attract young people to the stages of the Eurotour.
“You say we.” So the whole coaching staff will be saved?
- Yes. My main assistant Igor Zakharkin and another assistant Sergei Nemchinov remain.
- You will invite Alexander Semin to the team, if there is such an opportunity?
- Yes.
- And are you ready to continue working with all the players from this team?
- I was very impressed with this team. I am grateful to the guys. We had a great atmosphere in the team.
- How was this tournament useful for you?
- First of all, I got experience that I didn’t have at all. Especially at this level. I worked in the club for only three years. Then, Eurotour, of course, is also a serious tournament, difficult matches, but it cannot be compared with the World Cup. Here the tension is completely different. The price error is much higher.
- At this tournament, the Russian team lost gold medals and won bronze?
- Honestly? The first one.
- The goalkeeper of the national team Alexander Eremenko proved that he can close the post "number one"?
- This post has now become vacant. Like everyone else in the national team. Everyone who wants to play in the national team is welcome. Prove it. No one will play in the national team for past achievements. And if we talk about goalkeepers, then Sasha, and Vasily Koshechkin, and Semyon Varlamov, and others will get their chance. We will trust them.
- Have all the players shown in this championship the maximum of their capabilities?
- Of course, not everyone spoke at the same level. But this is a team sport. Jumping above our heads was not allowed by the short-term nature of our relationship. Here take the five of Zinoviev. They looked preferable to the others only as long as Alexei Morozov was healthy. From the very beginning I had the idea of making a team. So that everyone puts their ambitions in second place. I understand that there are some questions about Ovechkin, Malkin and Kovalchuk. But these guys realized the importance of the team. And a big thanks to them for that. Separately, no one can ever do anything.
- Do you like the tournament formula?
- I think there should be a playoff. They say that there are too many participants, but other teams must also learn. An element of chance? And he must be. We just need to be prepared for it.
Alexey Shevchenko