The head coach of Dynamo Moscow, Rolan Gusev, answered journalists' questions after the match with Zenit (1:3).
— After such a start to the year, the fans expected a fight against Zenit. Why did the team look so weak?
— The team didn't look weak. We made two mistakes in the first half, for which Zenit punished us. There was some competition. Sometimes they had the advantage, sometimes we did. In the second half, we had more positional approaches. But it's very difficult to come back from a team like Zenit. Overall, of course, we can play better.
— Why did you decide to start the very young Timofey Marinkin, considering such a tough opponent?
— I think Marinkin was every bit as good as Barrios and Wendel in the center. This guy has a huge future. Coming out at 17 and playing so confidently—not everyone can do that. I didn't put him there without a reason. He has certain qualities, and he can already play at this level. Marinkin played a very good match.
— Did Rubens' absence have a big impact? It was clear there was no one to win the ball back in midfield, and Zenit simply made a lot of passes in the first half.
— Of course, Rubens is a key player in our system. But that's not the point. We conceded the first goal when Wendel made four or five touches in midfield, and no one put pressure on him. We pointed this out at halftime and asked us to play more compactly in midfield. We played a bit incorrectly in the first half. We should have met them higher up the pitch and been more aggressive against individually strong players.
Again, I don't think we were significantly outmatched. We made two defensive mistakes in the first half, and in the second half we tried to make a comeback and made another when Glushenkov scored.
— What was in the note for Daniil Fomin?
— Our structure of the game was changing, and the note outlined who should play in what position.
— What was the reason for David's substitution at halftime?
— He was hit with a knee to the knee, he has a bad bruise.
