The head coach of Dynamo Moscow, Rolan Gusev, answered journalists' questions after the match with Lokomotiv (1:1).
— How satisfied are you with the result?
— First, you need to take a breath, rewatch the match in its entirety, and analyze it. Sometimes you watch the field and have one impression, but after rewatching it, everything looks different. Of course, you always want to win. Speaking about the game, there was a lot of fighting and unnecessary losses.
— Since the restart of the championship, Nicolas Marichal has been the team's second-highest scorer behind Konstantin Tyukavin. Is this a coincidence?
— We've been practicing set pieces in training, and it's paying off. Niko plays well high up the pitch. He has a specific spot he needs to go to, and he makes good deliveries, which is why he scores.
— You're already experimenting with your defensive line in your second match. Have you already drawn any conclusions, or will the experimentation continue?
— Today, we planned to switch to three central defenders during the match. We knew they would have a big forward, and we reacted accordingly.
— Milan Majstorovic came on for the second match in a row. How satisfied are we with him today?
— Overall, he didn't allow the opponent to do anything special in the first half, even though they overloaded his flank. At halftime, we sent Mumi on the left because he's better defensively. The start of the second half showed Milan was a bit tired, but again, I don't blame him. He missed a lot of goals, he's a good defender, and we need him to get back into shape.
— He was replaced by Dmitry Skopintsev, who had always been a starter up until then. How did he react to that?
— Skopintsev was our number one runner, so it was risky to put him in the starting lineup. There are certain situations when doctors and fitness coaches look at data and advise which players shouldn't play.
— You probably practiced some formations and patterns for the cup match. What did you like about today's game?
— I can say I didn't like it. We had good opportunities for quick attacks, we had good areas, but we lacked passes leading up to goals. We were better today in terms of aggression and winning the ball back. But in simple situations—controlling the ball and passing forward—we need to improve.
— How close have you reached to the lineup for the match against Krasnodar?
— Obviously, I already have a model and a scheme in mind for how we'll play, but we need to refine it and make the right decisions in some positions.
— Kurban Rasulov has played two games in a row in goal. Is there a clear understanding of who will play at the end of the season?
— Kurban played very well in the match, and he looked good before that. He already played in Krasnodar, and had a solid game then. Lunev has also already started working with the main group, so we'll sit down and discuss with the goalkeeping coach who should be played.
— You'll have two more days of rest than Krasnodar. Could that be decisive on Thursday?
— In three days, the whole world is playing on the fourth day, and everyone's running around and not getting tired. I don't think that will be decisive in the match.
