Rolan Gusev: "We played a good match, but so far it's far from ideal"

— Was the squad chosen from the strongest available players or for a specific match?

— We choose the squad for a specific match. For me, the most difficult thing is to explain to the guys who don't start at the start why this is happening. If Vanya Sergeev comes up and asks why I didn't come out from the first minute, it will be hard for me to answer him. But there are 11 players on the field, if there was an opportunity, I would put 20 people. There are interests of the team, and all the guys understand this and worry about each other.

— Was it a perfect game, or did you notice the moments that need to be strengthened?

— There is still a lot of work to do. There were some good moments, but there were also those that need to be corrected, sorted out, discussed with the guys, and draw some conclusions. So far, we are far from the ideal. In general, we played a good match.

— What of what was tested at the closed match with Zenit turned out today?

— There is a different emotional background in pre-season training. Friendly matches are still friendly matches. Today was a different story. Some moments that we tried with Zenit turned out, some did not.

— Why did Ngamaleu take the penalty?

— I saw that they have already started writing about discipline, but I can say that everything is fine with it in the team. I don't think anyone should discuss this topic without being on the team. The penalty takers were named. I think it's normal if a football player who is playing and who feels confident can come up and ask for a penalty. There's nothing wrong with that.

— When will we be able to see Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov on the field?

— I'm looking forward to it myself. It is better to ask this question to the medical staff, they will be able to formulate everything more precisely. He is recovering.

— The next match you have for the Cup is with Spartak. How will you prepare for it? Are there any special ideas?

— There are ideas. Now we need to recover. We understand that Marichal and Fomin will not play, so adjustments will be made to the squad. The scheme of the game may change slightly. We have three days in which we will directly prepare for Spartak.

— In the next RPL match you have a derby with CSKA. Will you have a special mood and special preparation for this game?

— All matches are fundamental, and you need to tune in to everything. We are well aware of our tournament position. But now all thoughts are about preparing for Spartak. It is clear that the derby is a separate story. I think that players are always aware of the level of difficulty, the opponent and the background of such matches. These are always special games.