Rolan Gusev: "We have an attacking team, but we are taking a step forward in terms of defense as well."

— Have you been offered a contract extension after such a game? Doesn't it scare you that you have now exceeded expectations, and now you will be required to score so much in every match?

— I'm not thinking about the contract at all. First of all, I think about my players and the team. Yes, we have an attacking team, but we are also taking a step forward in terms of defense. In the training process, we have a lot of work aimed at both team interactions in defense and individual moments. Of course, it would be good if we scored so many goals in every match. But there is no need to play the game, today it turned out like this.

— Why did you decide to leave Andrei Lunev in the goal in the cup game?

— At the moment, this is our choice with the goalkeeper coach. We have three equivalent goalkeepers, but today I don't see any point in touching Lunev.

— The team spent the second half brighter, what did you say to the players during the break?

— I said before the match that it's hard to write a script in such historical derbies. They always go beyond tactics, emotions go through the roof, so they always turn out to be wavy, teams constantly seize the initiative. We started acting a little incorrectly after conceding a goal. We were dismantling Spartak and we understood that their extreme defenders were breaking into the semi-flanks and flanks, and that's where they started creating problems for us. This moment was corrected during the break. We explained to the guys how to act.

Also, Bitello didn't have to be thrown out and didn't have to change flanks with Moumi, who is working more on defensive actions. During the break, he said that he did not need to go to the right, where there were more attacking players of the opponent. So we made adjustments to these moments and brought the match to victory.

— If we take the match as a whole, what pleased you the most and what were you dissatisfied with?

— I was not pleased with the missed ball in the end – I almost didn't have enough concentration. I was pleased that we were able to turn the tide of the match at a certain point. We were also pleased with the players who came on as substitutes and also did their job.

— In the fall, many people wrote off Nicolas Ngamaleu. What keys did you pick up for him over the winter?

— I know the qualities and character of Moumi. This person requires a certain amount of attention. He needs to be motivated through individual conversations. There are players who need an individual approach, and you can't play in silence with them, because they can close and it will be difficult to get them. We all know that Moumi is a strong footballer with good qualities.

— Do you choose your own clothes, or does someone else help you? Now you won't change your costume for good luck?

— I don't have a designer. My wife and Mikhail Ernestovich (Kusnirovich) are trying to make me match the Dynamo level (laughs). As for the costume, I've already changed it after Wings, so I'm calm about such prejudices.

— Now Spartak needs to win back three goals. What about the fact that the team will subconsciously think about how to keep this advantage?

— I told the guys that we have made a certain step, but the confrontation consists of two matches, and nothing has been decided yet. It is clear that there is a groundwork, but this does not mean anything.

— When will Bakhtiyor Zainutdinov and Luis Chavez return to the field? How well did you manage to replace Daniil Fomin?

— We are really waiting for Luis and Bahu. They work according to an individual program, the exact dates will be determined by the medical staff. Danya is a key figure, but we are preparing not 11 players, but the whole team, and everyone should be ready to come out and help the team at any moment. This is a normal situation.