Ex-forward of CSKA Moscow and Krasnodar Kuban, the current head coach of Rostov SKA Denis Popov in an interview with a reporter “Euro-Football.Ru” Kirill Ivantsov commented on the defeat of Krasnodar in the second leg of the 1/16 finals of the Europa League against Dynamo Zagreb (0: 1) and the situation around the bulls goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, who is not playing.
– What is the reason for the bad game of Krasnodar?
– It’s unclear, you can’t tell right away. We are not inside the team and do not know for certain what the reason is. And the head coach should know. Previously – there were mistakes in preparation. Maybe they did something wrong at the training camp. After the winter break, Krasnodar lost in all three matches – it turned out to be an unsuccessful start.
– Why did the “bulls” play poorly in attack in the away meeting with Zagreb?
– Again, here you have to take into account the opponent. Most likely, this “Dynamo” first of all played reliably in defense. And Krasnodar, of course, still tried and wanted to win.
– How can it be that the Russian club loses to the Croatian in two matches out of two?
– Yes, I would not become attached to the fact that Dynamo Zagreb is from Croatia. Krasnodar also lost to Sochi, which is a Russian club. I’m leading to something else: they have a bad start in the new year. Three matches – and three defeats, and all in the game. There can be no excuses that this is bad luck or a coincidence.
– What’s next?
– I think the right conclusions will be drawn, and at home with Ural in the championship, Krasnodar will be rehabilitated. Then he has nowhere to retreat, he must throw all his strength into the Premier League and pull himself up to the group of leaders from seventh place. Krasnodar needs to concentrate and mobilize for the championship.
– What are your thoughts on Safonov?
– We do not know the whole situation around him one hundred percent, but there are many rumors. But in any case, it’s not good that Safonov doesn’t play. The goalkeeper is practically half a team. In the return match against Dynamo Zagreb, Agkatsev was not guilty, but in the first game Gorodov made productive mistakes that affected the result.
– Is Agkatsev able to start a great career now?
– Yes. But we are now talking about Safonov, the situation around whom is incomprehensible, and it is not known how it will end. He became a high-level player and one of the clear contenders for the title of the best goalkeeper in Russia after the end of Akinfeev’s career, that is, his successor. Therefore, it is a pity that some kind of football things interfere in Safonov’s situation.
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