STANISLAV CHERCHESOV
How difficult will it be to plunge into a new tournament after the 2018 World Cup, which brought Russia such unexpected success?
Well, our supporters helped us a lot then, and we are playing the first two games of the European Championship at home again. However, after all the praise we got, criticism followed immediately when we were not so good last autumn. And the 5-0 Nations League defeat to Serbia showed we must try to regain the winning spirit and fit new players into our scheme.
You reached the World Cup quarterfinals in your first major tournament as coach. What would be a good result for you this time around?
We want to win the tournament. It is the only task any true sportsman puts in front of themself. I said it to my players before the World Cup and will repeat it to them now. But saying we “must” be on the very top would sound strange because we are not Germany, Spain or France. We “want” to win the European Championship, like, say, the Turks or the Danes want to win it.
You left Artem Dzyuba – your captain, main goalscorer and talisman – out of
the squad for non-playing reasons last year. Can you explain why?
The situation was morally difficult for him, so we gave him a pause until the end of 2020. I also did not want the scandal to influence the atmosphere around the team. But I said from the very start that he would return in March for the World Cup qualifiers. And as captain.
Not long ago, you called Brazilian-born Guilherme Russia’s No.1 goalkeeper after Igor Akinfeev – but now he doesn’t even make your squad as number two or three. Why?
The reason he was omitted is not only because of the 5-0 defeat to Serbia last November. He had a bad spell in the Russian Premier League and the Champions League [with Lokomotiv Moscow]. But we still have trust in him. And he still has a chance.
What is your opinion of Russia’s group-stage draw, having to face Belgium yet again, along with Denmark and Finland?
It’s not an easy one, for sure. Belgium have the top squad, and not just in our group. We know them better than the two other opponents. Denmark are very strong and lucky to play all three of their group games at home. Our last group match in Copenhagen will be a really hard test. Finland, with a number of players now based abroad, demonstrated a quality game and confidently qualified for the finals. They will be very tough rivals too.