“Karpin would easily replace Slutsky”: an interview with a talented student of both

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Ruslan Bezrukov is 21 years old, but he has already managed to work with two of the most media-rich Russian coaches — Valery Karpin and Leonid Slutsky. Why one could duplicate the second, whom Karpin loved to troll, what is the charisma of Artem Dzyuba and could Rashid Rakhimov lead the Russian national team — in an interview with a football player from Kazan «Rubin» Sport.

«If Karpin leaves Russia, it will be a big loss»
– You are originally from Rostov, your family is there now. Do you often go home?

– When I played in the First League, I came home once every six months, and this season already Five times. If airplanes flew, I would fly every weekend.

– Are you worried about your family?

– In fact, it’s quite calm there. Nothing terrible is happening in the city, there is no reason to worry.

– You worked with Karpin and know him. Both the national team and “Rostov” are playing, to put it mildly, with varying degrees of success.

– I think it’s mostly luck. “Rostov” has a very organized game. They have a story like Krylya Sovetov last season — they played well, but were unlucky. In any case, football puts everything in its place, the result will come.

– Is Karpin worthy of being the coach of the national team?– Yes, hon. Of course, I haven’t worked with all the national team coaches. With Slutsky, I rethought a lot then.

— Karpin said that his daughter went to school in Estonia and he does not want to be without his family for a long time. If he suddenly leaves Rostov and the national team, will Russian football lose a lot?

– I think it will be a big loss for the entire Russian Championship. I like Rostov's tactics because Karpin is trying new methods and styles of play, and Russian football will miss this. It also greatly influences the development of youth.

– If we talk about the national team, who if not Karpin?

– Now I don’t know who it could be.

– Rakhimov?

— Why not? Now any RPL coach can become one if he shows results. But the choice of the head coach of the national team is still not my competence.

– Were there any worries amid rumors about Rakhimov’s departure from the club?

— Of course, even though everyone says that they don’t read the press, the football players are watching at least with one eye. Such rumors hurt us, everyone understands that we will not give up so easily. The head coach only helps us become better, and therefore we will fight for him and for better results.

– Would you like to work with Cherchesov or Berdyev at Rubin?< br>

– Our head coach is Rashid Mamatkulovich, so it’s strange to think about working with other coaches. But in the future, as their career progresses, of course, it is important for each player to gain experience working with diverse coaches, because then the player realizes himself not only in the prism of one coach. I even have notes about each coach, I write there the smallest details, game plans, what important advice he gives.

— Karpin advised Russian players leave RPL for Europe. Do you agree that you can progress faster there?

— Agree. No matter what anyone says, the level and competition in Europe is higher. There are European cups: Champions League, Europa League, Conference League. When they return us, we can also easily progress in the Russian championship. I want to play among the legends in the Champions League at a high level. Many people dream of playing in Europe, including me.

– Changes are felt in the level of the RPL after being removed from international tournaments ?

– Of course, although I was very young when there were legionnaires. Under Karpin, Matias Norman played in my position, there were Eremenko, Ivelin Popov, Mamaev, it was very difficult to gain a foothold in the base. Even Glebov sat on the bench, and now he is one of the leading players of the national team. But, despite everything, it is felt that the level of competition is growing, there is a mini-influx of foreign players.

“Slutsky misses football”
– Slutsky’s “Rubin” is very different from «Rubin» Rakhimov?

– I saw a period under Slutsky when there was already an outflow of legionnaires, so it’s difficult to compare. In terms of style, these are completely different teams.

— Did Slutsky joke and swear during training? And what did he teach you?

— He likes to joke and joke. There was a normal training process, it was approximately the same for everyone. You can say that he was the most fun coach I had. Perhaps Karpin is on par with him. During stretching after training, Khoren Bayramyan constantly received criticism from Karpin for his hairstyle. Karpin could easily host shows like Slutsky. When I watch them, I feel such nostalgia for training with Leonid Viktorovich.

– How did you find out that he was leaving the club? Was there devastation, sadness, resentment that he was leaving you?

– We found out about this quite abruptly, and it had an effect a little bit on the team, because the news excited me. We arrived at the base, he suggested getting ready and announced his departure. Then each of the guys who wanted to talked to him personally, including me.

— What did he tell you?

– He said that I could count on him, call him, write him when needed. He brought me to the team and vouched for me. There was no resentment, just sadness that I didn’t work with him long enough. I understood that anyone could have an unfavorable time, especially since they received so much hate. I can understand his decision.

– Do you think Slutsky will return to coaching?

— Yes, sure. He already misses her and is waiting for a favorable and interesting option. There are no former coaches, just like there are no former football players. In any case, even if he now works in the media, he misses football. This is also felt in the conversation. Sooner or later he will return, and I will be glad about it.

– Do you watch his show “Well, you can’t do that”?

– All I watch the show as a fan. In general, it would be interesting to come as a guest to them; I like to always do something new. I'm not afraid of their criticism, I'm already used to such jokes, but first you need to become a famous football player.

— Could you, like Dziuba, participate in various shows and play at the same time?

– This is part of Dziuba’s charisma; participation in the show does not bother him at all. All this even helps him to relax. Constantly thinking only about football is also difficult, you need to be distracted. It's better than drinking and going to clubs. In terms of media exposure, Dzyuba is a very illustrative example for football players; he is known in many countries.