Douglas Santos — about Zenit's sixth title in a row, Dzyuba's words and Spartak

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Zenith captain Douglas Santos in an interview with Sport spoke about the St. Petersburg team’s plan to win a sixth championship in a row , answered Dziuba after the catchphrase about Rio de Janeiro and named the best football players on the left flank of defense in the world and the RPL.

“If God willing, we will celebrate the championship”
—What do you see as the reasons for Zenit’s slippage at the start of the season? Is this connected with the departure of Malcom and Daler Kuzyaev?

— Indeed, when such important players leave the team, the system changes. The start of the season did not go well; for a long time we could not find the rhythm of the game. Then it worked out — we picked up the pace, got into it and finished the first part of the championship well. We are now working hard to ensure that such falls do not occur in the spring. So that we, having gained momentum, go at maximum speed until the very finish.

— Is it possible that the team dominating the Russian championship is fed up with victories and emotional burnout has set in?

— Every professional athlete will tell you that it is impossible to get tired of victories. From defeats — yes, they are very tiring and boring. Victory — never! They become a thing of the past once you achieve them. We are faced with a new task — to win again and take first place, so there can be no satiety with victories. We will make every effort to, God willing, celebrate another championship at the end of spring.

— What do you think about Krasnodar, which is second? In what ways is it superior to Zenit?

— Krasnodar is very strong due to its very compact game, they are great They defend both as a team and individually, and are excellent at waiting for the opponent’s mistakes. This style of play is not the most convenient for those who are used to having the initiative.

— What was it like to be in the role of catching up for almost the entire first part of the season?

— On the one hand, this is pressure, because we are not used to not being in first place. At the same time, it was also a great motivation to return to the top. This was food for thought for ourselves — what subtle points need to be worked out in order not to give up and not sag in the second part of the season.

— How important have become in preparation for the second part of the season? games at the Equality Cup organized by Zenit and Winline?

— It’s great that this tournament took place! It was interesting to play against opponents from different countries, the most important task for us was to find our rhythm, building on our game — run more, score more, develop team bonds. In my opinion, we are doing a good job with this task.

— Over the years, have Zenit been saturated with the history of the confrontation with Spartak?

— Of course, this rivalry is not easy does not leave you indifferent, it gives a sense of history. These are always special matches for us. That is why, when preparing for Spartak, every detail is important, including sleep, nutrition and everything else.

— What clubs in Brazil can the matches of Zenit and Spartak be compared with?

— Despite the fact that Zenit and Spartak are from different cities, I would compare this confrontation with the main Brazilian derbies: Atlético Mineiro — Cruzeiro, Internacional — Gremio, Corinthians — Palmeiras «.

— What did Zenit fail to do in the match with Spartak, besides the obvious “scoring a goal”?

— I think we lacked sports anger, we lacked the last pass, the shots. We hit too few shots on goal and were inaccurate in those moments when we found ourselves right next to someone else's penalty area. The most important thing is that we must play with even greater desire, with a thirst for victory, so that everyone is as angry as possible in a sporting way, adding emotions to their actions on the field. In every match we must demonstrate the desire to reach the finish line first. I think that in the game with Spartak we lacked this courage a little.

— Were the problems that Spartak faced discussed?

— No, we started from our game and thought only about it. We do not pay attention to any events in the lives of our rivals. This applies not only to Spartak, but also to any other opponent. We are concentrated and focused only on showing our best football in every single match.

— Could Is there some underestimation of the opponent, given that all sorts of experts did not question Zenit’s victory and the debate was only about how many Spartak would concede — three or four?

— To be honest, it’s a bit of a strange question. I can’t imagine under what circumstances such an opponent might be underestimated. This confrontation has a very rich history. Many matches were played between the teams, in which it was always difficult for both sides to win. Therefore, it seems to me that in games of this level any underestimation is excluded and it is wrong to admit such a thought. As a captain, I can say that nothing like this happened to us before or during the match.

— If we talk about the Brazilians at Zenit, what didn’t work out for Robert Renan and Do Queiroz?

— It’s always hard to leave your country and move to another continent. I went through this — went to Europe, returned to Brazil. At some point, I felt that it was time to change the approach to perceiving myself in life and profession in order to have the opportunity to reach some heights in European football. I was able to integrate only the second time. I am sure that after returning to Brazil the guys will have the opportunity to play again, feel the thirst for the game and return stronger and prepared. They will bring many more benefits to the team.

— How can you evaluate the adaptation of the newcomers to the team who came in the winter?

— I think that newcomers feel great — they quickly fit into the team, get used to everything. Both Brazilian and Russian players help them. They need to show that they are valued and cared for.

— Were you surprised that Ilzat Akhmetov left the leading Krasnodar for Zenit in the winter?

—I can’t say that this is something surprising. He came to Zenit because he has very high playing qualities. I think his motivation is that he wants to win, to win titles.

— How did you take the news that Danil Krugovoy would leave the team in the summer?
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— This surprised me a little. The way his transition became known made us think about why this happened and not otherwise. I think the club and the player are well aware of the motives for what happened.

— Even taking into account the departure of Renan and Do Queiroz, there are now nine Brazilians in the team, two of whom have received a Russian passport. Is this not overkill?

“If there were too many of them, they wouldn’t be here.” I believe that in recent years Zenit has won and become a champion thanks to the teamwork of Russian and Brazilian football players. This is a cool combination.

— How do you feel about the talk about Zenit from Rio de Janeiro? This is exactly how Artem Dzyuba described the team a year ago…
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— You know, it seems to me that this is a wonderful mixture — St. Petersburg and other cities in which the current Zenit players were born. Russians or foreigners — this no matter. In the combination of these cities under the banner of Zenit and St. Petersburg, we will do everything to be first for the sixth year in a row.

— What did you talk about with Malcolm and Serdar Azmun, who came to the team at the training camp?

— The meetings were very pleasant and warm. It was very nice to hear that both are doing well and are happy with the way their lives are now.

«Zenith's most inconvenient opponent» ? «Ural»
— In March you will turn 30 years old. The anniversary falls on a pause for national team matches. What are your plans?

— We have a friendly match planned in Serbia during this break during the national team matches. This is my plan for my birthday — to go with Zenit to the game with Red Star.

— What goals do you set for yourself professionally?
— Do you have any thoughts of trying yourself after finishing your career as a coach or functionary in the structure of a club?

— To be honest, right now I can’t imagine that I will remain in football after my career ends. At the moment I don't really want it. Rather, I would like to start some kind of business. Of course, I think that I will do this in my hometown of Joao Pessoa.

— I have more than 170 matches for Zenit. Do you feel like a club legend?

— I never thought of myself as such. I always thought only about doing my job professionally. I would like to consider myself an important player for Zenit. At the same time, I understand perfectly well that in the history of the club there were people who did much more than me, and certainly deserve the full right to be considered legends.

— Do you think it’s realistic to break Nicholas Lombaerts’ record (289 matches) and become the first among foreigners in the number of games for Zenit?

— This is a very interesting challenge. I’ll answer honestly, I would like to take first place in this list.

— The most inconvenient rivals among clubs in the RPL and why?< br>

— “Ural”, because they play with five defenders and do it well. “Dynamo” because they play very compactly and are very good at man-marking. “Spartak” — by the history of the confrontation and by how everyone in Russia is waiting for this match.

— Are the best players in the world in your position at the moment?
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— I really like Alphonso Davies from Bayern — he has incredible speed, due to which he wins a lot of duels, simply avoiding his opponents. Andrew Robertson from Liverpool has a similar style of play to mine — he is very aggressive in defense, tackling and marking, and at the same time quite often supports the attack. Grimaldo from Bayer may not be as aggressive defensively, but he has excellent technique — he plays very gracefully and demonstrates filigree football.

— The best RPL players on the left flank defense besides you?

— Dmitry Skopintsev from Dynamo, he has good technique, dribbling.

— Maybe Nair Tiknizyan from Lokomotiv?

—Perhaps. The only thing is that lately he has been acting closer to the attack more often.