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One of the most famous domestic hockey players of all time and head coach of the Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo Igor Larionov in During the off-season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), I attended the Russian Cup match between CSKA Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg (1:1). After the meeting, in a conversation with Sport, he expressed his opinion regarding current problems of domestic football.
— Igor Nikolaevich, how do you like football?
— Well how to say… I will answer briefly — normal, not bad.
— I remember you once said that Russian football don't look too hard.
— I’m looking forward to the match between Chelsea and Tottenham (Chelsea won with a score of 2:0 — approx.). I want more impact, I want fire, because in such arenas, with such support from the fans, you want to see a performance, a spectacle. And this requires dedication, effort, talent, respect for the game. This is what you want to see.
— Football officials claim that football is categorically the number one sport in Russia. Can you argue with that?
— I don’t want to argue, because this is a great game with great traditions. Naturally, it is much more economical than hockey, because, you know, a jersey, shorts and boots cost much less than hockey equipment. And the weather conditions allow you to play almost all year round, besides, there are halls, courtyards, everything you need. Play, grow, everything is there for this, so I want to see this progress in our arenas.
— Your entire career, both playing and coaching, has been haunted by the comparison of football players with hockey players — who is more successful, who is richer, who is more talented. Has such a comparison ever irritated you?
— No no no. We were discussing with my friends, and the question was — why do you go to football? Of course, watch the show. And I come to football to learn, to see what I can see, to identify some moves that intersect with hockey, some kind of touch, touching the ball, a game idea that interests me. I see it. The game performed by the masters turns into a performance, these are the things that attract a large audience to the games.
And to compare hockey with football… It is clear that hockey is a different dynamic, it is much more difficult technically, because you need to skate while holding the stick. You have a split second to make a decision, take the puck, avoid the shot, see the court. But the game concept itself, that is, thinking, what you want to see on a large football field and on a small hockey field, is the main ingredient for success, intelligence and quality of play, which makes our sports better.
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— Which football coaches do you study with?
— There are many of them — Roberto de Zerbi, Josep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Angelos Postecoglou, Carlo Ancelotti, Xavi. You take many things for yourself, you develop as a person, as a coach. I read a lot about this. Of our coaches, I communicate a lot with Sergei Semak, we often discuss with him. We communicate a lot with Tolya Timoshchuk. This is necessary in order to understand how to make the game better. From these people you can take and make a product that will delight spectators and move hockey forward.
— You mentioned Semak. Zenit recently extended his contract for another six years.
— If a person works successfully, why not? I'm happy for Sergei, he is in his place. I have only one wish — that there be more of our guys on the team. Not because I am against foreigners, I want foreigners who come to raise our level, give our boys the opportunity to study and become better. I say the same thing in hockey. But you know that Zenit has other priorities; they have a rich company behind them. If we talk about my career, in North America we played for people who come to the stands and pay our salaries. There’s no such thing here, that’s the whole difference.
— Don’t you notice that our football is stagnating under sanctions?
— I can’t judge, because this was my first game in a long time. Naturally, you compare matches with foreign models. Last year I was in England, watched the Arsenal vs. Manchester match, and saw Everton vs. Newcastle. Everything is always learned by comparison, but everything must be seen in real life. It’s not for me to judge whether the level is falling or not; I don’t want to give any assessments, being a hockey coach. Many people here like to talk and advise, but I’d rather leave the discussion to the specialists who played football and lived it, and not just watched it on TV. I can say my opinion, but it will not be correct.
— The topic of the fan card in football has died down a little, but sometimes news appears that it may appear at tournaments in other sports . Are you, as a coach of a KHL club, not afraid that this could happen in our hockey?
— I myself have a fan card, I have already used it to go to games. I try not to pay attention to these things, because I came to watch the game, have fun, and communicate with people. If there is also good football, I will be only happy. We have sold out hockey games in Nizhny Novgorod, a full stadium, so if something like this happens, it will, of course, be sad. It would be sad if there were any restrictions that would affect attendance. This will be wrong.
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