"For a player with a Russian passport, Zenit is a story not about soccer, but about money"
- Статьи
- Sport
- "For a player with a Russian passport, Zenit is a story not about soccer, but about money"
Nair Tiknizyan's future has long been one of the most worrying topics for Lokomotiv fans. A year ago the defender almost moved to Zenit, and every transfer window there are rumors of interest in Nair from Europe. In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, Tiknizyan spoke in detail about the negotiations with St. Petersburg and his motivation to stay at Loko, Sevilla's interest and Alexey Batrakov's breakthrough.
"Zenit? There are things that money can't buy
- Let's go back a year ago, when all the media had already sent you to Zenit and even the guys in the team were asking when you were leaving. How did you experience all this? What was really going on?
- Last year was ambiguous for me. First of all, I am grateful to God that all my relatives are alive and healthy, that I play in a good club with good conditions. But if you look from the soccer side, I have not made a step forward. I will always find the strength and courage to admit it, first of all to myself. In 2025 I aim for completely different moments. God willing, it will work out. It is important to realize that it takes work, which we do, which I personally do.
As for worries about Zenit.... In general, then the injury happened there. And it all accumulated like a snowball. There were moments when I was very much upset and discouraged. I can't say that I regret the failed transfer to Zenit, but, let's be honest, when you have a family, when there is a concept of finances - big finances - it makes you think once again. And somewhere you can shake. But I don't regret that I didn't go anywhere. I think it's better for me from a soccer point of view. Even if you look now, there is a concrete interest from Sevilla - more precisely, in the summer they sent the club a paper, and now there are talks.... We'll see how the situation develops.
That's why I'm turning the last year like a page of a book I've read. I'm putting it behind me. Now we aim to work well at the training camp and have a successful second part of the season, so that everything that we have worked on here, to realize in official matches. I don`t want to shout out loud, but we dream about trophies. It will be a great achievement for us.
- Returning to Zenit. Did you already have your bags packed or were you calmly waiting for everything to end?
- When I learned about Zenit's interest, the first thing I did was to tell the head coach about it. Because of my respect for him, gratitude. And when the coach and the management found out about it, they entered into negotiations [with Zenit]. I didn't think it would come to any specifics. But they literally in two or three days decided everything on the transfer amount, and in principle Lokomotiv were not against letting me go. I was not quite clear why they let me go so easily at a time when I was considered one of the leaders of the team. Not that it offended me, but I felt a little bit offended. I know for sure that the head coach did not want to let me go, and later this fact greatly influenced my decision when I started to discuss my personal contract with Zenit.
During the negotiations I realized that this is a very principled club. A club with a great history, a club of great achievements. But there are things that money can't buy nowadays, like playing time on the pitch. When I realized that there is a very principled position there, I decided that I have no future in soccer terms. But if you look at it from a financial point of view, then of course. But I am happy and satisfied with what I have in Lokomotiv. That's why during the week that negotiations on a personal contract were going on, I made a decision that I would stay at the club. And in parallel - it's very important to say this - I was always in contact with Mikhail Mikhailovich [Galaktionov]. He knew about what was going on at any given moment. This is an indicator of my attitude to him and my gratitude for what he did and does for me.
- So, as reported in the media, you asked for so much that Zenit definitely didn't agree?
- Do you know how it looked like? I did not ask for conditions that were catastrophically high, as it was written about, but more than those that were offered to me. And it was important for me to see if they would discuss them further with me, thus showing that they are really interested in me as a soccer player. And after receiving a negative answer several times, I realized that the club just needed to "patch the hole" at this position - to get a man in the lineup. They didn't need a player who will strengthen them here and now, because there is a top-class, top by the standards of our championship left-back Douglas Santos at this position. When I realized that, there were no doubts left.
I'll be honest: it was also hard to refuse the money that was offered. Then there were moments when it was a little frustrating not being able to afford your family what you wanted for years. But in the distance, I'm sure it will all come. The main thing is to work and believe in yourself, to play soccer. That's the most important thing. I think, if I eventually moved to Zenit, I would be more upset about the fact that I don't play, rather than the fact that I didn't get something somewhere.
- And the example of Krugovoy showed that it's also problematic to leave Zenit.
- Yes. I have great respect for Zenit. After all, I am from St. Petersburg. As a kid I often watched Zenit, I remember the old squad: Chontofalski, Radimov, Gorshkov, Zyryanov and so on.... We see what they do with some players. And, probably, only two of the guys with Russian passports have recently established themselves in the base: Mostovoi and Glushenkov.
- Don't you think that last winter you closed your way to Zenit forever with your position?
- It doesn`t matter whether I closed the way there or not. You can't enter the same river twice. Just, in my opinion, for a player with a Russian passport Zenit is not a story about soccer, but about money. I decided for myself that if I fully give myself to soccer, as I do, then I will feel good financially in Lokomotiv. And you know, one championship with Lokomotiv is worth more to me than five with Zenit.
The first time I saw Batrakov, I thought: "What a puny boy? He should get some meat"
- Lokomotiv changed a lot in the summer. I admit, I didn't expect the young team to start the season so powerfully. What is the secret?
- To be honest, we didn`t expect it either. The team has changed: the old guard left, and a lot of young people came. No matter how hackneyed these words may be, but in such a situation you just need to work and believe. And we worked, believing in the coaching staff and in our own strength. And when we got positive results one after another, it also lifted us emotionally. And most importantly, more and more fans began to gather in the stands. We realized that with our game we encourage people to come to Cherkizovo.
- You often heard the opinion that Loko had scored too many points in the fall. How does it feel from the inside?
- It didn't concern us at all. Let them say and write whatever they want. Our soccer community, unfortunately or fortunately, is peculiar to change in the air. One person can give two interviews in a day: in one he will "kill" a soccer player, in the other he will praise him.
As for Lesha Batrakov, about whom so much is said and written, the guy should just be left alone. He is, let's say, a nugget, who should be protected from unnecessary information in the media, going to various shows and so on. By and large, Lesha, like me, hasn't done anything yet - he doesn't have any achievements. But the fact that he is a very talented, strong footballer, yes. And all this media noise can have a negative impact. But I will give him credit, for his age he has a very good stress tolerance. There is also a coaching staff, which will always guide and advise.
- Do you yourself or any of your senior teammates have educational talks with Batrakov?
- I talked to him, though not so often. I'm sure Dima Barinov talks to him. And other older guys. But he doesn't need it much: you can see that Lesha is very serious. Life is like a roller coaster, it's important to stay calm in any situation.
- No resentment that now everyone is talking about Batrakov, and the other Lokomotiv players have been relegated to the background?
- In fact, there is only joy for the guy. I also went through something similar when I had a good stretch the fall before last. Then I tried to take it calmly, because I realized that sooner or later it will end. There can be no envy here. Only joy that we have such a player in the team. If I envy someone, I will spend less time on my development and the focus will shift somewhere else. For me, on the contrary, it is a motivation: a guy at this age can show such soccer, so I can be no worse at 25. And for this I need to work!
- In the summer during the preparation for the season was it clear that Batrakov would play like this?
- No, no. It was a discovery and a surprise for many people. When I saw him for the first time, I thought: "What is this little puny boy? "He's got some meat to put on. But I soon realized that he doesn't need meat.... He has other qualities with which he can offset the very lack of any good physical condition. But nevertheless the guy in the gym works, and works enough.
- Is Batrakov the top talent in the RPL right now?
- In his age category, I think so.
- "Lokomotiv are negotiating with Batrakov to extend his contract on improved terms. That won't throw him off his game either?
- No, of course not. His name fits his nature. The name Alexei, Lesha is associated with the image of such an ordinary guy who doesn't have any rottenness in him and exposure to some bad things. And the last name is Batrakov. He silently does his job. It's fair enough that he's in discussions with the club about improving his contract. That's the way it should be. I hope they come to an agreement and he stays at Lokomotiv. It's definitely a good option for him.
I didn`t understand how I could get injured at all
- Tell us how the training camps are going. Are they murderous again?
- Yes, exactly! Basically, nothing changes. We have a recipe for success - a recipe for what gives us results. And we do not deviate from our work. The training camp is as hard as it was two years ago, when Galaktionov's staff just came to the team. I think this is good for us, because we are a relatively young team: we have a lot of guys who need to lay this basic foundation. It is clear that you adapt to the loads, but the coaches raise the bar: in certain exercises we do more repetitions in a series....
- What is the principal difference between Galaktionov and other coaches you have worked with?
- I will not look for differences. I will say this: every coach works in his own way, has his own views, his own philosophy. And, as a rule, it suits someone, and someone does not. Someone learns the load, the requirements of the game, someone - not. As for me, I've known Mikhail Mikhailovich for a long time. Back in the youth national team I learned his philosophy of soccer, and it suits me very well. You can pay attention to how I progressed under his leadership. Before the arrival of Galaktionov's staff, I was a level lower exactly - or even two - due to various reasons and circumstances. Now I have become stronger in many aspects. It is clear that this is not only the merit of the coaching staff, but also mine, my family, who supported me.
- You had a conversation with the head coach about aggressiveness on the field. How did this conversation affect your actions in the game?
- Looking back, I realize that I better began to control my emotions and my psychological state in different moments. That conversation with the coach concerned my perception of game moments. I am very partial to soccer, partial to my game, to the game of the team. And sometimes it happens that emotions overflow. I think it is good, if you use it correctly. Because it's a kind of fuel that helps you live the game. But everything must be in moderation. And now, with age, by the time I'm 25, I'm coming to realize that emotions should be accumulated and channeled in the right direction.
Viktor Mikhailovich Goncharenko at CSKA talked to me on this topic. Every coach who was in my career gave me a little bit, including Mikhail Mikhailovich. He forgives me... Aggression is probably very exaggerated. It's more like various kinds of emotional outbursts that don't make any sense. For example, a reaction to an episode when I can shout, roughly speaking, explode emotionally. It only hurts both me and the team. Many times I was forgiven for it, and Mikhail Mikhailovich said that I should keep myself in control and direct these emotions for the good of the team.
- During such conversations with the head coach it didn`t come to shouting and throwing cleats?
- No, no, of course. It never happened. We often had individual conversations. As two adults we might not find some common denominator, but in time we came to a compromise. And that's okay, too. I am a person who depends on the coach, like any soccer player. So, I have to do what I am told, even though I don`t always agree. In my opinion, this is normal. We have had discussions on various topics, it's true, but I have never talked in a raised tone. I have never allowed myself to do that. There is a moment of subordination, it is very important to take it into account.
- How would you evaluate the first part of the season for yourself and why it is worse than last fall?
- If I start to explain, it will look like an excuse..... I just accept the fact that I looked much paler than myself in the first part of this season compared to last fall. But I don't make a big deal of it. The fall is gone, we're in the winter of a new year. The good thing about sports is that every Sunday you can show that you are better than you were the week before. I have everything I need to get more playing time, to bring more value to the team, to do more productive things. I just have to work hard.
There are different moments in a player's career. I will say that the loss of a place in the squad, all this talk about Sevilla and so on - all of it, little by little - accumulated, and at some point my reserve resource called "stress tolerance" was exhausted. I was in such a comatose state. But it's all good now, I've gotten through it and I'm ready to have the best second part of the season!
- When was the peak of this condition?
- As I said, it was building up. First, negotiations with Zenit. Then the injury. Probably, it affected me the most. I just did not understand how I could get injured at all, given the fact that I lead an absolutely healthy lifestyle: I have never consumed alcohol, never smoked.... Now I try to balance training, recovery and rest. But nobody cancels the gym and iron - it's on the schedule!
My leg [after recovery] has been sore or not. A lot of things were tied up in my head - I was possessed by fear, and that's the worst thing. I was afraid of a relapse, I was very self-conscious. I'm a very self-critical person in general. Then there was the birth of the child. It's a great happiness, but it's also stressful. When you love your wife more than anything else in the world, you can't help her in the household and with the child.
Then summer, a new season, unstable play in the starting lineup.... And despite all of that, there were still glimpses that I want to take with me into 2025. Some will say that I had a down year, but for me it's part of my work and becoming a player and a person. And that doesn't mean that I've become arrogant or "stale". I'm just following my path and carrying my cross, nothing more.
- Who do you see yourself in the team, a fullback or a winger?
- Well, the only true answer to this question is that I am ready to play in any position. I see myself where the coach sees me. We are not on the market, so I can choose: to buy me home tomatoes, cucumbers or all together. We're on a professional team with big goals. Where there is a coach who doesn't ask you where you want to play. I myself believe that I will be more useful in the game as a left-back, but in this position there is Siljanov, who has concreted a place in the lineup, who shows a very high level of soccer. So we'll see.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
