"I left Dynamo because I am 25 years old — golden years, I need to play"

The Russian Football Championship on February 28 resumed on February 28, and on March 1, the first match after the winter break will be played by the struggling Pari Nizhny Novgorod. He will host the Tolyatti Akron at home. Nizhny Novgorod is in 12th place with 12 rounds to go. But they are ahead of Khimki in the zone of transitional matches only in terms of additional indicators with equal points. And the gap from the direct relegation zone is only three points.

In the fall, after an unsuccessful start, Viktor Goncharenko became the head coach of the team. And in winter, the club was reinforced by a group of newcomers who should help avoid relegation. In particular, the contract with Paris NN was signed by midfielder Vyacheslav Grulev, a two-time bronze medalist of the championship with Dynamo Moscow. The 25-year-old had already played for Nizhny Novgorod on loan in 2020, but his stay there was short-lived due to the imminent shutdown of the season due to the pandemic.

In an interview with Izvestia, Grulev appreciated how the city had changed during his absence, told why he decided to leave Dynamo, and also shared his opinion about the training camps led by Goncharenko.

"Communicating with realtors makes you feel at the bottom of the hierarchy"

— Did you miss Nizhny Novgorod?

— Yes, I haven't really lived here yet after returning to the club. As soon as I signed the contract, I went straight to the training camp, and I've only been in Nizhny Novgorod for a few days. Now I'm getting to know the city in a new way. They say he's transformed. But I haven't personally seen it yet, because I live at the base and am in the process of looking for an apartment.

During the five years I've been away, the city has changed for the better, judging by my communication with the guys from the team. They say that the restaurants are good, the park areas have changed for the better. The sights have become more accessible. They say it's especially great to be here in the summer, somewhere between May and November. In general, I'm still looking for time to see and evaluate it all on my own.

— And what everyday difficulties have you experienced before?

— The main thing is to find a place to live. However, there was a problem with finding an apartment back then, and now it remains. Back then, my girlfriend, who is now my wife, and I had been working on this issue for a long time.

— Is it disassembled quickly?

— I do not know. It is difficult to find suitable accommodation. And realtors feel very comfortable here. Communicating with them makes you feel at the bottom of the hierarchy (smiles).

— Is it more difficult than in Moscow?

— Yes, this is the first time I've had such an experience with realtors in Nizhny Novgorod.

— You played for Nizhny Novgorod when it was still playing in the first league. Has the club grown a lot as an organization since then?

— To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised. In terms of medicine and organization, everything has become much better. At the base in Bor, where we now live, all the conditions are there: the food is super, there is a good SPA complex, two fields, a playpen nearby. All the conditions for football have been created.

The last time I joined the team in Bor, it was worse in terms of the same food — there wasn't even dinner. Now the organization, the quality of the food and everything is just super. Besides, we were only training in Bor back then—we weren't allowed to live there. I had to live at the Lokomotiv stadium — the conditions were not very good there. And it was possible to live there only in the first week after the training camp. And now, with other new guys, we have the opportunity to live at the base in Bor in excellent conditions until we find an apartment.

"Marcel has one line, Jokanovic has another, Schwartz has a third"

— You and the sporting director of Paris NN, Alexander Udaltsov, said that back in the summer they had serious negotiations about a transfer, which broke down because of your injuries. Why did you want to leave Dynamo even then?

— Any football player wants to play. And from the point of view of gaming practice, I didn't get anything. Of course, I didn't want to leave Dynamo until the last moment. I thought I could change something else, turn it around and prove that I'm worthy of playing in the base. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. That's why I decided to switch, because I'm in my golden years right now. I am 25 years old. And if I sit on the bench, the prospects will not be very good.

— Did you finally realize in the summer that the Dynamo head coach Marcel Lichka is not counting on you?

— Well, I also spent his first season at Dynamo with minimal playing time. And in the summer he did not transfer to Paris NN only because of the recurrence of the injury.

— Have you discussed the situation with Marcel?

— Yes, he honestly said, "You'd better go to a place where you'll play more. Because you won't get any extra playing time at Dynamo." I explained everything adequately. So we shook hands and said goodbye.

— You played a lot for Dynamo under Sandro Schwarz and Slavisa Jokanovic. Why did you lose your place in the Personal account?

— He has a different vision of football. Marcel has one line, Jokanovic has another, and Schwartz has a third. There were players of a different plan who were needed by the Personal account. That's all. It's nothing personal.

— Last season, Dynamo almost won the first national championship gold in almost 50 years, but missed the chance due to a 0-1 defeat in the last round by Krasnodar. You came on as a substitute in the 75th minute to save that game. From the inside, what did the reasons for the failure look like?

— I don't know, I can't give an answer to this question. I don't think anyone will say exactly what the reason was. In general, it was probably their own fault — they had to cling to the chance with all their might — hold on to a draw, play to win, I don't know... In general, you can do anything but put the squeeze on the situation and take the gold medals.

— Was that the hardest evening of your professional life?

— We understood how close we were to the goal and how long the fans had been waiting for it. It was, of course, very annoying.

— They say that the last winter training camp at Paris NN under the leadership of Viktor Goncharenko is the hardest for most football players.

— I also had very serious training camps at Dynamo. Here, at Paris NN, they are a little different in terms of physical activity. At the first training camp, we ran a lot, played a lot of football, and used a lot of tactics. And it was hard in this regard. There was a slightly different job with Marcel, but it was also a heavy training camp. So everyone is used to this. The most important thing is to roll well into the season.