"I want to keep most of the team and the head coach"

Samara Krylia Sovetov has become one of the main news providers in Russia this football season. They alternate unsuccessful stretches with successful ones, giving out bright victories over Zenit St. Petersburg (2:1) and Moscow Lokomotiv (5:1), while during the downturns there were rumors about the resignation of their head coach Igor Osinkin, as a result of which a number of players went to the governor of the Samara region Vyacheslav Fedorishchev. with a request to resolve the situation.

The head of the region himself, who took office a little less than a year ago, became known for his loud statements about corruption in Russian football, the judiciary and the influence of the agency business on the club, which led to inspections by the security forces, which continue to this day. In the winter, Krylia was also shaken by a management reshuffle — Robert Ter-Abrahamyan, formerly the commercial director of the FNL, became the new CEO, and Ruslan Pimenov, the famous striker of the Russian national team, Moscow Lokomotiv and Dynamo, became his deputy.

Despite all the upheavals, Krylia manages to stay in 11th place with a four-point gap from the transition zone and 10 from the relegation zone. In an interview with Izvestia, Ruslan Pimenov explained why the team has not lost four rounds in a row, told whether the club would be able to retain a number of key players for next season, and also compared striker Ivan Sergeev with himself.

— Why did Krylia have such a successful stretch in April?

— The guys are fighting, following the instructions of the coach and want to solve the problem of staying in the RPL without joints, and if possible, rise higher. In principle, I can't say that they only perform well in April. Yes, in March there were unpleasant defeats against Akron (0:2) and Dynamo Makhachkala (0:4), but at the same time there was an away draw with Krasnodar (1:1). And after those defeats, everyone just rallied, performed well in the match against Lokomotiv, when they created chances and, most importantly, realized them. Such matches are very useful because they give confidence to the players. They felt more confident, and this is the result.

— Even when visiting CSKA, they took away points, interrupting its five-match winning streak, although many considered the Army team to be almost the best team of the spring.

— Yes, it's great that we didn't lose to such a strong opponent in his field. But at the same time, we all have maximum goals in the club and the team. We want to win every match. And we could have done it in the game against CSKA. To be honest, we have created so many chances that we are already annoyed by the lost points. Although, if someone had said before the match that we would draw, I probably would not have refused such a result. But the guys showed such great football, especially in attack, that you can say that the appetite comes with eating.

— Are you looking at the struggle for survival more calmly now, when the gap from competitors is increasing?

— We're not thinking about that right now, we're just tuning in for every next match. We have a home game ahead with Orenburg, which has improved recently and has a good chance of getting out of the relegation zone. The opponent is not easy. And here the game is still at 14:00, the heat is possible at this time. We're thinking about it now. In any case, the fight for survival is not over, and it will not be easy in the remaining rounds, so you need to maximize each game.

— How would you rate the chances of buying the transfer of Anton Zinkovsky, who is on loan from Spartak?

— We are not rich enough to buy his transfer. We will try to extend the lease.

— Is the situation the same with Igor Dmitriev, loaned from Spartak, and Luka Gagnidze from Dynamo Moscow?

— Yes, but we want to keep them anyway. As well as most of the team, and the head coach.

— Have you discussed the continuation of cooperation with them?

— Yes, we talked about it beforehand. We talked to the same Zinkovsky, but we decided to come back to this at the end of the season. The same situation is with Igor Vitalievich Osinkin, with whom I really want to continue working.

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— What are the chances of retaining most of the squad for next season?

— Let's save them all! We will try our best (smiles). For as many years as possible, so that they don't run away anywhere else (laughs). But seriously, we're talking to them about keeping them at the club for the future. But right now, the result is at the top of everything. It is very important for us to finish the rest of the season with dignity, and then we will move on to more substantive negotiations on new contracts with those who are about to expire. We have thoughts about continuing cooperation with someone, and we probably haven't agreed with someone.

— You said you weren't rich enough to buy out Zinkovsky's contract. Is your budget being cut very much?

— To be honest, I don't know how it used to be in Krylia Sovetov — I didn't have access to financial data. But at the moment we are proceeding from the realities. The reality is that the backbone of the team must be preserved.

— Ivan Sergeev, who returned from Zenit to Krylia at the beginning of the season, was a full-fledged transfer, not a lease. But aren't you afraid that, given his current high performance, there will be many people who want to buy this football player from you?

— Of course, we need Vanya ourselves. But yes, there will certainly be a lot of demand for it. What can we do, we'll try to keep it with us. In any case, we will not agree to part with him for a small amount of money.

— At the end of March, after the defeat by Dynamo Makhachkala, Governor Fedorishchev held a meeting with the club's management, head coach and players. Why did Krylia have a win-win streak after it?

— This is one of the circumstances that influenced the current positive results. And in general, it's a big plus that the regional leadership met with the players and the head coach and that they devote a lot of time to the club. But the work inside the Wings by the managers and coaching staff was also huge.

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— What kind of work is this?

—It's a secret. The inner kitchen of the club (laughs).

"But still?" Were there any team meetings, or were there any raised voices?

"Oh, come on... Although, as it turned out, Igor Vitalievich Osinkin knows how to say the right words in time and in such a way that it gives a positive result. And he knows how to do it very well.

— Does Sergeev remind you of you when you were a striker?

— No, he's better than me.

—With what?"

— And he scores more goals, and won one more title. I have two championships with Lokomotiv, and he has three — that's the whole story (laughs).