"The next match against Fakel will be the game of the year for us"

The players of Pari Nizhny Novgorod are close to avoiding direct relegation from the RPL. Despite the disastrous first half of spring, when they lost four matches in a row, including to rivals for survival Khimki (0:2) and Orenburg (1:2), Viktor Goncharenko's team has managed to improve their results in the Russian championship since mid-April. Two rounds before the finish, they take 13th place in the transition zone. In the event of Saturday's home victory over the last Voronezh Fakel, Paris NN will definitely avoid direct relegation from the Premier League.

At the same time, the club has a good chance of avoiding transitional matches, rising to 12th place. Nizhny Novgorod has the same number of points as Khimki, which occupies this line, but the worst performance in personal meetings. One of those who keep Paris NN out of the relegation zone is midfielder Alexander Troshechkin. He did not join the main squad at the beginning of spring and for the first time this year he started only in a lost match against Orenburg. But then he constantly entered the field from the first minutes and helped his club achieve a home draw with Dynamo Moscow (1:1), home victories over Akhmat Grozny (1:0) and Krylia Sovetov Samara (5:2). With him, Paris NN almost took away points in an away game with Zenit St. Petersburg, a contender for the championship (1:2).

In an interview with Izvestia, Troshechkin spoke about the struggle for survival in the RPL, explained why potential transition matches would be more difficult than a year ago, and also commented on debts at Khimki and four goals by Paris NN striker Juan Bosella in the last game with the Wings.

— Is it a coincidence that with your return to the starting lineup, things have started to improve for Paris NN?

— Let's leave this question aside. How can I comment on this? Saying "yes" would be wrong from the point of view of some kind of self-aggrandizement. And saying "no" is also not quite right. It's definitely not for me to evaluate. Our whole team wins. We've had some tactical changes. My appearance at the start was largely forced, as after the resumption of the season I generally understood my status. But now it's the way it is. And all the players in the team who are there should help, no matter how much time they are given on the field. I've been playing in the main squad for the last few matches, and I'm very happy about that. It is a pity that I will miss the next match with Fakel due to disqualification due to too many yellow cards. But, I repeat, when there is no injury or suspension, I always have to be ready to play — it doesn't matter if it's one minute or 90 minutes.

I can't say that for any football player, if he doesn't play at the start, it's a certain stress. But people should hate sitting off the bench and always want to get on the field.

— Unless it's Ole Gunner Solskjaer, who was great at Manchester United for coming on as a substitute?

— I don't know. I think Solskjaer didn't really get high from everything when he was on the bench either.

— You said that you realized your status in the spring. Did you realize that you would be sitting in reserve?

— I realized in the spring that I was probably not the first choice for my position. Later, when the games started, I realized that maybe not even the second one. But it so happened that the guys were out for a long time due to injuries. And I started playing a lot more. I don't know, maybe it would have happened without the injuries of other players. But as it is, so it is.

— How have the results of Pari NN improved in the last month?

— Tactics have changed. I won't go public with what the coaches have changed specifically. Anyone who looks at the field sees for himself. But if you're asking if my appearance at the start affected the results, then you can compare the squad that played at the winter training camp and the squad that is playing now — about 50% of the 10 field players have changed, we don't take a goalkeeper. I can't say more about tactics right now, but the coaches are working tirelessly, as is the whole team. We are moving forward, changing. The main thing is to score points. It doesn't matter how to do it at the end of the season.

— Before the last game with Krylia, did you follow the matches of competitors, as a result of which Fakel formally completely dropped out of the fight for survival, and Orenburg almost fell off?

— We need to squeeze the points out of the two remaining games as much as possible. The next match against Fakel will be the game of the year for us. Winning it can resolve many issues.

— A year ago, you and Paris NN went through the hardest transition matches against Arsenal Tula." (1:2; 2:0). Now there is an understanding in the team that it is not necessary to repeat this and it is better to keep a place in the RPL without any problems?

— Of course, of course. But you see, then the situation was more complicated for us in the sense that we were going from top to bottom. And it was a very difficult spring. And now we have the whole season like this.

— This spring, you also went down — from 12th place you went down to the transition zone. Now, however, it's the 12th again.

— Well, it's not the same as dropping from ninth to 14th, like last spring.

— But are you watching the potential participants of the transition matches from the first league? Will it be harder with Torpedo, Chernomorets, Sochi or Ural than it was with Arsenal a year ago?

— If we talk about play-offs in principle, then it will be 100% harder for all teams this season. Tula shot like that last season, after all... I jumped over my head, finding myself in transition matches. Even the first joint showed that we were stronger. We were just mentally in limbo, so we lost at home. But they were clearly stronger. This was shown by the return match, which we won quite confidently. And this season, the top five clubs of the first league stand out in terms of composition, finances, and everything. It will be difficult for everyone to get involved with them.

— Even with Chernomorets, which, unlike Sochi and Ural, has no experience playing in the RPL?

— Even with Chernomorets. People just underestimate the guys who have been playing in the FNL for a long time, their whole career. There are a lot of fighters there. They will cling to this chance to get into the RPL with all their teeth.

— Juan Boselli scored four goals for Krylia Sovetov. Have you often seen this happen in one game in your career?

— Boselli is good — not many people scored four goals per match in the RPL. But after the match with Krylia, I would have praised him first of all not even for the four goals, but for his work in defense. It was unusual for him to work a lot from behind. But I got into the idea of being at the bottom of the standings, playing, gnawing out points. It's harder for foreigners to get into this idea, but Juan succeeded. Well done. But the whole team did well because they created chances for him.

— Paris NN is fighting with Khimki to avoid transitional matches. This spring, there is a lot of noise around the non-payment of salaries to players in this club, the RPL paid part of the funds from commercial income ahead of schedule. Are you not embarrassed by such an attitude towards a competitor, while your club, Orenburg, Akhmat, Fakel live within their means and because of this, perhaps, they have not strengthened as much as Khimki did?

— I'm definitely not thinking about that. I feel sorry for the guys in the team who work just like us. We eat the same bread with them. They cling to the opportunity to stay in the RPL in a sporty way. And it is clear that if Khimki does not receive a license for next season, not all the team's players will remain in the Premier League. And some of them may never play in the RPL again. This, of course, is wrong. But there are situations when the guys are doing their job and the club is not ready. The athletes and the coaching staff are working well, but the club cannot match them — this is also wrong. As in many other situations. For example, like last season at Tula, when the team finished the championship in third place in the first league, got into the joints, and the stadium is not ready — it's old, there are small guest locker rooms. But I think it's important for the league to keep things smooth.

— When you played at Khimki, did you have any financial problems?

— There were delays. But if it took up to three months, then they paid for one immediately. The bonuses were delayed even further. As a result, when I joined Akhmat, he paid everything that Khimki owed me, deducting this amount from the transfer fee. Just two salaries and what we earned over the fall in bonuses (the transfer to Akhmat took place in February 2022 — Ed.).