"Nikolic's scheme with a diamond is something extraordinary"

This week, the Russian national football team began preparations for the last two friendly matches of the season — a home match with Nigeria, which will be held on June 6 in Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium, and an away match with Belarus, scheduled for June 10 in Minsk. The national team includes midfielder Danil Krugovoy, who became the bronze medalist of the championship and the winner of the Russian Cup with CSKA Moscow last spring.

His success is remarkable given the circumstances of the 28-year-old football player's transfer to the army club from Zenit St. Petersburg. A year and a half ago, being unhappy with the lack of playing practice in the Northern capital, Krugovoy signed a contract with CSKA, which was supposed to come into force in six months, after the end of the agreement with Zenit. Because of this, he was sent to the second team for six months. After spending six months in the second league, he moved to CSKA, with whom he immediately won the Cup, scoring the winning penalty against Zenit in the post-match series of the penultimate stage of the tournament.

In an interview with Izvestia, Krugovoy shared his emotions from winning the Cup, explained how CSKA improved after the unsuccessful first part of the season, what is the uniqueness of the diamond-in-midfield game scheme practiced by Army head coach Marko Nikolic, and also spoke about the expectations of the national team matches.

— What emotions did you feel after winning the Cup?

— Great joy! I am happy for the team, the club, and our fans, who have been very supportive of us. As the classic said, "where the Circle is, there are trophies!" (Laughs.) But seriously, the whole team has done a great job, especially in the spring part of the season. I've said it more than once, and I'll repeat it again: I'll always be grateful to the club for the way I was received before the season, when I joined CSKA. A wonderful atmosphere was created in the team — with such an atmosphere we had to win. So it's all thanks to the team and the support of my family. I am grateful to everyone for the opportunity to experience the positive emotions of victory again.

— How would you react if someone told you in winter that you would finish the season with a bronze medal in the championship and a victory in the Cup of Russia? Would you believe it?

— I think so, yes, I would. Look, the thing is, this scheme is kind of extraordinary, out of the ordinary.

— Are you talking about the Nikolic diamond?

- yes. And it also worked for Marko at Lokomotiv, when he played it over the winter training camp and had the same wild streak in the spring with the same result — winning the Cup and the bronze of the championship. Therefore, yes, I believed that this could happen again in CSKA.

— Did you understand why the rivals did not find a way to counter this scheme, although they knew in advance that Nikolic would use it to rebuild CSKA at the winter training camp? What is the secret of this diamond?

"I don't know… Just another person is added in the center of the field, he moves there constantly. And, it seems to me, it becomes difficult to catch every midfielder. The most important thing is that it helps to play well on the counterattack, to run into them.

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— Considering that you were in reserve for the Russian Cup Superfinal against Rostov and did not always play this spring, does this scheme suit you?

— After all, I haven't played only the last matches. How many are there? Well, five, six, seven. And when I went out on the field, I think I played pretty well, with dignity. And then it was up to the coaching staff to decide who should be at the base. I think if you want to ask about my playing time, then you should contact the coach.

— But does the scheme suit you?

— Yes, I adapted to it right away, from the first day. Still at the training camp. The fact that I allegedly said during the Winter Cup match against Rostov that I was uncomfortable playing under such a scheme is not true. Everything was pretty good, I just wasn't playing enough with the ball all the time, that's all.

— Since the scheme is so unpredictable, is it possible to go for championship gold next season?

— I think anything is possible. We'll wait and see.

— Are the emotions of winning the Cup with CSKA different from the emotions of four victories with Zenit in the Russian championship?

— Every trophy is something unusual, something new, new emotions. This time, of course, they were a little different. Especially when in the last match, we can say, a direct competitor was knocked out.

— Were there any special emotions that Zenit was knocked out then?

— We were a little bit, yes.

— What do you expect from the upcoming national team matches?

— I'm looking forward to interesting and challenging matches with good opponents. Right now, all my thoughts are on the first game against Nigeria, then we'll switch to Belarus. I want to play as well as possible and win. I think we have to play to win. It will be interesting to test yourself against such a strong national team as Nigeria. It's good to meet her at home. I hope there will be a lot of fans at Luzhniki Stadium, just like at the Cup Superfinal. We are waiting for everyone at the stadium!