"I gradually realized that I was ready to work at the club again"

One of the most striking news of the RPL in recent days has been the appointment of Valery Karpin as the head coach of Dynamo Moscow. After leaving Rostov, he took a break from his club career, focusing on the national team. However, the break was short—lived - on June 16, he held his first training session with a new club in Novogorsk. Karpin spoke about the latest events in an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express.

I liked the game with Nigeria more than with Belarus.

— Valery Georgievich, how long have you been thinking about Dynamo's proposal? It's like going back into a difficult schedule, where work in the national team replaces the club, and there are no days off.

— I can't tell you how long I've been thinking. Difficult schedule? That's why I was thinking.

— Why did you decide to choose Dynamo? What was the key factor for you to agree?

— I agreed because our goals and desires completely coincided.

— During your time working only in the Russian national team, did you miss club work? Did you miss it?

— At first, after leaving Rostov, I didn't even think about it. But a few months passed, I managed to distract myself, relax, and gradually began to realize that I was ready to work at the club again.

— In June, Russia defeated Belarus and drew with Nigeria — how would you rate the results of these matches?

— Globally, I am happy with everything. But there are nuances, of course: in 90 minutes there are many episodes in which they could have played better.

"The atmosphere in the national team was great"

Goalkeeper of the Russian national team Anton Mitryushkin — about the past matches with Nigeria and Belarus, Matvey Safonov and Valery Karpin

— What grade will you give to the team?

— Four plus, probably. It wasn't enough to get to the top five. But it's necessary to disassemble the game. Again, we could have played better — it's not even about the score. And it's not that we didn't defeat Nigeria. I liked the game with Nigeria more than with Belarus.

— Which match did you enjoy more?

— From the first one, with Nigeria. Again, realizing that the level of this team is much higher than that of Belarus. The resistance level was much more serious.

— Are there any players who surprised you personally at this training camp?

— What do you mean, surprised? We were not surprised, but pleased — there are such people. For example, Kislyak. The same Gladyshev — but not from the point of view of the heads, but of the installation.

— Prutsev has spent fewer minutes on the field this season than Umyarov. At the same time, he is regularly called up to the national team. Due to what qualities?

— Due to the fact that this is a different position. It's not about qualities, it's about position.

— Is there any understanding who the Russian national team will play next time?

— The RFU is working on this, the rivals of the national team are announced after all agreements have been reached.

There is more office work

— Has there been less stress in your life since leaving Rostov?

— Of course! I took a break, so to speak.

— Psychologically, what was it like to focus only on working in the national team?

— Great feeling.

— What did Valery Karpin's usual working day look like after leaving Rostov?

— Don't go to the field. I went to the office. I'll be at the RFU until tonight. At the end of the day, you don't have to prepare a workout, take it apart. And so it is every day. In general, there is more office work.

— Are you interested in her?

— Interesting or uninteresting… I needed it. A reboot was required.

— The heads of Rostov recently announced that the club continues to operate in the same and regular mode. Your reaction?

— Okay, thank God. There was an alarm, but these rumors have been going on for a year… And nothing happens. So when you all rely on some speculation and talk, you see that it's not always true, to put it mildly.

"I'm mentally recovering from the cup defeat, but it's still a bit disappointing"

Kirill Shchetinin, a football player of the Russian national team and Rostov, about the lost superfinal and the match with Nigeria

— Jonathan Alba continues to work with Rostov. Is he still your assistant in the national team?

— Yes, of course.

— Glebov and Komlichenko have already left the team. Most likely, Osipenko will leave. Are there any concerns about the future of Rostov?

— In the seven years I've been at the club, there have probably been five different squads. But Rostov somehow survived, held on, performed well during all this time. I don't think anything globally bad is going to happen. There was one team in 2018, another in 2020, a third in 2022, and a fourth in 2024. Shomurodov, Zainutdinov, Yeremenko, Popov were leaving. But nothing terrible happened.

— A new team was being built.

"Exactly. Rostov cannot always afford to retain every leader. This is a team that needs money. That's how he lives. This must be understood.

— Nikolay Komlichenko told us that you called the players bow-legged at every training session. And who have you been most interested in working with in your entire career?

— There are many of them. If you take it from Spartak, then Alex, for example. But there were a lot of things at Rostov, especially in seven years. The same Yeremenko! I'm not naming anyone, but there were definitely some.

I get tired of questions that are not related to football.

— Who is the best coach of the season for you?

— If Krasnodar became the champion, it means Murad Musaev.

— In what ways is Musaev stronger than Semak?

— And who told you that he is stronger? That's how it happened this season. For various reasons. Okay Who is stronger, Guardiola or Slot?

— Let's take a specific season.

Guardiola [dominated] for many years, and then became the champion last season. Who is stronger? What does it even mean to be stronger? Because this one won and the other one didn't? And some coach didn't win at all, so is he weaker? If the winner is stronger for the average person, then okay, good.

— CSKA announced the departure of Marko Nikolic. Did you expect such a development?

— It came as a surprise to me.

— If CSKA came to you and offered to talk about the contract, how would you react?

"Nothing." No.

- why?

"Because." Because it doesn't.

— At every press conference, you were constantly asked about Dynamo. Tired of such questions?

— I get tired of a lot of things. For example, from questions about lububa, media league, trends, and non-zoomers. From issues that are not related to football. Recently, people have been constantly asking about Dynamo. If the topic changes, they will ask about something else. About Dzyuba, about the captain…

— It was hard for even us to hear questions about the lab and trends.

— Imagine how I feel!

— None of the players who have recently moved to Europe have become a leader in their club. Your opinion: does it make sense to leave?

— It's every player's choice. It all depends on them. No one prevents you from becoming leaders both in the RPL and in Europe.

— Do you see who can leave next?

"Maybe I can see it. But there's no point in talking about it.

— The football season is over. How did it turn out for you?

— Different. The first part, the autumn part, was intense — I was both in Rostov and in the national team. The second part, the spring part, is more relaxed. You can say it's relaxing, compared to autumn. Completely different parts.