"The reason for Krasnodar's championship is trivial"

A year ago, football player Sergei Volkov joined Zenit St. Petersburg from Krasnodar, where he gained a foothold at the RPL level, won silver medals at the 2024 Russian Championship, and made his debut in the Russian national team in the fall of 2023. The 22-year-old defender started at Zenit by winning the Russian Super Cup, but suffered a cruciate ligament injury in one of his training sessions in September and was out for the rest of the season.

Only this summer he returned to the field, having played several friendly matches with the St. Petersburg club. During Volkov's absence, the blue-white-blues did not win the Russian championship for the first time since 2018, losing gold to Krasnodar. In an interview with Izvestia, Volkov shared his emotions from the triumph of his former club, told when he would get in shape after injury, and stated Zenit's high motivation to regain gold.

— Can we say that you have already fully recovered from the injury?

— Yes, I can say that I have recovered 100%, that the injury does not bother me. But we still need to get in shape.

— How long will it take to dial it?

— By the end of the training camp, I will try to get in optimal shape through games and training.

— After such a serious injury, is there no problem forcing yourself to play at full strength, not to start thinking about how to take care of yourself and avoid injury?

— No, on the contrary, I want to join the team faster and participate in matches, to be one with the rest of the guys. The desire to work has increased even more. When you haven't played for a long time, you want to get back to your level faster.

— In the winter, Vyacheslav Karavaev was out for a long time due to injury, which caused Zenit to have a personnel collapse on the defensive flank. Did those who replaced you manage?

— Gustavo Mantuan played his part well — there were no questions about his game. We can say that he only benefited the team.

— How did Zenit's defeat in the championship race look from the outside?

— When you're not playing, you're not training, and every day you see guys running and working at the base... And you're just looking out the window from the audience — of course, it was sad. And the fact that we missed the championship... I couldn't help there anymore. And he was just like a spectator. Of course, I was very upset, like everyone else.

— What were the emotions from the fact that it was Krasnodar that deprived Zenit of the championship?

— Well done, what can I say. Congratulations to the club. I wish him only the best.

— Have you talked about this with your former partners at Krasnodar?

- no. I didn't talk to anyone.

— A year ago, your words resonated in an interview with Zenit's official website after the transfer, where you expressed your joy at St. Petersburg's championship, won against Krasnodar. Eduard Spertsyan said later that no one in the team talks to you after that. Has anything changed since then?

— I don't know, it's hard for me to say. I can't say anything about that.

— Do you regret last year's transfer?

— No, I don't regret it. And I will do everything to help Zenit regain the championship this season.

— How was Krasnodar able to take gold this year?

— I'll say it cornyly: they just didn't lose points. But we lost, so we lost the race for the championship — we scored one point less.

— Did you get much angrier after that?

— You've definitely become angrier. Let's see how this affects our game and results in the upcoming season.

— Has Zenit's preparation changed this summer compared to last summer?

— We are working as we have been working before. Just with more desire, more concentration, and more motivation.

— Should we expect the same intrigue in the fight for gold in the upcoming season as in the previous two? Or will Zenit bring back the days when it secured the championship three or four rounds before the finish?

— Let's see. But I'm telling you, we're motivated more than that... More than ever!

— Are you aiming to return to the national team, where you were often called up in 2023?

- of course. I really want to go back there. I watch all the games, I follow the national team. It's interesting to play for her again.

— The head coach of the Russian national team, Valery Karpin, has now become the head of Dynamo Moscow. Has it become more dangerous for Zenit as a competitor in the fight for gold?

— Let's see. I'm wondering how they'll do it.