"Our main competitor in the fight for the championship is ourselves"

The CSKA Moscow players experienced an unexpected change of head coach this summer. After winning the Russian Cup and the bronze medals of the previous national championship, Marko Nikolic, who worked with the team, suddenly left for the Greek AEK. In his place, the army appointed Swiss Fabio Celestini, who won the Swiss championship and Cup with Basel last spring.

In the first official game under the new coach, CSKA managed to take the Russian Super Cup, beating the reigning national champion Krasnodar in Kazan (1-0). In an interview with Izvestia, Army defender Matvey Lukin spoke about the innovations in the team's life under Celestini, correspondence with Nikolic after his departure from the club and the chances of winning the championship in the new season.

— What new things did Celestini bring after joining CSKA?

— Training has become more difficult and more intense. We are all very interested in this. We're playing high pressure right now. And we see that it is difficult to play against such pressure. In fact, we practice and play in this mode with great interest. And we are looking forward to the upcoming season, which will be very interesting.

— Do you like the 4-3-3 scheme that Celestini uses more than Nikolic's "diamond"?

— In fact, the more schemes we know, the better off we are. That is, we can play one scheme, then adjust to the situation and change it. It's all very interesting. I really don't care — there are pros and cons to each scheme.

— Is Fabio much different from Marco in his communication with the team?

— In fact, despite certain differences, they have many similarities. They have a European approach, interesting workouts that don't repeat themselves. Of course, Fabio has a lot of discipline, we began to communicate even more, we began to get together more as a team, we go to dinner and lunch together. A nutritionist came to the club, who monitors our nutrition.

— Has this not happened before?

- it wasn't. And what they're offering us now is world—class. It's very interesting — we all get involved in this, we're interested, we ask what to do and how to do it right. All this only makes us stronger.

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— How did you react to Nikolic's departure from CSKA?

— Of course, I was surprised by this, as was everyone at the club.

— Is there any understanding why he did that?

— I contacted Marco after he left, thanked him for what he did. But the reasons for his departure were not discussed.

— Wasn't it interesting why he decided to leave after winning the Cup and the bronze medal of the championship?

— It's his own business — don't get into it. We have a new head coach now, and we want to focus on working with him and on the results of the new season.

— At what point did you find out about his impending departure and realized that this was not a joke or a media hoax?

— Just like everyone else, about a week later, when everyone started writing about it. I was finally convinced of this when the club officially announced everything. It was as unexpected for us in the team as it was for everyone. After CSKA officially announced the breakup with Marko, I contacted him.

— What was the conversation about?

— Marko wished us good luck in the season. He said he would keep an eye on us, cheer for us. It was nice to read those words. I, in turn, thanked him for everything he had done for me during the year of our collaboration. Then we called again and had a heartfelt conversation.

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— You talked about the European approach of Celestini and Nikolic. How does this differ from the approach of Russian coaches like Vladimir Fedotov?

— It's hard to compare. Someone has one approach, someone has another. But here you can always come up and ask the coach, who never closes the door in front of you. He is always open, he will tell you what, how and why. It inspires confidence and is very pleasant.

— CSKA was supposed to start the championship with the Moscow derby against Torpedo, which was removed from the RPL competition due to an attempt to bribe the referee and replaced with Orenburg, which you will have to visit in the first round. Were you shocked by this story?

— I can't say that I was shocked. We were thinking about our preparation anyway, and our plans haven't changed. There is only one task — to win every match. This also applies to the upcoming first round match. It doesn't matter who you have to play with — Torpedo or Orenburg. The goal is to win.

— Nikolic's departure also surprised many by the fact that he gave a vivid speech in the locker room after winning the Russian Cup, declaring his goal to fight for the championship next season. Do you believe that this was possible under him and is now possible under Celestini?

— Of course, I believed that it was possible with Marco. And now I believe that this is possible with Fabio. We have a strong team, strong players. We have a common goal — we live by it, we think about it every day. We go from game to game and will do everything to achieve what we want.

— Who is CSKA's main competitor in the fight for the championship?

— We're on our own.