"The Russian Championship would have been the fifth or seventh in the world if not for the sanctions"

Last week, the new Russian Football Championship started. He will make his RPL debut for Belarusian specialist Alexei Shpilevsky, who became the head coach of Pari Nizhny Novgorod in June. Previously, he worked for a long time in Germany, and in Russia he became widely known for winning the Cyprus championship with the local Aris, for which Alexander Kokorin was starting to play at that time. The debut in the RPL turned into a defeat of Paris NN from the reigning champion of Russia Krasnodar (0:3).

Shortly before that, the club held a pre-season press conference with the participation of the management and the head coach, after which Shpilevsky gave an interview to Izvestia, in which he explained the decision to work in Russia, spoke about cooperation with Kokorin at Aris, Wagner Love and Nuraly Alip at Kairat in Kazakhstan, and also mentioned possible reasons for failures. the former sports director of RB Leipzig in the Moscow "Locomotive".

— At the Paris NN pre-season press conference, the club's CEO, David Melik-Huseynov, said that he had talked with you about joining the club a year and a half ago. But you refused, saying that you haven't finished the project at Aris yet. What has changed by this summer? Why is the Cyprus project considered completed now?

— I worked with one team for three years. And we have changed a lot at the club — let's just say we have made a small revolution in Cypriot football. I felt this when I left Aris last spring: a lot of people wrote to me and commented on the work we had done. We won the first titles in the club's 94-year history — the championship and the Cyprus Super Cup, and advanced to the Europa League group stage. I think this achievement is something we have in common with the owner of the club and my coaching staff. But already in my third season of work, I felt that I needed a change of scenery. It's no secret that there was interest in me from other big clubs, but it didn't work out due to a number of nuances. And when I was contacted by Paris NN once again, they once again presented their vision of the club's development and the changes that would be made, I felt that yes, working in Nizhny Novgorod could really be interesting. That's why I'm here, ready to help the team, the club, and the city as much as possible. It's not the first day I've seen what a fantastic stadium Nizhny Novgorod has. And I understand that the city deserves more than what happened to the club before.

— Why did you consider the Arisa project unfinished for yourself a year and a half ago? After all, by that time you had already won the championship with him, having done it in your first full season in Cyprus.

— When I talk about the revolution, it's not just about the title. I mean more about the way we played, the kind of football we showed. Before that, Cypriot football was famous for the fact that mostly football players from the top championships, aged 30 and older, came. And to a greater extent, the emphasis was on possession of the ball, positional attacks. And we wanted to change this by adding speed and dynamics to the game, and improving teamwork in game actions. As a result, the training has become much more intense. We joined Aris in February 2022, but since the summer, during our second season at the club in general and our first full season, we have formed exactly the right team that suits our style. And even then, the results and trophies started. When Paris NN first came out to me in 2024, I saw that there was still something to work on at Aris in terms of instilling the style I was talking about. And already this year, I felt it was time to move on and look for a new challenge.

— Are there enough players in Paris NN right now to suit your intense style?

— We discussed with the management that we need to be strengthened. The squad should be tailored to our new football. Of course, a lot depends on how you present everything to the players. I already said at the pre-season press conference that you can't be afraid to change certain habits. And we do this from the very first training session. I can already see the team's progress compared to what it was. But, I repeat, what matters here is how you present new principles to the team and how you demand this from the players on a daily basis. I am confident in my coaching staff that we will switch the guys to a new playing style.

— How closely were you following the RPL before the negotiations with Paris NN?

— I admit, I didn't watch it very often. It is clear that there were individual matches. But when we entered into negotiations with Paris NN, we fully reviewed and analyzed almost all the matches with our staff in order to have an understanding of the players and their style of play. We mostly watched the matches of our new team, of course.

— Are there any teams in the Russian Premier League playing football similar to what you like?

— It's hard for me to say about the style of play of some teams. But I think the Russian championship would have been the fifth, sixth, and seventh in the world anyway if it hadn't been for the sanctions. If I'm not mistaken, he was like that a few years ago. High-quality football players are gathered here. And the teams fighting for the leading positions are playing very high-quality football. We always strive to learn from the best and compete with the best, so let's see what the result will be for Pari NN — time will tell. It would be wrong and arrogant to make any predictions, but I can promise that the team will not be afraid of anything on the field and will play with great passion.

— You mentioned sanctions. Is it difficult to seek reinforcement from abroad in connection with them?

— Yes, for example, because of this, the transfer of a central defender from the second Bundesliga, who moved to Hannover, was disrupted. We were interested in him, talked to him — he is a talented and promising football player. But you know yourself that when there are many parties involved in the transition of players, many who are in charge of a football player, what happened can happen. Of course, both Alexander Udaltsov and I (sports director of Paris NN. — Izvestia) were upset about this, because the player is really very talented. But this is the world of football — you have to accept such stories, cheer up and move on. We continue to analyze the market, and we are negotiating a reinforcement.

— In recent years, you have been mentioned several times among the candidates for the post of head coach of Dynamo Moscow.

— I think it's already the past. I don't want to talk about the past.

— For five years you led the RB Leipzig youth team, known for its training system for players who reached the basics and were sold to other clubs for a lot of money. How much did the club's athletic director at the time, Ralph Rangnik, influence you, and whose name is associated with all the successes of that structure?

— We communicated quite closely when I was working in the Red Bull system. Then Ralph was also involved in my transfer to Kairat, when the owner of the club called him and asked for his opinion on who could lead the main team in Alma Ata and deliver the football that, thanks to Rangnik, was built in the same RB Leipzig. Of course, he has greatly influenced my career and my views. And I think it's not just me, because if you look at how many specialists are working in world football now, there are a lot of those who have gone through this Red Bull Globus, which includes RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg clubs.

However, Rangnik also influenced many who did not work directly under him. The same Jurgen Klopp — he has a similar type and style that he preached at Liverpool. And it's not for nothing that he became the face of Red Bull this year and oversees the entire football part of this system. So I'm just grateful to Ralph for everything he's done for me. In my opinion, over the past 15-20 years, he and Pep Guardiola, their two different styles, have changed football a lot. Pep understands how: the phases on the ball, the rearrangement and structure of the game in possession of the ball, the reaction of the players after losing the ball. Ralph had more influence on the intensity of the game, on how to actively take the balls, how to act after switching.

— Did you follow the work of Rangnik and his people at Lokomotiv? Why couldn't their ideas be adapted in Russia?

— I think many foreign specialists forget about culture and language. For me, if you go to work in a new country, you should know the language, know where you are going, feel and understand the local culture, religion, and the origin of the players. To know everything you're diving into. Otherwise it will be hard. When moving to a new country, you can't just do the same thing one-on-one as it was in your country. Even if it worked at home. It won't work in another environment. Somewhere, it's not just necessary to adjust... Of course, you have to try to change people and reformat them to fit your ideas. But it's very difficult to transfer everything to a foreign country one by one and do everything the same as it was before. I think these nuances in working with the team hindered Ralph and his people at Lokomotiv.

— Is the experience of the Red Bull franchise generally applicable in the territory of the former USSR?

— I think my experience with Kairat has shown that it can be implemented in the former USSR, if the local specifics are properly taken into account. We played successfully in Kazakhstan and won the title of national champion. Before that, there were considerable financial investments from the owner of the club, Kairat Sovetaevich Boranbayev. But then he probably realized that it wasn't just about the players and the level of the squad, but the idea, the way we wanted to act, the style of play the team needed. And the players were chosen correctly for this style. As a result, even with less financial effort, we managed to make progress in the game and the results of Kairat. And that experience has shown that similar principles are applicable not only in Europe, but also in Kazakhstan, and now we are trying to implement this here in Russia. The main thing is to believe in it and feel supported by the management and those who work with you every day, developing the players and the club.

— Before joining Paris NN, you became known in Russia as the man who made Alexander Kokorin the best player of the season in Cyprus. How did you manage to revive his career?

— In fact, there are certain myths about Sasha about his game and behavior. When I first met him, I also had two feelings, because I knew about him only on the basis of things I had read somewhere or heard from someone. But I can't say anything bad about Kokorin from working with him. Sasha is a very adequate guy. He tried very hard every day, especially in his first two years at Aris, when he came to us from Fiorentina on his first loan. He had a great desire to show himself, to prove his level. Sasha is a very friendly guy, he helped the team. I didn't see or feel everything that was said about him before we worked together.

— Was it psychologically difficult to bring him back to the right level, given that he came to you after unsuccessful periods at Spartak and Fiorentina, and the story with the prison at that time ended quite recently?

— I thought that after what he went through, it would be much more difficult for us to work with him. It is from a mental point of view. But Sasha took it pretty well. And he was mentally strong. We talked about his previous experience with him. And we saw that he also made his conclusions. Therefore, I can only speak positively about Sasha.

— At Kairat, you worked with the already middle-aged Wagner Love. How did he perceive your demands regarding intensity?

— We must pay tribute to him that he joined the team, helped us a lot, and always inspired the team with his example. Sometimes, at motivational meetings, I even took video clips from training or a game with Wagner as an example of his active participation, desire to win, run, help in defense, and switch from one rhythm to another. And that's at that age.

— How do you remember the young Nuraly Alip, who is currently playing at Zenit?

— He was already considered talented then, there is no doubt about that. For me, he is a very high-quality left-back with the ability to develop attacks. And a fantastic character — a man hates to lose. I always gave myself completely to work in training. Yes, somewhere he was a little sensitive mentally, behaved like a child. But in general, I always knew what to expect from Nurala. The man was not afraid of the joints, the struggle. Therefore, he was deservedly noticed by Zenit. I can only wish him luck.

— Were the rumors about Manchester United's interest in him taken seriously at the end of last year?

— You know, there are no impossible things in the world at all. So why not? He played quite well then in the RPL for Zenit, and that year was quite successful with the national team of Kazakhstan. Therefore, nothing surprised me in those conversations.

— The story of a coach under the age of 30 starting to work with adult football players is not new to Europe, but in Russia, people with your background can be counted on the fingers. Are you ready for difficulties in this regard?

— I see the situation like this: coaches, like football players, either have a good quality specialist or a bad one. Moreover, although I am young in age, I am not in terms of work experience. I graduated quite early as a player and started coaching at the age of 19. I have had this experience for 18 years now. I went through working with football players of different ages, which I am very happy about, because it gave me a tremendous experience. The main thing here is not to stop developing and learn from the best. And I like to communicate with different people and not only to study in the field of football, but also to take experience from other sports and in general spheres of life. The main thing is to be a versatile person: it helps you later in communication, in the ability to set tasks for the team. In any team, the most important meeting for me is the first meeting. Your first performance in front of people is when you show how you will work with them, what you will demand and how. And it is necessary to keep this in the daily process — to be an example, a leader, not to be discouraged in difficult situations, to encourage, to inspire people's trust and positive energy. Then the team will believe in you and your ideas. And he will follow you.–

— How do you like the infrastructure in Nizhny Novgorod?

— The stadium is fantastic, you don't even need to add anything here. The training fields are in very good condition, thanks a lot to our agronomist Alexey (Telegin. — Izvestia) and his team. There are nuances in the infrastructure itself that need to be changed. But in this regard, we are always in touch with the general and sports directors of the club and are trying to gradually bring everything to a certain level.

— What are the nuances?

— There are many different things that need to be changed. This is very important for the recovery of football players, maintaining a certain level and speeding up certain processes. Everyone here should feel their responsibility — not only the players, but also every employee. Take the same agronomist. If he does poor-quality work, the field will be in poor condition. If the pitch is in bad condition, then we can't have a training session. If we don't do the training, then, accordingly, there will be no development. And that's how you try to convey to everyone that their role is incredibly important in achieving a common goal. The same situation applies, for example, to nutrition.

— Will you seriously change your diet?

— There won't be any big changes. But there are nuances. For example, the food should be attractive. Even if it is useful somewhere, it can still be prepared in different ways. For example, rice may taste different. Or you can buy high-quality pasta and cook it according to one recipe or another. And such little things are very important to us.