"I don't lose hope of returning to Spartak and playing for it all the time"

In August, Spartak Moscow defender Nikita Chernov went on loan for a year to Samara Krylia Sovetov, for whom he played in 2019-2021 and from where he joined the Red and white ranks in early 2022. Not so long ago, he came with the Volzhans to Moscow, where they lost to Spartak away with a score of 1:2 in the match of the ninth round of the Russian championship and dropped to 10th place in the RPL standings.

In an interview with Izvestia, the 29-year-old football player assessed the chances of returning to Spartak, told how Krylia had changed during his absence, and also commented on the task of finishing in the top eight in this championship.

— The story of how you and other Krylia football players got to the match with Spartak by taxi caused a lot of noise due to the fact that the bus provided by the opponent did not reach your hotel on time. Did it affect the team's performance?

— It didn't affect me at all. We were traveling in fairly comfortable conditions. Moreover, it was not a long drive there — 20-25 minutes from our hotel on Arbat to Spartak's home stadium in Tushino. So I don't even know what to say to your question. The conditions were as comfortable as possible, so we shouldn't blame our defeat on the lack of a bus.

— What was the reason for the defeat against Spartak, given that you were leading 1-0 after the first half?

"We're probably tired." There was a lot of running work in the first half. But before the break, we managed to rebuild, and after the start of the second half, Spartak scored against us literally five minutes later. And in general, it was already clear that the opponent dominated in almost all aspects. It was already hard for us to keep up with his speed.

— How much do the current Krylia, led by Magomed Adiev, differ in terms of requirements for you from the Krylia of your past, when they were coached by Igor Osinkin, and Sergey Pinyaev, Ivan Sergeev, and Anton Zinkovsky played with you?

— They are very different. Tactics and game formation are different. We used to play four defenders, now we play five. The structure is changing. And there are differences in many nuances. But it's okay, I'm gradually adapting. Football players must adapt to the requirements of any coach. That's what I try to do.

— Are Krylia Sovetov able to finish in the first half of the table at the end of the season, at least in eighth place, where they were before the defeat by Spartak?

— Yes, quite. I think we can do a lot. The main thing is to take your points — in matches with teams from the bottom of the table and with those who are more or less on equal terms with us. At a minimum, they must be consistently defeated. Well, go out against the leaders, bite and score points in matches with them. As we did in the away game against Lokomotiv (2-2).

— Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, the governor of the Samara Region, spoke before the season about his desire to finish in the top eight of the Russian Premier League. Is it real?

— I think so. Definitely. If the governor has said so, then we must do it. Therefore, we will try our best.

— After your departure from Spartak, your interview caused a lot of noise, where you said that the head coach of the team, Dejan Stankovic, did not explain to you the reasons for your absence from the squad. Were you surprised that many people began to criticize you for such words?

— I don't know. I will say that yes, I agree: probably, the coach is not obliged to do this — to explain such decisions.

— Next year, with a high probability, the limit on foreign players in the RPL will be tightened at the suggestion of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. Was there no desire to wait for this moment, when the chances of returning to Spartak's base would increase?

— And how long to wait? Another year? That's a bit much. I've been waiting for a year already. I don't want to wait, but to play. That's why I'm in Samara and I'm trying to help Krylia. We need to play this season as well as possible, and then we will see when I return to Spartak from the lease in the summer. I have not given up hope of returning to the club and playing for it all the time.