"We can beat everyone"

At the end of last week, the players of Kaliningrad Baltika lost away to the new leader of the Russian championship, CSKA Moscow (0:1) in the match of the 10th round of the national championship, conceding the decisive goal in the last minute. Nevertheless, Andrey Talalaev's team continues to go to the top of the table — sixth place with a gap of four points from the first line. They became the main sensation of the season, giving out a nine-match winless streak at the start, which became a record in the history of our football for teams that had just joined the RPL from the first league.

In an interview with Izvestia, Baltika midfielder Maxim Petrov explained why the team has such success, commented on the inclusion of three Kaliningrad club players in the expanded list of the Russian national team and told how important it is for him to be in the table above Moscow Lokomotiv, in which he made his RPL debut in 2021.

— How would you rate Baltika's results in the first ten rounds of the championship on a five-point scale?

— Probably four.

— Before this season, would you believe if someone had said that the team would suffer its first defeat in the championship only in the 10th round at the last minute?

— Of course, it's possible that I would be a little surprised. But at the beginning of the championship, I can say that if I had been told something like that after the third round, there would definitely have been no surprise.

— With all your long unbeaten streak, it can be noted that, formally, after the September break for the national team games, Baltika cannot win three matches in the championship — two draws and one defeat. Is it appropriate to talk about the recession?

— No, we just had good opponents after the break. Take Zenit, with whom we drew at home (0-0). They have a good team in principle, and after a pause, she also added a lot. It is no coincidence that after the match with us she managed to beat Krasnodar on the road (2:0), now they have defeated Orenburg at home (5:2). The Zenit that came to us was in very good condition, and we not only achieved a draw, but also played on equal terms. They didn't manage to create any super moments at our gates. Then there was a goalless draw with Rostov (0-0), a very fast—moving team, which also started to improve in September. Baltika didn't have a very good game against them, but we got a draw against a strong opponent. And CSKA is a very strong team. We gave her a good fight, even though we lost. Therefore, there is confidence that Baltika is not going to decline in any way.

CSKA will be the first so far: the army team became the leaders of the Russian championship

In the next round, the red and blue will play with Spartak Moscow, from which they are separated by three points.

— Can we expect that the next game and the results will be about the same as in the first 10 rounds?

— We will work to ensure that everything continues as it was in the first 10 rounds. I won't guess anything, but we will try to keep these results.

— Have they already started talking about a medal fight within the team against the background of this unbeaten streak?

— We are not having a dialogue about this. We're just trying to be as high up in the standings as possible.

— What first of all helped Baltika to hold the first third of the championship so successfully?

— The fact that we are a truly cohesive team. We are just a team that the coaching staff helps to achieve results, gives us all the necessary information about our rivals and our qualities. And it unites us. This kind of cohesion helps us to go to the top.

— You had an equal number of points with Lokomotiv, of which you are a pupil, one round earlier. Do you have a fundamental desire to be in the table above your hometown club?

— No, I'm not having a personal confrontation with Lokomotiv. I just want Baltika to be as high as possible.

Baltics troika: what is interesting about the expanded list of the Russian national team

The newcomers from the Kaliningrad team and Zakharyan, who returned from injury, were in the preliminary squad.

— Isn't it a shame that Loko suffered their first defeat in the championship earlier? The railwaymen, although with a bunch of draws, were the last ones who did not lose a single match.

— No, it doesn't hurt. More precisely, it's a shame just because we didn't hold out for a draw with CSKA, we didn't last only a minute. But this is not due to the fact that Lokomotiv has no defeats. Anyway, we're moving on. I think we have a good team and good prospects to continue fighting for top places.

— Baltika has already played with all the top clubs, except Krasnodar. Should it be easier next?

— I think there are a lot of good teams in the RPL right now. Which impose a struggle. It's going to be hard with everyone. But we can beat everyone.

— Three Baltic players — Maxim Borisko, Vladislav Sausia and Mingiyan Beveyev — were added last week to the expanded list of the Russian national team for the October matches with Iran and Bolivia. Are you waiting to get there yourself?

— I'm playing my best and giving my best. Congratulations to my teammates who have been included in the extended list of the national team. Well, I don't want to comment on myself in this regard. Would I like to join the national team? Of course I would like to. And who doesn't want to?

— What do you need to improve in order to get there?

— Achieve results with the club and prove yourself.