"There is no such strong tribune support in America as in Russia"
The Russian national football team played two home matches in October. First, Valery Karpin's team won in Volgograd against Iran (2:1), and then defeated Bolivia in Moscow (3:0). One of the participants in both meetings was midfielder Alexei Miranchuk, who plays for Atlanta United in the United States. He came on as a substitute in the second half of the match against Iran and played the full match against Bolivia.
In an interview with Izvestia, he summed up the results of these games, compared how they cheer in the stands in Russia and the United States, commented on the recent transfer of his twin brother Anton to Dynamo Moscow, assessed Loko's chances for the championship and the prospects of the current young leader of the Railwaymen Alexei Batrakov, and also shared his impressions of last year's the victory in the MLS playoffs over the Inter Miami team, which Lionel Messi plays for.
— What results can you sum up after two matches for the national team?
— I am very glad that I played for the national team. It's always a pleasure to play for my country's national team, and I try not to miss its matches if I get a call from the head coach. We managed to play two matches here against good rivals Iran and Bolivia. I'm glad that we were able to beat them pretty convincingly. And I would like to thank the fans who came to both matches. Thank them for their support!
— How much is the pain in football in Russia similar to what it is in the United States?
— It doesn't look like it at all.
— What's the difference?
— Going to the stadium there is more about spending time with your family. In America, there is not as much support for the stands as in Russia or Europe. Yes, there are individual people who support, but it still happens with some other emotions.
"Less noise?"
— Less noise, yes. This is probably the main factor that distinguishes football there from ours.
— Is the level of football you faced in the match against Iran higher or lower than in the MLS championship?
— It's hard to compare here. Due to the fact that we have national teams playing now, which bring together the best players in the country — both ours and the opponent's, and there is club football in the championship. These are different levels, anyway. And different responsibilities. It's all different.
— As a person who spent his entire career in the RPL at Lokomotiv, is it a shame that your brother Anton was not needed by the club more than a year ago and has now returned to Russia, but to Dynamo Moscow?
— You know, it's hard for me to say anything about it now. I am speaking in general terms, because it is difficult to go into any details and comment on the situation here. But all the same, as far as I know, Anton was well welcomed by the Lokomotiv fans when he played against them as part of Dynamo in the last round of the Russian Premier League. And they still treat him warmly. As far as I understand, he broke up with them on a good note, and the attitude towards him is normal to this day.
— How much does the constant departure to the national team and return from it to the club across the ocean affect you physically, especially like last November, when you played against Brunei (11:0) in Krasnodar, where you had to travel for almost a day due to the lack of air service?
— Well, yes, there are such moments. I just need a little more time to recover and adapt. But Valery Georgievich understands all this perfectly well and takes into account the human factor. Therefore, it gives you some days to get involved in the training process. Sometimes he doesn't involve me in the first games. Although I was released for 15-20 minutes in the first match against Iran in this October training camp, I usually only play the second match. So it's even good that this time I managed to play in two meetings, even if one of them was incomplete. In general, the process of adaptation and preparation for matches is well-established, so long flights do not affect my condition very much. Everything is fine in this regard.
— Do you talk inside the club about the suspension of Russian teams from international competitions? Do the players, coaches, and ordinary Americans have anything to do with what is happening?
— This has been happening for many years. And I joined Atlanta only a year ago. I can say that the suspension situation is not being discussed much there. It is mentioned in some cases. And as far as I understood from conversations with the guys at the club, since they are athletes themselves, they don't really like it either. They treat me and other Russian athletes with understanding. They're upset that we can't participate in major tournaments. It seems to me, as I feel, that they are offended for us that such a thing is happening.
— How much is the MLS championship stronger or weaker than the RPL?
— I haven't played in the RPL for a long time, so it's hard to say how they differ now. If we compare it with the RPL that I left five years ago, then our Premier League championship is a little more closed. And across the ocean, almost all the teams play more attacking football.
— But still, one of the last Moscow derbies in Russia ended 5-3 - your former team Lokomotiv won against your brother's team Dynamo.
- yes. Individual matches in the RPL are like this. But again, I'm not comparing it with the current Russian championship, but with the one I played in before leaving for Italy. Back then, there were also matches that were interesting to watch, with a lot of goals. But still, compared to that championship, MLS has more attacking football in general. And there are a lot of good quality players individually.
— Are you watching the matches of the current Lokomotiv? Do you believe that he is capable of winning the championship this season?
"Why not?" Of course I do! I'm not watching all of Lokomotiv's games right now. But I saw his last match against Dynamo. And I liked the team's game. She's on the move now. On the other hand, last season, Lokomotiv was also on the move in the first round, leading, and then a slight decline began. I would like to wish for stability throughout the season. Then everything will be fine.
— When you look at Alexey Batrakov's game at Lokomotiv and cross paths with him in the national team, does he remind you of you from the last years in Russia, when you won the national championship and several Cups?
— Everyone speaks for Batrakov with his results — goals and assists. And also his desire to show good football — I can see it from playing together and training with the national team. And that's all a talented player needs — a lot of desire and enthusiasm. He's got it all. It's nice to watch him and it's nice to play with him.
— In dealing with Batrakov, do you think he has enough character to, for example, achieve achievements comparable to yours?
— We don't communicate that much with him, but from what I see, he's a very nice guy. And well-mannered, which is the most important thing. I hope his successful results won't affect him. And he will also remain a good person.
— I didn't have a chance to talk to you last November, when your Atlanta United knocked Lionel Messi's Inter Miami out of the MLS playoffs. How does it feel to beat a team with arguably the best soccer player on the planet this century?
— This happened last season and has already become history. But I can say that Messi wasn't the only one in this team. He's gathered a lot of strong players around him — take Luis Suarez. We will be listing Miami's top-class football players for a long time. That's why it was nice to stop them in the playoffs as a team. It's nice that Atlanta turned out to be better than Miami in three head-to-head matches. This is good news. But in general, I would continue to be happy as long as they — Messi and the other stars from his team — are still playing. And I prefer to enjoy the opportunity to watch them play and sometimes go against them on the field.
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