"If Gerson and Luis Enrique are worth 30-35 million each, then Sadulaev is worse"

A limit on foreign players is needed, but within reasonable limits, Akhmat head coach Stanislav Cherchesov is sure. In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, the specialist spoke about the ambitions of the Grozny club, Ndong's conflict with Spertsyan, refereeing problems and much more.

In Grozny, words and deeds do not differ

— Stanislav Salamovich, in August you took over Akhmat after the club's three defeats at the start, and last season it remained in the RPL only based on the results of the play-off matches. But you didn't go with the task of fighting for survival, did you?

— There are different situations. Before my arrival, some selection work had already been done, so it felt like the club really wanted to develop — not in words, but in deeds. President Yakub Zakriev and Sports director Ruslan Gazzaev are ambitious and responsible people. Gazzaev, by the way, worked in Grozny 13 years ago, and we are well acquainted. Words do not differ from deeds here.

— Does the team have any guidelines? Right now, Akhmat is ninth. If you finish the championship in this place, will you be successful?

— I would not like to say platitudes like "the season will show everything." But the fact is that we have become more thorough, both on and off the field. The main thing now is to stabilize. When stability appears, specific tasks will come. We understand that football is not arithmetic, there is no such thing as "planned, then it will be so." There are rivals who have their own goals. Therefore, we go step by step. If you want an analogy: in weightlifting, an athlete takes the starting weight. If he didn't take it, he flew out. So it is here: first you need to "take the weight", gain a foothold, and then add kilograms, go to records.

— Have you already met with the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov? Or is the meeting just planned?

— I can't plan such things. But he's already been to two of our matches. And I am very glad that Ramzan Akhmatovich has returned to the stadium, I am glad that the audience is returning. Even at the first press conference, he said: we can't ask a fan to come — we have to earn it. Business, play, attitude. We understand that last season turned out to be unsuccessful, people feel everything. But with each game, there are more and more spectators in the stands. And it's nice that people are already starting to follow us to other cities. This is a good sign: it means that we are moving in the right direction.

— Following the results of seven rounds after your appointment, Akhmat turned out to be the best in the RPL. Even you probably didn't expect such a powerful start?

— After all, that's where our conversation started — we don't assume anything. We don't plan to win or lose, we just come to work. My predecessor, Alexander Storozhuk, did a good job — the team was in decent condition. Another thing is that if something doesn't work, then it needs to be adjusted. I can only say words of gratitude to Storozhuk. I called him myself to support him. Everything is simple in football: today you win the champion's cup, and tomorrow someone else comes to take your place. This is a working moment. Alexander took everything calmly, professionally. In fact, he gave me the command.

— Tactically, you started cautiously. But in the last game against Krasnodar, they were already aggressive on the road. Are these the fruits of transformation? And is Akhmat ready for such bold football?

— How is our generation, and the previous one, different from the current one? Earlier, the coach said the player did it. It's a different time, different players. They like to write about us that we are inaccessible, running around with clubs in training, but this is not the case. We have a working relationship, a normal conversation. We conduct theoretical classes every week: the players see their condition and their progress. We show the numbers, all the data from the sensors — you can't draw anything there, it's an honest picture. And the guys understand that the work we are doing is yielding results, both for the team as a whole and for everyone individually.

When I arrived, the base was available, and the team was ready in general terms. It was necessary to correct something, and it succeeded. Now we need to develop intensity, interaction, and then add details and zest.

As for the match with Krasnodar, yes, we went with ambitions. We wanted to test ourselves at the champion level. Mentally, I saw exactly what I wanted to see. If we had scored first, I don't know how things would have turned out. Krasnodar is a high—quality team, but Akhmat looked at the same level. The least remains, but also the most difficult thing is to achieve results.

— Now that you have set the bar, can we expect Akhmat to continue to play as aggressively and aggressively?

— We always prepare for a specific opponent, on a specific day. We see our condition, analyze the opponent's condition. Thank God, there is enough information now, and we are processing all this. If we feel that the team is in good condition, then we can act boldly and at a high pace. If not, we adjust. Everything is simple here: in each match you need to give your maximum for today. And we know very well what this maximum is at a particular moment.

If the fight isn't yours, it's better to avoid it.

— In the game against Krasnodar, there was an incident between Spertsyan and Ndong. You didn't shake Edward's hand during the match. And now, having cooled down, would you do it?

— The street has taught me that if a fight is not yours, then it is better to avoid it, because it is not known how it will end in the end. So it is here. I saw that Spertsyan was coming towards me, but in the heat of emotion, some unnecessary situation might arise, so I calmly turned around and walked away. A couple of days later, Eddie texted me, I called back, and we video-chatted for about ten minutes. Spertsyan realized that he was wrong: you shouldn't approach the coach at such moments, you can get into trouble. It's better to discuss everything with a cool head.

By the way, I didn't say a word to Ndong either in the locker room. We had a few days off, then we gathered at the base, the Senegalese came to me and calmly discussed everything. Both he and Edik said the same thing: "Only you two know what happened between you. There was no one else around, no one could hear anything." We must also pay tribute to our players, who behaved as correctly as possible. They know my position: we should never lie, even if it is beneficial to us. I don't know who's right, who's to blame. I can say one thing for sure: Artur Grigoryants (chairman of the RFU KDC) will be right in any case. After recording the interview on Thursday, October 16, the KDC decided to disqualify Ndong for two matches, one of which was suspended, and there was no consideration of possible racist statements due to reconciliation between the parties. — Ed.).

— Vladislav Radimov, who once criticized the KDK, probably would not agree. Do you have any doubts about the decisions of the RFU commissions?

— On the football field, I determine who will play, who will not, and what tactics to choose. And the committee headed by Grigoryants will decide on disciplinary sanctions. Not because someone is loved or not, but guided by regulations, paragraphs, paragraphs and sub-paragraphs. The KDC staff may not understand my steps, because only I have figures on the condition of each football player — and I do not have to thoroughly understand every subparagraph of the regulations.

— We knew Kasintura well from the newcomers, but Ndonga and Keliano did not, and they make a strong impression. Can we call them the openings of the season?

— For you, perhaps, yes, because these are new names that catch your eye. And it's important for us that progress is going on throughout the team. Gundry is an example. The coach of the Tunisian national team called me recently and said, "He came to us as a completely different player." This is an indicator. So we see not only those who are in plain sight, but also those who are adding quietly, without unnecessary noise. Everyone has their own maximum, and our task is to help all the guys reach it.

— Well, Melkadze's progress is obvious, even if he didn't score a penalty against Krasnodar.

- yes. Sadulaev began to work more defensively. Sidorov, who recently joined, is also growing. I can list them further. I've already had Zhemaletdinov taken in, and we're trying to bring him back to his usual level. Rifat hasn't played for a long time, it's affecting him, but you can see from him: he's happy, involved in the process, and working hard. As for Ndong and Keliano, the former is a serious guy, the latter is younger, but also an established footballer who knows how to score important goals. However, there was an incident with Ndong — he definitely won't play against Dynamo.

At the same time, I repeat, acquisitions are a good thing, necessary, but the most important thing is to understand when you take whom and why. Sometimes the best transfer is an internal one. For example, Ibishev's transfer from the center of defense to the support zone was very successful. We had problems in the middle of the field — thank God, they were solved by rebuilding. Or the fact that Sadulaev stayed is also a kind of transfer for us.

I have never talked to Kuzyaev about the transition

— It was said that Akhmat asked for 11 million euros for Treatment in the summer, while CSKA offered eight. It's true?

— 11 million? Not happening. Why is it so cheap? But if someone had come to me and said that the army gives eight, I would have answered simply: I'm fine with arithmetic, and with multiplication, and with addition. When I worked at Ferencvaros, at first they offered 800 thousand for one player. I told the president, "We don't have cheap players anymore." A couple of weeks later, the same man was sold to Spain for 3.8 million. So it is here. The price is not taken from the ceiling — it is formed by the market. It all depends on the demand, the level of the player, and his need for the club. The main thing is to have a professional and respectful conversation, not an emotional one.

— But are the amounts you're talking about even real numbers? From the outside, it seems that 11 or even eight million for Sadulaev is too serious.

- why? If Garcia is worth 20 million, this is no longer a theory, but a practice. If Gerson and Luis Enrique are 30-35 each, then what is worse for Sadulaev? At least half of this amount for Treatment — why not? We're comparing, evaluating. Neither we nor the buyer can be guided by emotions, it is unprofessional. I am glad that Sadulaev stayed with us. He sees everything growing around him. We have a new infrastructure, a new field, a mini-base, a fitness center — everything has been done literally in the last couple of months. When the players feel that the club is developing in all directions, their attitude changes inside. Maybe someone used to think about one thing, but now they're thinking about something else. Zakriev, Gazzaev, and I are constantly discussing what needs to be done next.

— But in winter, perhaps, they will come for Sadulaev again. Are you feeling the interest already?

— If they come with an offer, like for Luis Enrique — 35 million, well, at least half of that — we will talk. Of course, I'm joking — everything will be decided by the president of Akhmat. I've always said that the club is above any coach, including me.

— Is it true that Kuzyaev could have ended up in Akhmat?

— Dahler and I have a normal relationship, he has my number. But to be honest, I've never talked to him about the transition. After all, it was about foreign teams, about CSKA, about Dynamo. In this case, we should probably step aside a little, we are still not up to certain things.

We didn't contact Dahler, we didn't make any offers. The only thing is, I asked Gazzaev to clarify what the story is in general, because you read — "Akhmat" flashes all the time. I thought maybe I didn't know something. And I wrote to his father, Akhyad, because they were constantly asking about this topic in order to answer correctly. As it is, the player is, of course, a good one, capable of closing several positions. I really wanted to see him at Ferencvaros, but Kuzyaev chose Le Havre. He's at Rubin now. I wish Dahler good luck to solve the tasks he sets for himself.

It is wrong to count passports during a match

— How do you rate the refereeing?

— I will not criticize. Although, of course, during matches sometimes you want to let off steam so as not to burst. But in general, I try to restrain myself. The referees have their own leadership — Mazhich, Kamantsev, they are responsible for the system. The only thing I don't understand is inconsistency. For example, there is a meeting in Rostov: a corner kick, a clear violation, but there is no whistle. Then, a round later, in the Spartak–Sochi game, a penalty is awarded in the 95th minute for exactly the same episode. Or in Krasnodar, there is a moment when our football player falls into a striking position, he is pushed in the back, but neither the referee nor the VAR react. A day later, in another match, a penalty is awarded for a ball that accidentally flies into the hand at the corner of the penalty area. Where is the logic?

I don't require the referees to see everything, although that's their job. I just want uniform criteria. We return to the meeting with Krasnodar: the game is underway, emotions are boiling — a normal process. I see the whistles are blowing. I tell the reserve referee Cheban: "Let the players play, do not escalate. I can already tell how it will end." And we saw how it really ended: Spertsyan's conflict with Ndong. As a football person, I see where it would have been possible to do otherwise, but I do not consider it necessary to inflate these stories. Judges are people too. They have supervisors, they'll figure it out. My task is to prepare the team, not to look for the guilty with a whistle.

— Now there are talks about the limit — it may be tightened. What is your position?

— I've always said that we need it, but within reasonable limits. The word "limit" is unpleasant in itself — as if you are being limited. But every country has protection for its production, products, and agriculture. We must also support the "domestic manufacturer", if that's what you can say about football.

When I was still working at Dynamo, this topic was also raised, and then I said the same thing that I am ready to say now: let there be eight, nine, maximum 10 foreign players. The main thing is that everyone has the right to enter the field at the same time. Everything together will never appear on it — injuries, form declines, rotation. Right now, for example, three foreigners are not playing for various reasons. This means that there are automatically three Russians in the squad — without any orders. This is the natural competition. Would Zhirkov have given the place to Djudjak? No. And Denisov to Vanker? Not either. But there is no second Russian Denisov, so we need to invite Vanker to compete.

And when you have to count passports during a match, it's already wrong. Here comes the game, I need to make a substitution — conditionally, to change Zhirkov to Dzhudzhak. But I understand that in order to release the Hungarian, we need to replace someone else in order to meet the limit. And the match is not waiting! I need a football player by position, but I have to remember the nationalities of the guys instead of looking at the field.