"Competitions where all the best are missing lose their meaning"

The KHL is in full swing offseason, and clubs are updating their rosters. Among those who will face major changes in the summer is SKA St. Petersburg, where Igor Larionov is preparing to spend his second season as head coach. In addition to working with the team, the legendary hockey player closely follows football and does not hide his sympathies for the Manchester City game, and in early June he attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where he held an autograph session at the SKA booth. In an interview with Izvestia, Larionov shared his expectations for the upcoming KHL season, assessed the chances of the Russian national teams returning to international tournaments and commented on the resignation of Manchester City head coach Josep Guardiola.

— Bill Daley, the NHL vice commissioner, recently stated that it is unlikely that European national federations will boycott matches with Russia if the IIHF allows it to participate in its competitions. Do you believe that?

"Bill knows what he's saying. We know that the NHL has a slightly different position towards Russian players than the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation. — Ed.). They understand that due to Russia's absence from the World Cup, Olympic Games, World Cup and other competitions, the level of these competitions is falling. And NHL executives look at all this primarily from a business perspective. Both NHL Chief Commissioner Harry Bateman and Bill understand this better than anyone else. They understand that Ovechkin, Malkin, Kucherov are a huge part of the big machine that makes this business successful. Russian Russians have Russian surnames and Russian passports. And if we are talking about the largest scale of competitions — tournaments of national teams — then the best should gather there, which identify the strongest among themselves. It is no coincidence that the World Cup, when held, has a larger audience than the World Cup. Because the NHL is trying to get the best there. And if some of the best Russian hockey stars are not there, then such competitions lose their meaning.

— In this regard, do you have any optimism that the Russian national teams will be disbanded in the foreseeable future?

— I am optimistic about this. Any performance without a main actor is not that kind of performance. And Russia is always one of the main forces in world hockey. She brings her own character, her own colors to the game that the audience wants to see. Due to the talent of the players, teamwork. And without it, major tournaments become less interesting.

— After the admission of the Belarusian juniors, is there any hope that sooner or later it will affect our teams?

— This decision is long overdue. Politics should not be mixed up with sports and hockey here. This should be understood by those leaders who head the IIHF and will head it after September, when the congress will be held and a new president of the federation will be elected. I am glad that the first signals went out, as in the case of the junior team of Belarus. I have no doubt that Russian teams will be allowed in the near future.

— What do you expect from next season at the head of SKA in the KHL?

— I'm looking forward to a very interesting season. I see that a very interesting team is gathering in SKA. I am sure that she will fight for the highest places. We are waiting for a bright season that will bring a lot of emotions to the fans. Moreover, this year SKA celebrates its 80th anniversary. It's a big date. And I'm glad that the team is also returning to the big arena in St. Petersburg, to the 23,000-seat stadium. This is one of the best ice palaces in the world. And we expect it to be constantly filled to capacity, we want to see as many spectators as possible at our matches.

— You have said more than once that you are a big fan of the Manchester City football club. In this regard, how did you react to the resignation of the head coach of the Josep Guardiola team?

— This is a unique coach, a unique specialist, a unique person. But it was coming to this. It's probably been coming to this for the last year and a half. He rewrote the traditions of English football and, at the same time, the traditions of world football. And the fact that Guardiola is leaving the club now is sad for me. The ideas and thoughts that he put into his team remain there. And I think the players will need time to adjust to the demands of Enzo Mareschi, who is now joining the team instead of Guardiola.

It will be interesting for me to see how this happens. Because you always look at the work of big coaches in big teams, how they build relationships with the team, with the players, and how they play football. Guardiola is a big loss for the English Premier League. But in September, when the new season starts, we will see what new trends will be in this championship and in the same Manchester City, what kind of football will be. But what Guardiola has done over the years is fantastic.

— Who will be the trendsetter in European football after him now? Who will you be watching especially?

— I usually look at the work of coaches — what kind of idea they convey to the team and how it is embodied on the field. In this sense, the Premier League provides a lot of food for thought in terms of what kind of talents gather in clubs at the level of City, Arsenal, Chelsea, and what kind of spectacle they give to the public. Their enthusiasm, skill, and lack of straightforwardness are what bring joy to every match and make the audience constantly follow the process.