"We can fight for the highest places"

The RPL clubs are in the midst of summer training camps. They are preparing for the new season in Russian football, which starts on July 24. One of the main intrigues of the upcoming championship is whether Kaliningrad "Baltika" will be able to repeat its success in the last national championship. After leaving the first league last year, Andrei Talalaev's team became the main sensation of the RPL, joining the fight for medals. Due to an eight-match winless spring series at the finish, they still did not reach the podium, but took the final sixth place — the best result of Baltika in the history of performances in the top division of the Russian championship.

In an interview with Izvestia, defender of the Kaliningrad club Ivan Belikov spoke about the preparations for the new season, assessed the chances of competing for medals in the championship, speculated about the likelihood of the team's leaders leaving for richer competitors, named his favorite teams at this summer's World Cup, assessed how Russia could look at it, and also spoke about the debut in the second league of the Russian championship, the Zarya club from his native Lugansk.

— How is the preparation for the new season going?

— At the first training camp, all of us were given a good load. Many have digested it, and it will bear fruit in the future. Now there is more game preparation at the second training camp.

— Is Andrey Talalaev's workload the same as at the training camp in winter and last summer?

— It's hard to say. It depends on who prepared for the vacation, who arrived at the first training camp in what condition. The sensations of exertion also depend on this. To some, they seem tougher, to others softer, to others - as before.

— What about you?

— It's fine.

— Because you came out of vacation in good shape, without extra pounds?

— My weight has become even less. But it's not just his physical condition that depends on him. There are also various muscle problems that require recovery. But in this regard, I approached the first training camp well. It wasn't easy for me, of course, but it was very hard. In fact, your psychological state decides a lot here. Yes, Andrey Viktorovich's training camp loads are heavy. But the question is, how do you feel about it? If it's like a routine, then a little effort will not be a thrill. If you are mentally determined to work and endure, you approach everything with a positive attitude, then you can transfer a lot.

— How is Baltika able to take sixth place again or even rise higher in the new season?

— Due to the coaching approach and the team in which everyone plays and works for each other.

— Does the fact that Baltika has so far lost only Vladislav Saus in the winter and Kevin Andrade this summer from the main squad of last season, despite rumors of other departures, greatly increase the chances of competing for high places?

— You've also forgotten Sergei Pryakhin. Anyway, no one knows yet how many more players we will have — it's not the end of the transfer window, it won't close until early autumn. There are rumors about all our guys. But if we keep all or almost all of them, then yes, it will add to our chances to compete for the highest places again. Although we are determined to do it anyway, regardless of possible changes in the line-up.

— Have any of the rich clubs approached you with a specific offer now or in the winter?

— I won't comment (smiles).

— Have you already looked at the calendar of the upcoming championship?

— I took a quick look. I saw that we will have matches against Zenit and CSKA in the first rounds. What can I say? Good rivals. We will prepare for them. I never divide calendars into good and bad ones. Everyone has games with everyone, so everything is on an equal footing. It will be interesting to start the season with such rivals. Let's give them a fight. Moreover, in the last championship, both CSKA and Zenit lost points at home. And we fought on equal terms on the road, we lost with a minimum score, conceding goals only at the end of matches. So anything is possible.

— Are you able to compete with the leaders for medals again in the long run?

— I can't say anything about medals. But there is no doubt that we have formed a combat-ready and strong team. Who will definitely not be fighting for the last places. Of course, I want to compete again for a place in the top five and for medals. But the game will show what we are capable of. So far it seems that we can fight for the highest places.

— Is the second season syndrome not threatening the team?

— It's hard to talk. But I think it's going to be okay. Let's see if the current line-up will be fully preserved by the fall. Although newcomers are already coming to us, who should help us and replace a player in the event of a player's departure. It will even give us new emotions.

— Are you following the current World Cup?

— Yes, I try to watch. There have been several interesting games, and there are several national teams that show attractive football. I like France. She plays very beautiful football and looks no worse than at the last two World Cups, where she reached the finals. I watched Brazil, but I wasn't very impressed with her game. For example, in the match with her, the Moroccan national team (1-1) looked even prettier. I'll also highlight Canada — it looks unexpectedly interesting and deservedly left the group.

— Do you mentally compare football at the World Cup with the Russian national team and figure out what it could have shown there if it had been admitted to the qualifying tournament and successfully passed it?

— In general, it's hard to compare. But if you take the game… Not so long ago, Russia played a friendly match with Egypt (0:1), which is now showing itself well at the World Cup and got out of the group. If our team had entered the tournament and gained some experience playing against rivals like Egypt before that, they could have made it to the playoffs and reached a certain stage there. This is subject to 1-2 years of practice of matches with opponents of this level.

"We strive to become a top club too"

Ravil Izmailov, CEO of FC Baltika, spoke about his readiness to compete with the leaders, the upcoming RPL season and the results of the last one

— Since spring, Zarya from your native Lugansk has been playing in the second league of the Russian championship for the first time. Are you following her performance?

- of course. And even during the holidays I was at their game.

— How is the atmosphere there?

— The stands are not quite full. After all, the team does not play home matches in Lugansk, but in the Rostov region, in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky. On one side of the stadium, where the sun doesn't shine, there are full stands. And on the other hand, where there is a little bit of sun, there is no longer a full house at the moment. But people go to the matches, it's clear that the team has good support.

— How do you like the game? Has the team already got used to the level of the FNL-2 division B?

— Well, there are a lot of football players at Zara who have already played at this level before. As far as I know, the team is being rebuilt there, and the head coach has recently been changed. I hope they will appoint an ambitious specialist who will make the guys play beautiful football (three days after the interview, Zarya appointed Alexander Maslov, a famous former Rostselmash football player who worked as an assistant coach at Rostov for a long time, as the head coach. — Ed.).

— Sevastopol and Shakhtar Donetsk, the debutant of the tournament, are currently in the lead in this group of Division B. Do you think that Zarya will soon be fighting for promotion?

- yes. I think in the near future, in a year or two, Zarya will become a combat-ready team.

— How much excitement is there in Lugansk itself from the team's debut in the Russian championship?

— He is very noticeable. I spent almost the entire vacation in Lugansk and I see how buses take fans to the Rostov region for almost every game. And the buses are always packed to capacity. I think if matches were held in Lugansk, the number of people who go to football would be much higher.