"It's not about records, it's about wanting to help the club."

The Russian Football Championship among the RPL teams started on July 24. A day later, the winner of the last draw, Zenit St. Petersburg, who won seven of the eight previous championships, will play his first match. Sergey Semak's team will face Akron Togliatti. A week earlier, they started the season with a victory in the Russian Super Cup, where they defeated Spartak Moscow (1:1 in regular time, 4:2 on penalties).

Zenit's last seven league titles came while playing for the team of Alexander Erokhin, who signed a new one-year contract with the club in the offseason. In an interview with Izvestia, he shared his opinion about winning the Super Bowl, talked about his motivation to continue his career and assessed the chances of Russian teams returning to the international stage.

— How did the Super Bowl match look from the outside?

— A challenging game. And the ending too. Emotions were running high. But we probably played better in the second half — we started to have chances, shots at the opponent's goal. And the first half was not our best performance. But after the break, we improved and were able to reduce it to a draw at the end of the game. And Denis Adamov should be praised for the penalty shootout — he did well, he pulled off two Spartak shots.

— Was it a clever plan to lose to Spartak until the very end so that he would replace the goalkeeper, as he did at the end of the two spring cup matches against you and Krasnodar? Then, with a draw, the red and white released Ilya Pomazun instead of Alexander Maksimenko for a penalty shootout and won both times. This time Spartak left Maksimenko in the goal and lost to you.

— There was no such plan, of course. (He smiles.) We understood how they could play in the first half like they did in the second. Based on this, the coaching staff made a game plan. Of course, we wanted to win in regular time, but it just so happened that we were losing. It's good that we reduced the meeting to a draw and won on penalties.

— Do you have an understanding of why Alexander Sobolev successfully scored a penalty at the end of the game and saved you from defeat, while the Spartak stands were whistling? Where did he get such self-control from?

— You should ask him how he feels about this. But in general, I need to say thank you for this match, first of all, to the fans of both teams. They created a festive atmosphere in Nizhny Novgorod, both in the city and at the stadium. I think the Super Bowl was a real celebration of football — there were great emotions, huge support from both sides. It is very pleasant to play in such an atmosphere — there is real excitement.

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— Are you satisfied with the team's readiness for the start of the championship?

— The pre-season training camp has only recently ended. Only the last week before the Super Bowl, we worked in a one-time mode. I think with every match, the physical work that we have done in the summer will bear fruit. There will be freshness, and we will gradually add more. The main thing is to start the championship well, so now the focus is on the first round match against Akron.

— You will turn 37 in October, but in the off-season you extended your contract with Zenit for another year. Were there any doubts about whether to continue your career? Or did you realize from the very beginning that there were no problems with motivation?

— I said at the end of last season that there is no doubt, but there is motivation. And nothing had changed before the signing of the new contract. As it is now, everything is the same. The most important thing is that we have come to a common denominator with the club. For my part, I always try to be professional and keep myself in shape to help the team.

— In May, you won the Russian Championship for the seventh time. Dmitry Ananko holds the record for this indicator, who won gold nine times with Spartak. Are you looking at the prospect of repeating or surpassing his achievement?

— It's not about records, but about the desire to help Zenit and please our fans. Therefore, now I just have another season ahead of me, in which I need to make every effort to achieve the championship. Because at our club we have never had another task, either in the Cup or in the championship, only to win. It's going to be a long season, and the opponents will be even more eager and eager to beat us. This can already be seen from Spartak in the match with us for the Super Cup. I'm sure the same thing will happen with other clubs from the top of the table. It won't be easy, but we will do everything for success.

— Mikhail Kerzhakov, who finished his playing career in May, is already working as the goalkeeper coach for Zenit's main team. Have you discussed with the club what you will do when you stop playing?

— It is worth talking about any specific steps only when the moment comes. In general terms, there is an understanding that I want to end my career as a Zenit player and continue to work for the benefit of the club. In what status, let's see. I don't like to think ahead, so now all my thoughts are about getting to the championship in good condition. There have been different situations in the club and the team — everyone needs help at any moment, and we must be prepared for this.

— Have you already completed the relevant training?

— I trained as a manager. Let's see, maybe I'll study to become a coach. It's just that it's not compatible with the training process.

— How do you like Zenit's newcomers Kevin Andrade and Felipe Augusto?

— These are high-quality players. Andrade has already adapted to the Russian championship, he spent a good period at Baltika. And Augusto still has to adapt, but he is slowly joining the team. So far, he has played quite a bit — half-time in friendly matches with Neftchi and Makhachkala Dynamo, and half an hour in a friendly match with Red Star and in the Super Cup with Spartak. But I'm sure he'll get in shape gradually. In general, since Zenit has a lot of Brazilians, it will be easier for the guys, because they communicate with a significant part of the players in the same language. This will shorten their adaptation.

— Douglas Santos and Luis Enrique did not play in the Super Cup, they had a late vacation due to their participation in the World Cup with the Brazilian national team. How do you like their performance at the tournament?

— Douglas was generally a first-team player. I think this is one of the discoveries of the Brazilian national team at the World Cup. He didn't play well offensively, but he played well defensively. Luis Enrique came on as a substitute, but he spent his playing time well. Probably, the national team's coaching staff has their own view on them, but as a spectator, I liked how they showed themselves. It is clear that both wanted to achieve more with their team. But many teams that were considered favorites also dropped out of the World Cup earlier than expected.

— In early July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) temporarily lifted restrictions on the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), and there were insiders in the Western media that FIFA would discuss the dismantling of Russian football. Do you have any hope that you can still play in European competitions?

— You can keep an eye on this, but it will be appropriate to talk about something only when a specific solution appears. While some conversations have been going on and off for a long time. It's great that the Olympians were allowed in, but as for football, I think the situation is a little more complicated.