"With such a game, the army team is able to compete for the championship"

The award–winning Russian football player and coach Valery Gazzaev watched the Dynamo - CSKA match at the stadium. In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, the specialist admits that he had mixed feelings. After all, there were clubs that were not alien to him. Gazzaev played for eight years at Dynamo, coached the Blue and white for four years, and worked for seven years at CSKA.

CSKA taught Dynamo a good lesson

— What are your impressions of the Moscow derby?

— We watched the meeting of our two grandees. Only one grand is real, and the second is with a claim to something...

— Is it a natural result?

— Of course! CSKA played the first half just brilliantly! A classic game played by the Celestini team! In all components, the Army team outplayed Karpin's wards. Before the break, CSKA could have created a more comfortable advantage and scored more goals.

So in the first half, there were opponents of different levels and different classes. Now CSKA is one of the most playing teams in the league, showing very high—quality football. With such a game, the army team is able to compete for the championship. On Sunday, CSKA taught Dynamo a good lesson.

— But after the break, the picture changed. Would you agree that at some point the blue and white could have brought back the intrigue? Sergeyev had a killer moment, Skopintsev missed the corner from a favorable position.

"That's right. But here we need to take into account the psychology of the CSKA players. When you lead 3-0, you subconsciously relax a little. And Dynamo already had nothing to lose. But I can't say that Karpin's team had the second half. Not at all! The army had several one-on-one exits. And Alves could have scored, and Kruglov did not beat Leshchuk.

— Do you agree with Levnikov, who did not score a penalty against Dynamo?

— Do you mean the episode involving Makarov and Alves? In my opinion, it's 11 meters long. It seemed to me that Dynamo did not hit the ball, but the foot of the army man. Why is it not a foul? But I was outraged by something else! Why did the referee review this moment for five minutes? How long has it been! What a pause! What do you want the audience to do? Sit and wait? Unfortunately, this already speaks to the qualifications of our judges. And the leading ones. I'm not just talking about the Moscow derby.

— And about what other match?

— Akron – Orenburg. The ball hit the Orenburg player's hand twice. Karasyov was called to the monitor. And after five minutes of watching, he still didn't score a penalty! What is it? It is obvious to everyone that it is necessary to appoint an 11-meter one. But not to him. I'm unpleasantly surprised!

— Let's get back to the derby. How could a master like Bitello make such a blunder that led to Alves' goal?

— Well, what can I do. No one is immune from mistakes. Here we must pay tribute to the CSKA players, who worked well under pressure. At the same time, I would call Bitello the best Dynamo player in this derby. The Brazilian was making attacks and passing sharp passes. One day, the ball hit the crossbar after his kick. That is, he did not wilt after his mistake.

Sudden drop: how three top RPL clubs failed the start of the championship

Spartak, Zenit and Dynamo Moscow ended up in the second half of the table after five rounds.

— Are you delighted with Alves' scoring pass to Gajic?

— I think CSKA was right with this transfer. Real gain. A high-quality, highly qualified football player. In the first half, he made a one-on-one exit, then gave a pass to Gajic. However, I got a little tired — it was changed. I think there will be more to come.

— He plays at number seven, just like Carvalho in your CSKA. Don't you find something in common in their game?

— So far, we can only say that they have the same number. But no more than that.

Akinfeev is only getting younger over the years!

— Last season, you once noticed that you see in Kirill Glebov the makings of a very great master.

— First of all, I would like to say a few words about Igor Akinfeev. Another phenomenal match performed by him. He's really only getting younger over the years! Everything is clear, confident, and cool-headed. Igor starts his attacks and is impeccable on the line.

— So how do you like Glebov?

— As for Kirill, it seems to me that my predictions are gradually beginning to come true. Today he is one of the most promising young football players in our country. The guy has a very high speed, excellent technique. It has a high-quality transmission. He's fighting. Yesterday, he clearly outplayed Caceres on his flank. I think we'll see Glebov at a leading European club soon. I'm not exaggerating. And at the same time, I hope that my praise will not spoil Glebov. It is important that he himself does not stop in his development and sets a goal for himself to be in a big European team.

— Does Kislyak confirm his level in every match?

— There can be no questions about Kislyak at all. He was at his best again. But I'm just thrilled with Glebov! At the same time, it seems to me that he cannot fully unleash his potential on the flank.

"Is that so?"

— This is just my subjective opinion from the outside. I think he would be more useful as a second striker. For example, next to Musaev. I repeat, the guy has a lot of potential. Speed, individual skill, technical equipment. He's got everything!

— Can we say now that Dynamo has failed the start of the season?

— I would say this: it is clear that the game and the results clearly do not match the ambitions of such a club, the expectations and claims of the fans. Still, they expected the team to join the fight for the championship from the first round. And what do we see? 12th place. The gap from the leader is eight points. It is clear that no disaster has occurred yet. There is a very long distance ahead. But no matter how the loss of points affected the finish of the season... Nevertheless, Dynamo has all the conditions for solving high-level tasks. Budget, infrastructure, composition. But...

— When Dynamo appointed Valery Karpin as head coach, you reacted rather cautiously to the club's decision.

— I said then that if Dynamo intends to fight for the championship, then, probably, it is necessary to rely on the coach who has won trophies in his career. That's all. At the same time, if you remember, I wished Valery Karpin good luck. There are many matches ahead. Everything can still be fixed. It's just that both coaches and players need to understand clearly: with such a resource, the team has no right to be in the second part of the table. Dynamo must live up to its ambitions and history.