"I would be very surprised by such a result at the beginning of the season"

In the 17th round of the Russian Football Championship, Spartak Moscow will play away against Baltika Kaliningrad, the main sensation of the current season. In the spring, Andrey Talalaev's team left the first league in the RPL and after more than half of the championship is in fifth place, having lost only one match. She also beat Torpedo Moscow (2-0) in the Russian Cup match this week and went through to the spring part of the Regions' Journey. In an interview with Izvestia, Ravil Izmailov, CEO of Baltika, assessed the team's results, spoke about the possible winter reinforcement of the squad and explained how the two players of the club were affected by getting into the Russian national team.

Spartak is extremely motivated right now. He will come to us very charged"

— What do you expect from the upcoming home league match against Spartak, which has improved after the change of head coach?

— I think Spartak is extremely motivated right now. He will come to us very energized. And the match will definitely be very combative on both sides.

— After defeating Torpedo in the Russian Cup, you got to the first stage of the quarterfinals of the Path of the Regions, where you will meet Zenit in early spring. How would you rate the team's chances in this tournament? Can you repeat the success of the season before last, when you reached the Superfinal?

— We will try our best. The challenge for the Cup is to win every match. And then the game and the time will show.

— If someone had told you in the summer or even in September that by the end of November you would be going into the championship with only one defeat, would you have believed it?

— I would be very surprised. That makes me happy now.

— Baltika is not the first team to make a successful start in the RPL after leaving the first league, but usually such outbursts last for the first one or two months of the season. What is your reason for the fact that your team has not lowered the bar for four months?

— With work. Good quality work — from the players, the coaching staff, all the staff, all the staff. The whole club as a whole. But first of all, the players and the coaching staff.

— At the beginning of the season, you said that the team's goal is to finish in the top ten at the end of the championship. We talked in September after Baltika's only defeat in the championship against CSKA (0:1). I asked you then if it was possible to adjust the task to higher places, including medals, and to strengthen the staff accordingly. You said that this will be discussed by the board of directors in the winter. Now that we are approaching winter, can you assess the likelihood of such decisions?

— I replied then that after the winter break, that is, after December 7, when we will play the last match of the year with Krylia Sovetov, a meeting of the board of directors and the Board of Trustees of Baltika will be held. These issues will be raised there.

— But has the probability of such an increase become higher, given that over the past two months since our previous conversation, Baltika's results have not decreased?

— I repeat, this issue will be discussed. And the team's results make it possible to raise this issue.

"There are aspects more important than football"

— In November, there were rumors that our teams might start participating in international competitions. If this comes true, then Baltika can start fighting not just for medals, but for getting into European competitions. Is this being discussed inside the club?

— We haven't discussed it. It seems to me that it is premature to discuss such issues yet.

— After the same September match against CSKA, your team's defender Alexander Filin told me in an interview: "I want to continue to achieve these results. Maybe they'll let us into the European Cup."

— Everyone has it in their dreams and desires. Of course, it motivates. I want to play and test myself not only inside the Russian championship, but also on the European platform. Everyone wants it, everyone is waiting for it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves — there are much more important issues.

— How much has your logistics become more complicated since February 2022, given that the Kaliningrad Region is the westernmost region of the country, and it is also geographically isolated from it? We know that it takes one and a half to two hours longer to fly to Sochi from Moscow than during normal times. Do you have similar problems that will be solved if all peace negotiations are successful?

— Flights to Kaliningrad have become 30-40 minutes longer than before. But, again, this is a premature question. And there are aspects of this global serious issue that are more important than football.

— Your goalkeeper Maxim Borisko visited the Russian national team in November, having played two matches in reserve. Baltika defender Mingiyan Beveev has actually played four matches for the national team in the last two months, in two of them he came out from the first minute. How did their experience affect them?

— From the point of view of their functional training, dedication and athletic form, this did not affect them in any way. They were good players, and they still are. But it affected them in terms of their emotions. They saw that their work was appreciated not only within the club, but also at the national team level.

— Andrey Talalaev recently stated in an interview with the YouTube channel "This is football, brother!" about the idyll in relations with your club and that thanks to it he is not considering the option of leaving for top teams, rumors about whose interest in him constantly arise in the media. Is there any stage when it will be possible to say that Baltika's cooperation with its current head coach has reached its peak?

— We are engaged in football, and it is difficult to determine at some stage when what you are talking about happens. Each season is different from the previous one and is fraught with new difficulties and discoveries. So I can't name such a point. Andrey Viktorovich is the head coach of the Baltika football club. As far as I know, communicating with him, we are fine.

— How long is his contract with Baltika valid?

— It is valid for the current and next seasons.