"There are no teams in the first league that can go into a crazy gap"

Last week, the last representative of the lower leagues, Arsenal Tula, flew out of the Russian Football Cup, losing to Lokomotiv Moscow (1:2). Now only the representatives of the RPL remain in this tournament. And Tula will have to play 12 more matches in the current Russian championship among the teams of the first league. So far, Dmitry Gunko's team is in 10th place, seven points behind the fourth with one game left. If they manage to get on this line, the club will get the right to participate in transitional matches for getting into the Premier League.

In winter, Arsenal was reinforced by midfielder Ayaz Guliyev, known for his performances for Spartak Moscow, Rostov and Khimki. He has been playing for Sabah Azerbaijan for the last two and a half years. In an interview with Izvestia, the 29-year-old football player spoke about the specifics of the first league and the chances of competing for entry into the RPL.

— How would you rate the cup game against Loko?

— In general, we played well. Lokomotiv was good, but I think we didn't lose to them in the game. We lost because of the optional standards at our own gates. We conceded two goals from the standards — it was very difficult to win back from 0:2.

— Did Lokomotiv give the impression of a team that can compete for the RPL championship this spring?

— It can, of course. A very good team, balanced. She has a chance.

— You played a lot in the RPL against Lokomotiv when Dmitry Barinov was its leader. After his winter departure from CSKA, did you feel that the railwaymen had somehow changed dramatically?

— If only in the selection, because Dmitry is a pretty tough player. Maybe the Loko has changed in this component. And so, in general, it plays plus or minus similar to the team I played against before. The changes are small so far.

— Was Arsenal morally damaged by the fact that the RFU considered the field in Tula unsuitable for the game, and the cup meeting with Loko had to be postponed to Khimki?

—Not really. How can this be mentally debilitating? Yes, it was unpleasant, but we understand the reasons. It's not just like that. Weather conditions — there's nothing you can do about it. There were no other options. The RFU made this decision, and that's it. We prepared as best we could.

"I have a provocative style"

Maxim Shnaptsev, football player of Pari Nizhny Novgorod, talks about fouls on himself, defeat in the first spring match and the struggle for survival in the RPL

— After the relegation from the Russian Cup, how do you adjust to the spring part of the season in the first league, where you are still in the middle of the table? Or do you believe that you can win back the seven points you are behind in the transition zone?

— Of course we do. The first league has a fairly tight table. There are no supernatural teams that could take a crazy lead. We need to gain confidence, win two or three victories, and the picture in the table will be completely different.

— This is the first time in your career that you are playing in the first league of the Russian Football Championship. What is its specificity?

— I've only played one game against KAMAZ so far. I can say that more fighting is definitely the way to go. More running around. And there's more football in the RPL. But I can only say this from one match so far.

— Do you expect to return to the RPL?

— It's too early to talk about it.

— Have you had any recent employment options at the RPL club?

— The Tula option appeared quickly enough in winter. And there just wasn't even time to talk specifically about anything else. There were some other moments, but not in Russia anymore. But everything is at the level of preliminary conversations, so I can't even tell you something interesting here.