"I am pleased to be in the role of an unemployed person"

Russian football legend Yuri Zhirkov made his coaching debut in the second half of last season, joining the Dynamo headquarters. However, the UEFA Cup winner, five-time Russian champion and Euro 2008 bronze medalist did not manage to stay in the blue and white camp for a long time. Now Zhirkov remains without a club and, according to him, is in no hurry to look for a new job. Yuri spoke about his coaching experience, his departure from Dynamo and future plans in an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express.

"It was very flattering that Gusev invited me"

— Yuri Valentinovich, two months ago you left the coaching staff of Dynamo. How do you assess the period of your work?

— When I was first invited, there was a huge responsibility. Of course, it was difficult for the top club of Russia right away. After two weeks, he was already involved, and he left the club with some bitterness.

— How do you like working with Rolan Gusev? What did you learn from it?

— From the very first day of my work, I carefully watched everything, delved into all the processes. How Gusev, Roman Sharonov, Alexey Radevich (former Dynamo video analyst. — Ed.). I watched and learned. Sometimes they gave me tasks that I tried to do.

It's hard to single out anything specific, but overall, I've learned a lot in a short period of time. I was amazed by Gusev's work inside the headquarters. I like the way he schedules tasks, from physical training to everything else. I used to think that everything was different.

— Do you have any plans for the future?

— As Arshavin said when we were at the melon patch: "Zhirkov is unemployed!" (laughs).

— Is it interesting to move on with your coaching career? Perhaps you want to become a head coach?

— You still need to study a lot for this. It's not part of my plans yet.

— And if they call you back to some club as an assistant coach?

— I'll think about it.

— What will make the decision depend on?

— It will depend on many factors. I have a family, a small child. And so far, I am pleased to be in the role of an unemployed person. It was very flattering that Gusev invited me. Then he told me to move on.

— Did he come to you with an offer to work with him?

- yes. We are also in communication now.

— Were there any offers for Gusev to become a coach of any team?

— He said that there was an offer from Ural. There hasn't been anything else like that yet.

Replacements according to tradition: the RPL clubs that failed the season began personnel restructuring

Schwartz returned to Dynamo, while CSKA and Akron have not yet decided on head coaches.

"Everyone wants to see Dynamo at the top"

— How would you rate Dynamo's start to the season?

— I think it would be incorrect for me to evaluate the start of the team. I can only say that everyone, including the fans, wants to see Dynamo at the top.

— What was the point for Dynamo to change the coach if it was possible to give Rolan Gusev more time?

— It's hard to say. Our goal was to win the Russian Cup. But in the final, the RPL lost on penalties to Krasnodar, that is, they did not complete the task. That's all.

— On the other hand, there is CSKA and Igdisamov. They trusted their young specialist.

— Whoever pays, orders the music. We need to ask the Dynamo management why they didn't do the same.

— If you had more time, would you have achieved the result?

— It would depend on many factors. If only we had some kind of reinforcement in terms of quality. The work of the whole club on transfers and with young people is important. This is a very large range of issues. It's hard to talk when you're not in the club anymore.

— How do you rate Konstantin Tyukavin's form?

— I didn't score at the start of the season, but then I opened up and scored a double for Rodina. A good striker.

— Does he have the potential to go to Europe?

— Any football player who plays in the main squad in the RPL has every chance to go there. At least be on the pencil of some European club. Many players have proved this.

— Can Dynamo compete for something this RPL season?

— There are chances. Lokomotiv has now sold out all the leaders. Ruby, too. CSKA didn't start the season very well... Some competitors are sagging, but Krasnodar and Spartak started confidently. If we talk about the Cup, then we can hope for a successful draw in the playoffs.

— What do you think about the RPL championship race?

— All the same teams will take part in the championship race. Krasnodar, Zenit, plus Spartak.

— Zenit lost to Rodina and Spartak. Don't you have a feeling that St. Petersburg might miss out on the championship this season?

— They played the match against Spartak vaguely. But I don't think Zenit will drop out of the race.

— Just after the meeting with the red and white, Diveev stated that Spartak was not even a contender for the championship.

— He is entitled to his opinion.

— Do you see Spartak as a contender?

— You can beat Zenit and then not beat Orenburg. It's too early to draw conclusions. Only Krasnodar is stable now with its series of victories.

Orenburg block: Spartak slowed down in the championship race

The red and white team could not beat the team from the middle of the table, Lokomotiv lost the second derby — the results of the 6th round of the RPL

"Sobolev can become the best scorer of the season"

— How do you like Alexander Sobolev's game and performance?

— A good striker, wins the competition from the Brazilians. He's a great player for Zenit. Sobolev may even become the top scorer of the season. The team is attacking, scoring a lot. It's all in his legs.

— How would you rate Batrakov's transfer?

— Alexey went to a good Turkish championship, there are many stars there. I think that Batrakov will prove himself there. Turkey can become a springboard for his transition to the big championships. Moreover, Galatasaray is playing in the Champions League. For the sake of this tournament, Alexey changed his club.

— Recently, there was a small fight between you and one of your rivals in the amateur league. What happened?

— It was the last minute of the meeting. I was kicked in the legs throughout the match, and quite often. It was done by the players of my former team. There was a cumulative effect. The whole match was tense, and at the end I just got kicked in the legs from behind. I couldn't stand it. And there was no fight, it was overblown.

— Then we discussed the situation?

— Immediately after the game, I apologized.

— Were you the first to arrive?

— Yes, I did it first.