The Russian football team will play a friendly match against Qatar on September 12. Monaco midfielder Alexander Golovin, who was absent from the national team for about two years, will take part in this match. On September 8, after an open training session with the national team, the footballer spoke to journalists, talked about his emotions about his return, shared his expectations from the match with the hosts of the 2022 World Cup and also assessed Monaco’s chances of winning. . this year’s French championship.
— What is your most vivid impression upon returning to the national team?
— The most surprising thing is that I haven’t been here for a long time, that I returned and saw all the friends with whom I communicate well, for example, with the CSKA guys. I am very happy to see you all, to be back in Russia, I have not been here for a long time.
— Have you managed to meet new names in the selection that you don’t know?
—There are many young people, we live in different buildings, we haven’t even seen each other much. I didn’t see those who played against Egypt, only the first day, we even trained at different times. There wasn’t even much time for this. Of the main group, I only didn’t know a couple of people personally, but they were all acquaintances.
Photo source: Mikhail ShapaevRFS
— Has the level of the selection changed while you were not in it?
– Hard to say. Everything is the same, more or less, at a good level, I think there are no particular differences.
—Was it difficult to adapt to European football in such a short time?
— In principle, this is normal practice when you come to the national team and have little time to prepare. Of course, there is a small difference in the level of football, I would even say in speed, in decision-making. As for me, I don’t see any significant differences, there are no problems preparing for the game in 3-4 days, it’s enough.
We came to Egypt for a walk. The Russian team barely walked during half of the game
— What is your idea of the Qatar team?
— I don’t remember very well what level of play they had in the World Cup, I repeat, they didn’t do very well there, they didn’t win a single game. Today we analyze the theory, a mediocre but very strong team, the players try to play football from below. At the moment he is a very good and strong rival.
— Now you are the most star player on the team. Do you feel something? Maybe young people will approach you and ask for advice? Are the guys from the main team asking to show something?
— To be honest, they don’t really ask for advice. Sometimes they simply ask what to do with this or that. They ask about the coach, how the situation is in the team, how football is going abroad. That is, those questions. There were no tips as such.
Photo source: Mikhail ShapaevRFS
— Another question about advice. Daler Kuzyaev moved to France. Did he consult with you before moving?
— You didn’t consult before moving. When Daler arrived, he simply asked me about the championship, about the teams. I asked about the clubs they played with, what their style of play was, to understand some points. We texted and congratulated him on getting off to a good start. Well done. That is all for now.
—Did you meet him in France?
— No, in France we are quite far from each other. We are 50 minutes away by plane. But if we take the regions of France, then it is very far away. I think if we have some weekends, he will fly in, he said he wants to.
—They said different things about why you don’t come to the national team. There were bad rumors that you had injuries, but there weren’t any. Did you feel any resistance from the club for you to fly to Russia at a time when the team does not participate in official matches?
“We contacted the team doctors and sent them photographs. Trauma was trauma.
— How did the fact that you travel at a time when there were no official matches feel at the club?
— It’s normal, there are no problems. All is calm. It doesn’t matter if they are official matches or not.
— What is your main interest now in playing for the Russian national team? We do not play official matches, we do not have the strongest opponents. What motivates you to play for the national team?
— Yes, since I was little I dreamed of playing for the national team. Everyone still wants to play for the national team. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. Even now, when we don’t have the best opponents, we want to play and win. It hasn’t disappeared.
Photo source: RIA Novosti
—How successful have you been following Russian football from France? Did you know that Dziuba and his former CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky became comedians?
– I am aware of this. So, I probably only watch important matches when CSKA – Spartak, Spartak – Zenit, Lokomotiv, Krasnodar play there. The only so-so is when these teams play each other, I watch it, but again, when there’s time, because we have games at the same time. Of course, there are highlights somewhere, I even watch them more often, because you can watch them at any time. But I wouldn’t say I follow the Russian Premier League very closely at the moment.
—How did you react to the fact that Dzyuba and his former coach became comedians? Did she observe?
— I don’t know, I saw episodes with them in different programs, I was interested. Nothing. Of course, there was no surprise.
Lokomotiv is the base of the team. But Dzyuba still has no place there.
—How do you see your prospects? You’ll be 28 next year. We are happy for you, you are playing for one of the strongest teams in France. But you won all the titles in Russia. In France, his main achievement was the cup final, lost to PSG.
— It’s clear that titles are always cool, that’s what we play for. But of course, I want to win. At the moment, as you said, I think yes, this is the most important achievement, unfortunately I would say. But we will keep trying, we will keep working and we will keep winning. I think this season we have a better chance, if we take all my past seasons in general.
— Why exactly this season?
— It seems that we now have the strongest Monaco team in how many seasons I have been in, of all time. The strongest team of the moment.
— In spring, even before the renewal of your contract with Monaco, it became known that Borussia and other big clubs were interested in you. Are you thinking about continuing your career in other foreign clubs or are you more focused on Monaco? And what do you know about Borussia’s offer?
—There was interest, but there was no concrete proposal. Therefore, at the moment I am happy in Monaco, that is, I do not think that now I urgently need to go somewhere or that I am sitting waiting for an offer. I’m happy where I am. Everything suits me.
— Do I understand correctly that your motivation now to stay in Monaco is the level of the team, PSG has weakened a little and you want to win the title in Monaco?
— Motivation is probably not just that. It’s clear that we now have, I think, the best chance of all time to win the championship. Every year you play with the mentality of winning. Not just to take third or second place. Every time you want to win. Otherwise, it seems to me that you will not be able to play well if you think about second and third place. So, I think you’re more or less right.
Photo source: League 1
— You have already said how the club feels about your call to the national team. Has the attitude at the club and in Europe in general changed, taking into account that you play international matches? Especially considering that this is his first visit to the national team after the start of the SVO.
– Not precisely. For me personally nothing has changed. It didn’t affect me at all.
— You said you feel like a leader. Is there already information about whether he will be the captain of the match against Qatar?
– Not yet. There is no information, we don’t even communicate closely.
— Are you ready to go out with the captain’s armband?
– Yes, I’m ready.
—You have been playing for a long time and successfully for Monaco. Zajaryan and Kuzyaev are already gone. Can we say that the demand for Russians has increased now in Europe? What is the reason for this if my point of view is correct?
— I can’t say that it has really increased. We have very few footballers playing. I think we need more players to play, then it will be possible to say. At the moment there are very few of us, so there is no demand as such for Russian players.
— Let’s imagine this situation: Monaco’s management called you, let’s say in winter, and said: “Sasha, we have to strengthen ourselves a little more. Can you recommend any interesting Russians in the Russian Championship who can strengthen us?” Whose names will you name?
– Hard to say. Of course I would recommend as much as possible. And then, Fedya Chalova. It has looked very good at least for the last year and a half. I think she would highlight it.
