The head coach of Lokomotiv Kuban PBC gave an interview to the main railway media outlet of Russia, the Gudok (Steam Whistle) newspaper.
- In Turkey, Loko played 7 games in two weeks, winning 4. What can you say about these results?
- Of course, it's always better to win than to lose. So, we went into every game with the motivation to win, even though it was preseason training. But since these aren't official games yet, the result was secondary anyway.
- Did you have time to train properly in such a busy schedule?
- We played exactly as many games as we wanted. Perhaps our training suffered a little, as it's not easy to train when you only have one day between games. Also, we didn't always have a full squad, and a number of players got injuries. So, in terms of training, we were a bit limited. We tried to get into shape through games. Sometimes it worked better, sometimes less.
- What game was the best for Loko in Turkey?
- I can't point out any one game in this regard. But there was the one against Galatasaray (96:103), which we played with very little commitment. That game was probably the worst of the entire preseason.
- How did the new players integrate into the team and the game plan?
- For me, everyone at Lokomotiv is new right now. As well as I'm new to everyone, too — both those who were there before and those who joined in the summer. We got to know each other at these training camp. Now I've more or less figured everything out; I can see who I can use and where. I hope the players also understand what I want from them. I did not notice any difficulties in understanding each other.
- Can we say that the team is fully prepared for the new season of the VTB United League?
- No, it would be presumptuous to say we're fully prepared. We still have room for improvement, and there are areas where we need to improve both offensively and defensively. Everything is still ahead.
- There are 7 league games to play in a month. Will it be okay for the team?
- I think 7 games a month is a normal schedule. Especially since the airport in Krasnodar has reopened, and travel conditions for the team should be much better than they've been in the last few years. I' have seasons where we played even more games a month. So 7 is good.
- In your opinion, should we expect surprises from Loko's main competitors – CSKA, Zenit, UNICS, or others?
- I think you can expect surprises from any team. Looking at the rosters, many have much stronger players than last season. For sure, the favorites will be the same, but some other teams are also entering the season with good-packed, high-quality rosters.
- How much are you worried about the start of the season?
- Not at all. To be honest, I'm not even thinking about the start of the season yet. We have a lot to fix and improve, and right now, all my thoughts are on that, not on the upcoming first game. Although we've already started watching Uralmash a bit. Now we'll return to Krasnodar and focus on the game against them. But I'm not nervous at all.
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