Russian national team manager Stanislav Cherchesov answered questions from journalists at a press conference that took place at Balchug Kempinsky hotel in Moscow on Thursday 8th of June.
– How would you estimate our squad’s readiness to the match against Chile?
– We have full information on the most recent test match against Hungary because players were equipped with meters. And I have to say that a lot of energy was expended. We now anticipate a higher-level match and we must get clear information on readiness of each player. The squad is in a satisfactory condition. But our players did not play any matches for two weeks before that so there are certain peculiarities about our preparation.
– What can you say about Dzhikia and Kombarov, who both suffered minor injuries? Do any other players suffer from health issues?
– We will check players’ condition today. Kombarov has fully recovered but we decided to avoid the risk because a minor injury can get aggravated. Our objective is to have the squad in its best condition by the 17th, with no unrecovered players. We have 20 field players and 3 goalkeepers. Due to high energy losses, you cannot play big tournaments with 11 players. Everybody must be ready and we do our best to make sure that everybody has playing time.
– Could you please provide information about further schedule of preparations to the Confederations Cup 2017?
– We will have one day of rest when players will be able to spend time with their families, after quite a long time. We will then meet again, stay here for a couple of days and then move to Lotto Hotel where the team is scheduled to stay according to the official agenda. We are travelling to St Petersburg on the 15th of June.
– Do you already have a scheme that you will be using during the opening match of the Confederations Cup? And are you going to change it during the tournament?
– We have a match tomorrow. We examine the opponent team and know their strengths and weaknesses. That is what our scheme is going to be based on. Any team that is set to win something must have certain schemes but you are also forced to make changes due to cards and injuries. So we better have several options on hand.
– Would you agree that tomorrow’s match is going to be the most difficult during your entire time as Russian team manager? Russia is going to face a number four team in FIFA ranking tomorrow?
– Well, Belgium has also been sufficiently strong. And all other teams we played against were fine as well. Belgium and Chile, certainly, stand out of this list. It is on purpose that we choose opponents of different type. And when it comes to Chile, bad teams cannot win such tournaments as Copa America.
– Is it of any important that Chile is also participating in the Confederations Cup and can face Russia during the play-off stage? Will you try to keep your best cards in hiding for now?
– It is more important that we have best cards to hide. Chile plays in a different group and I believe that similar to our own team, they must be reaching their best shape by now.
