"Peru is a solid opponent, it was interesting to test yourself against"

The Russian national team's players are playing the last two friendly matches of the year this week. On Wednesday, Valery Karpin's team drew with Peru (1-1) in St. Petersburg, allowing the opponent to even the score at the end of the meeting. And on Saturday, the Chilean team will take part in Sochi. In an interview with Izvestia, Russian national team defender Viktor Melekhin summed up the results of the meeting, commented on the successful results of his club in the current championship, and spoke about rumors about the possible departure of its head coach (and Karpin's assistant in the national team) Jonathan Alba from Rostov.

— Apart from the result, was the quality of the Russian national team's performance in the match against Peru somehow satisfactory?

— Yes, in general, I think we looked fine. There were moments when we could have scored even more goals to calmly finish the ending. But, unfortunately, it was not possible to increase the advantage. As a result, we also got an own goal at the end of the game, missing the victory.

— What importance do you attach to the results of such friendly matches, especially when you miss the victory so much in the end?

— It is clear that we are professionals. And we want to win every game, regardless of whether it's an official match or a friendly. Of course, we're upset that we couldn't win against Peru and please the fans. We will continue to work to achieve a better result in the next match.

— Valery Karpin has once again set up a defensive line, the backbone of which is made up of former and current Rostov players. This time, you, Ilya Vakhania, Maxim Osipenko, and only Yuri Gorshkov have never been involved with your club. Does this provide advantages in terms of defensive actions?

— I think so. After all, Ilya, Max, and I have played a lot together under the guidance of Valery Georgievich, and we know each other's strengths and weaknesses. It's probably easier to play with someone you've played more matches with before. This is logical.

— On the day of the match with Peru, Sport-Express published information that Karpin could soon be fired from the post of head coach of Dynamo Moscow. Did the national team react to these rumors? Did it have any effect on Valery Georgievich himself?

— Some things, of course, come up in the media and are widely discussed. But what are we going to do here? Just to work. Our business is to play football. And we don't respond to rumors. Did the rumors affect Valeria Georgievich? I personally did not notice that this had any effect on his work in the national team.

— The other day there was information that Karpin wants to invite you and Ilya Vakhania from Rostov in the winter. What can you say about this?

— I've seen this news, but I can't say anything about it. I don't know if there is any interest in Ilya and me. Like everyone else, I only heard about it from the news. No one is negotiating with me on this topic.

— I want to discuss the rumors with you a little more. The other day, information went out that a number of players inside Dynamo had a conflict with the physical training coach from Karpin's headquarters, Luis Martinez. You spent your first pre-season with Rostov in the summer of 2021, then he joined the Russian national team with Karpin and Jonathan Alba, but did not return to the club with them in March 2022, when they were allowed to combine the two jobs. How would you describe him?

— A good professional. Yes, I only crossed paths with him at Rostov during my first training camp with the base, then Luis joined the national team, and since then we have been working there. He is a very high-quality coach and a true fanatic in his field. He forces us to fulfill all the requirements and takes care of himself, showing by his example how to prepare properly. Anyone who wants to can always approach him and ask any question if some of his requirements are unclear. Therefore, I can only say good things about him. I don't know what they're saying about him now in the context of Dynamo. I've described him to you as a person, a personality, and a professional based on what I know. We've never had any problems with him.

To beat in St. Petersburg: how Valera left Karpin without a victory

A long-range shot by a Peruvian football player brought a draw in the match with Russia

— In the summer, when its long—term leaders, Maxim Osipenko and Nikolay Komlichenko, left Rostov, would you be surprised that you would finish the first round of the Russian championship higher in the table than Dynamo Karpin and Osipenko?

— Why not? Everything happens in this life, especially in football. In any case, our goal is to win every match and be as high in the standings as possible.

— How did it succeed after the summer losses and a bad start?

— We played with the newcomers, played new combinations. We have slightly rebuilt our football, changed the scheme. They began to play more reliably, more defensively. This gave a positive result.

— Jonathan Alba changed the scheme to three central defenders back in the spring, at the end of last season.

— Yes, but we have fully mastered the tactics with five defenders (three of them are central defenders. — Izvestia) already this season. We started playing more matches in a row with one five and finally played.

— How did you react to the recent rumors that Alba's contract ends in December and may not be renewed?

"Nothing at all. As we worked before, we continue to prepare for the matches. The situation in the team is normal.

— There are rumors that Karpin wants to call him back to his headquarters, already at Dynamo. Would you be surprised if he goes to a top club as an assistant or even head coach?

— I wouldn't be surprised. Jonathan is a very good coach who knows a lot about Russian football. And he can achieve successful results.

— What do you expect from the upcoming match of the Russian national team against Chile?

— We haven't studied this opponent in detail yet, but we have time to analyze him. In any case, we are waiting for the same interesting match as against Peru. Judging by their results in recent years, the Peruvians and Chileans are about the same team level. And the national team of Peru is a very good opponent, against whom it was interesting to test yourself. There are a lot of qualified football players who can solve an episode. I think Chile is a worthy opponent too.

— Last week, Russian water polo teams were allowed to participate in international competitions, which is the first time since 2022 that our teams have been banned from playing sports. Then there were rumors that next year they would start admitting our youth and youth football teams. Is there any hope that your turn will come soon?

— I haven't seen the news, to be honest. But if this happens, then God forbid that gradually everything will return to its place.