"Everything that people say and write is just talk"

The players of the Moscow Lokomotiv started winter training this week, during which they will prepare for the second part of the season, which will resume at the end of February. On January 12, they underwent a traditional medical check-up in Moscow, which was attended by Dmitry Barinov, the long-time captain of the team, who joined CSKA the next day after several months of negotiations with Loko on a new contract (the current one expired in the summer of 2026), accompanied by a series of scandals in the form of statements by the player's agents to the previous CEO of the club, Vladimir Leonchenko..

Boris Rotenberg, who replaced him in November, tried to save the situation, but, according to representatives of the football player, even before his appointment, he gave his word to CSKA that he would join their ranks. In an interview with Izvestia, railroad defender Egor Pogostnov answered how Barinov's departure would affect the team, told how he spent his vacation and what he expects from the upcoming winter training camps, and also explained how he could regain his place in the main squad, which he lost in the fall after two victorious matches in the Russian championship.

— How did you spend your vacation?

— I had a great time. I rested and gained strength. I was with my family, first with my parents, then with my wife I had a rest in Turkey and the Maldives.

— How much did you keep fit during your vacation?

— I rested for the first 10 days, and then I trained. So the form is preserved, because there are workouts on vacation.

— During the medical examination, did you discuss with Dmitry Barinov the situation with his departure to CSKA?

— I was the last to arrive for a medical check-up and did not communicate with Dima.

— What emotions did you feel from the whole story that lasted since the fall with his negotiations with Loko on a new contract and leaving for CSKA?

— I don't feel any emotions. Everything that people say and write is just talk. I can't say anything about Bara's situation because I don't know all the circumstances.

— Will Barinov's departure have a big impact on the team?

— The departure of any player from the team is a loss that affects the game and requires some kind of restructuring. That's why any football player is important.

— Will it make the spring part of the season much more difficult for Loko if Dmitry left for a competitor in the winter, and not in the summer, at the end of his contract?

— I don't like to imagine and make up my mind about something. We live for today. And if that's the case, then so be it.

"At Spartak, Karpin started demanding to play with his feet after Emery"

Krylia Sovetov goalkeeper Sergey Pesyakov talks about the style of the head coach of the Russian national team, his failure at Dynamo, the results of the Samara club in the RPL and Safonov's four penalties for PSG.

— What are the current tasks for winter training?

— The task is to get in physical shape, work out the game bundles, return everything that we had in the fall, and remember all the combinations. If all this works out, then we have a good chance in the spring.

— At the beginning of autumn, you became a starting player for Loko for four league matches, but after a 5-3 victory over Dynamo Moscow, you lost your place at the base. What should I do to get back to basics in the spring?

— Prove your level in every training session. There is always competition. First I played, then I lost the competition, and now there are other guys on the field. There is nothing to do — you have to prove anew that you deserve to be at the base. There are training camps for this, there are trainings — you need to prove yourself during this time and prove to the coaching staff that you are better.