First words: Sergey Tkachev
— Sergey, how're you feeling? We know you had a small injury.
— At the first camp I worked individually and only recently I've started to train with the main group. It's very hard. It's one thing to train on your own and another when you are involved in the main group with such partners. Training is very intensive, but I'm getting used to it. I missed a lot due to injury, so I hope to quickly gain top conditions.
— Are you happy that you're finally working with the ball?
— I'm really happy that I've joined the main group. It was tough to work separately in the first camp and just watch the guys training from the side. I'm overwhelmed now, I'm happy to train every day.
— Did you know personally any of the players before you joined the team?
— Strangely enough, I didn't know anyone personally, even though I've played in Russia for so long. They gave me a warm welcome.
— According to the media, prior to signing with PFC CSKA you nearly agreed to join one of the German clubs. Is that true?
— Yes. We discussed it with my family. There was a real possibility to move to Germany. There's no sense to mention the club now. I had my doubts, but after Leonid Slutskiy gave me a call and told me that he's interested in signing me, I decided to stay in Russia.
— You won bronze medals in both Russia and Ukraine, but PFC CSKA has higher goals. Are you ready to comply?
— Sure! The most important right now is to work hard in the training camp and avoid injuries. Any player knows that PFC CSKA always fights for the top honours. I realized which club I was going to join. I'll do my best to help the team achieve its goals.
— Which position do you prefer to play?
— I recently spoke to Slutskiy and he told me that he'll try me at the left back. The competition within the team is very high, but that motivates to work even harder and demostrate all your qualities. It's normal. I wasn't going to come and tell to put me straight in the starting lineup. It's important to gain good physical conditions first. When coach will give me a chance, I'll be 200 percent ready to grab it with both hands. I'll do my best to switch from the offence to the defence. At least I'll gain some new experience in this position!
— You scored two amazing goals in the Kuban shirt against Krasnodar and Lokomotiv. How many goals do you expect to score for PFC CSKA, even though it's going to be harder now as you're going to play in defence?
— For any player after joining the new team the first goal, even in the friendly game, is very important to gain confidence. In my new position I'll shoot more and try to score from long range.