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MUTKO: TO SET OFF A BACKWARD STEP WITH TWO STEPS FORWARD
The Russian Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth
Policy Vitaliy Mutko recently resigning from the post of the Russian Football
Union chief, commented on the latest match of the Russian national team
against Slovenia.
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Vitaliy Mutko (L) and Roman Abramovich in
Slovenia Photo SPORT EXPRESS
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"Football is a tricky business, "said Vitaliy
Mutko. "Where everything depends on details."
"In Maribor we had a bad first half. I liked the actions of the ten-manned
team more. Of course we had many questions to the referee especially in
the episode with Kerzhakov's sending off who did not hit the goalkeeper
but was struck in response."
"At the same time we also lacked luck. It turned out that for example
Bystrov who could terrorize any team a month ago was at the decline at
the moment."
"And Arshavin despite all his effort is far down from his normal
state. It is pointless to explain that the play of our team with Arshavin
in his optimal conditions and without him differs a lot."
"Sometimes a rebound can determine the result. Had the ball rebounded
20 cm to the left in the Moscow fixture we would have celebrated now.
But it bounced exactly to the place where was the only Slovenian about."
"At the moment we are all very much disappointed but we should not
forget that this team has achieved a lot in the last two years and we
cannot abandon this positive experience in any case."
"Moreover we have no other national team. Someone will leave, someone
will come but the national squad is the same."
"We should criticize it but we should not humiliate it or level it
with the ground. Or we have such specialist in this sphere who regard
the loss of Tatyana Lebedeva at the Olympics by only one centimeter as
a failure."
"I said for many times that the main task of the Russian team at
this stage is not winning of Euro and World Cups but solve the problem
of not going there. This problem should cease to be a psychological barrier
for us."
"Our work does not stop after the loss to Slovenia. Of course we
did not want to miss out on the World Cup but the life goes on and next
autumn a new cycle will start."
"What happened is not a catastrophe but we should carry our lessons
of it - both strategic and personnel. We did a step backwards and now
we must do two forwards."
"Slovenians were superior in motivation and of course the referee
helped them a lot sending off Kerzhakov. Though I do not want to win the
way they won - they did not stick to the fair play rules: held back the
ball, threw a knife onto the field and somersaulted as bad actors. How
was it possible not to return the out ball to Zhirkov but deliberately
throw it behind the back."
"But in any case we must have scored at least one goal. Unfortunately
we failed to and most interesting is that we had chances at the end when
we were shorthand. If we had played the same way from the start we would
not have lost."
"We wanted to win due to our class but did not learn to do it. We
have spent the whole cycle well and in the play-offs we stumbled."
"But our future I see as good. Guus is on the right place and should
continue his work. Of course he is to decide this but I hope he will decide
to stay."
Sport
Express Daily, 20 Nov 2009
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