Sochi head coach Kurban Berdyev criticized defender Artem Meshchaninov, who received a red card in the Winline match of the RPL Winter Cup with Krasnodar.
On Friday, the Bulls defeated Sochi 1-0, with Caio scoring the goal in the 23rd minute. In the 81st minute, Meshchaninov was sent off for hitting the leg of Krasnodar player Kady Borges.
– Before the game, he said that it was important for us to determine the defensive functions in different phases, and there are problems here. We haven’t played the attack yet, but there were good episodes when we rebuilt and played well. There is satisfaction from the game in general, even with ten men we played well, but the attacking actions leave much to be desired, especially in the first half. There is something to work on.
There is a background of fatigue, the guys play under load. The first line-up could not move through, but this is a planned work. The next game will be other guys will work in the same mode.
Removing Meshchaninov? You can’t play like that, there was a counterattack, but we were closer to the goal, we moved well. Tactically, the foul should have been, but not like that.
Krasnodar (Vladimir) Ivic is a nice team, knows what to do, skilled players. There is enough time to play the composition. I think there will be a powerful team, I liked it,” Berdyev told Match TV.
At a press conference, Berdyev, commenting on the words of midfielder Artur Yusupov that Sochi is able to compete for a place in the top five in the RPL, said: “I like this attitude, it’s good that the guys have it like that. I see it both in training and in attitude. I won’t talk about a specific place in the table, but it’s good that the players have such a desire.”
Krasnodar head coach Vladimir Ivic noted the dedication of the players in the match against Sochi.
“It was an interesting game from start to finish. We had segments for the current period of preparation when we showed a good pace. In the first half, we had chances, possession of the ball, we made preparations in attack, which we trained. I liked the game, good dedication from my players from the starting whistle to the end of the match,” said the Serbian specialist.
Sochi in the second round of the RPL Winter Cup, held in Abu Dhabi, will play with Rostov, Krasnodar with Spartak. The meetings will be held on February 6 and will begin at 17:00 and 20:00 Moscow time, respectively. Watch live broadcasts of all games with comments by Konstantin Genich and Dmitry Shnyakin on Match TV and MATCH PREMIER channels, as well as on matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites.
