Panov about Stankovic in Spartak: “I believed in him in September. It wasn’t easy for him to get everything right.”

Ex-footballer of Zenit and Dynamo, fan of Spartak Alexander Panov, in an interview with Match TV, said that he believed in the success of the red-and-white coach Dejan Stankovic back in September, when the team failed to win three RPL matches contract.

Under the leadership of the Serbian, the Spartak specialist scored 37 points in 18 matches and ranks third in the RPL table. The team won six matches in a row in the Russian Championship before the winter break.

— In September, did you believe in Stankovic?

– Certainly. This is the coach Spartak needed. It was not easy to set everything up in the summer, he had 25 people, but he had to choose 11 for the starting lineup. Of course, he made mistakes somewhere, somewhere he trusted players in whom he was ultimately disappointed. This is normal, this is the coach’s job. For the first season everything is fine.

— In terms of the quality of play, is Spartak the main contender for the championship?

– One of the main ones. Let’s not forget about Zenit, Krasnodar and other teams. Yes, Zenit is now in decline, but it still remains the reigning champion. The second round will decide everything. Zenit will have an advantage in it. They can produce a winning streak that no one else can do. We remember that last season everything was decided in the last round. If Spartak plays just as confidently against the leaders and doesn’t lose points, then anything is possible.

“Spartak stumbled in the match against Orenburg, for which this is the only victory so far. You can’t lose points with such opponents. Then everything will be fine,” Panov told Match TV.

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• “I believed in Stankovic in September. Everything is good for the first season.” Interview with Alexander Panov