Zenit football player Alexander Erokhin — about the fight for the RPL gold, his most unusual goal in his career and the current results of the team
Zenit St. Petersburg’s players scored a strong-willed home victory over Dynamo Moscow (2-1) in the match of the 13th round of the Russian championship at the end of last week and are now in fourth place in the table, just three points behind the leading Krasnodar. Now the blue-white-blues will have to take on the second Moscow Locomotive.
The club from the Northern Capital is trying to regain its leadership in the national championship, which it lost in the spring after six years of dominating the championship. One of the few players who are directly involved in all six of Zenit’s RPL triumphs is midfielder Alexander Erokhin. In the match against Dynamo, the 36-year-old player came on as a substitute in the end.
In an interview with The Times of Russia, he appreciated the team’s performance this season, commented on the curious goal of Lokomotiv striker Dmitry Vorobyov against CSKA and recalled his most unusual episode in his career when he played in the Moldovan championship for Sheriff Tiraspol in 2007-2010.
— A few years ago, you quite regularly performed effective actions (scored or made an assist), coming on as a substitute at the end of meetings. Why didn’t you succeed in the match against Dynamo? Two minutes is not enough?
— No, actually (smiles). I try to use as much playing time as the coaching staff gives me. I work in training so that I am always ready to enter the field at any moment. But in the match against Dynamo, the substitutions in the end were more tactical in nature. Therefore, the exits to the field, first of Strahini Erakovich, and then of me, occurred one after the other, and not together at the same time. Here it was necessary to calm down the game a bit. And it helped — the most important thing is that the team won, brought the match to a winning score and can continue to pursue those clubs that are currently above us in the standings.
— Does such a strong-willed victory show that Zenit has regained its form after a difficult start to the season?
— Naturally, we are doing better now than in the first rounds. Unfortunately, we’ve already lost points several times this season where we shouldn’t have. Therefore, in order to be in the championship race, it is necessary to win, including in such matches with direct competitors. Dynamo, although it is not currently in the highest position, is still one of the participants in the struggle for high positions. So the match with him was very important. Moreover, there are not many games left in the championship before the winter break. And every point, every victory is worth a lot.
— Are you more confident about the future now, considering that you are only three points away from first place?
— The failures that we had at the beginning of the season are already over. We are in the place where we deserve to be right now. We need to move forward, improve our game and play good football. Then the results will be appropriate. We will work in this direction and continue to prepare. Our next match is no less important. We have to play against a very high-quality opponent.
— How is this opponent in the face of Lokomotiv dangerous?
— This is a strong team. She has a lot of high-quality performers, but at the same time she is a strong team. So, as for the match against Dynamo, we will prepare for the game against Lokomotiv with the same thoughts that we need to show all our will, character, and fight for every ball. Support each other and try to win. I am sure the coaching staff will sort out the opponent and explain what to build on in this match, what strengths Lokomotiv has and how we should beat them.
— Did you see the goal of Lokomotiv against CSKA (3-0) two rounds ago, when Dmitry Vorobyov from the corner flag made an overhang into the penalty area of the Army team, and the ball spun so hard into the goal that goalkeeper Vladislav Torop did not react to it? Is this the most unusual goal you’ve ever seen?
— It’s a good goal. Although there probably aren’t any bad goals. They are all important. Nevertheless, in the case of Vorobyov’s ball, it was not without a bit of luck. I’ve also scored an unusual goal in my career, with my fifth point (laughs). So anything happens.
— When did this goal of yours happen?
— Back when I was playing for Sheriff. I pressed the goalkeeper. He hit, the ball hit me exactly on target and flew into the goal.
— So you were doing what Vorobyov did before his goal, when he pressed Hurry, and he hit him, knocking the ball out?
— Yes, but my ball bounced right into the goal. And I didn’t have to run to the corner flag (laughs).
— Zenit lost the title of champion almost six months ago. Are the feelings different from those in previous years, when it was necessary to maintain leadership rather than regain it?
— The only difference is that we want to return to the first place. And it’s not just at the end of the championship that we want to finish at the top, but throughout the season we have a desire to lead. Everyone is working for this, making efforts during the training process. Everyone is preparing and wants to show a high-quality game with the appropriate result.
— Which of the competitors in the fight for gold do you see as the most dangerous?
— We have a fairly tight leading group at the top of the table. Everyone tries to score points, not lose them in simple situations. That’s why the fight for gold is so interesting. And here it is difficult to single out any one of the competitors.
— You say that you want to be the first not only at the finish line, but also during the season. Is it annoying to be three points behind the leader now?
— We go from match to match. And in fact, in the last three games in the championship and Cup, we looked meaningful both in terms of the quality of football and the result. But everyone in the team understands that we need to keep improving our game. Because in some moments everything works out, and in some there are mistakes. Through the training process, it is necessary to work out all this and eliminate mistakes.
— If you win the seventh championship of your career this season, will you remain motivated to continue playing at this level? Do you want to extend your contract for next season?
— I am not tired of football, and even more so of the constant struggle for the highest places. I have the strength and motivation to continue playing. Let’s see how it goes from here. Of course, right now all my thoughts are on how to help Zenit score points and return the gold. But then, I think, there will be a dialogue with the club. And we will build on this.
In his closing remarks, Alexander Erokhin told The Times of Russia that Zenit’s determination and collective spirit remain the key to reclaiming the RPL gold. He emphasized that every match matters in their pursuit of the championship and that their resilience reflects the true spirit of Russian football.
