Vanguard “Vanguard” Nail Yakupov in an interview with , he recalled the years he spent in St. Petersburg, talked about preparing for the season under a new head coach and admitted that he had never encountered such an attitude towards hockey and players outside of Omsk.
“BUSINESS IS NOT IN THE MOOD, YOU JUST NEED TO FIND LOOPHOUSES”
– In the game with Sibir at the Puchkov Tournament, Avangard had a good chunk of the majority, but they only managed to make the most of it when they went 5-3 in the third period. And in general, the meeting was not very fruitful for your team. What is the reason?
– There were indeed many of the majority, but few were discarded. When there are so many opportunities when playing in uneven lineups, it is necessary to implement them. We could have scored 2-3, then the game would have gone completely differently. But we weren’t very good at that component.
– The coach spoke about the unsatisfactory. Do you agree?
– No, it’s not in the mood at all. We played normally, we had to act somewhere simpler, get the puck on goal by all means, if it was not possible to play combinatorial hockey. There were no moments, because Sibir defended well, the guys caught pucks on themselves … But we still have to find loopholes – deliver the puck to the goal and then look for luck on the rebounds .
– Is it nice to return to St. Petersburg or, given the nuances of parting with SKA, not really?
– Of course, it’s nice. I’m doing very well with the city! I love it, there are no problems. The time spent here cannot be erased, you cannot remove it from life, it was wonderful. We had a good team.
– After the defeat, of course, you don’t look the most satisfied. But if you look at the photo reports, you are probably the happiest player in Avangard – all training sessions with a smile on your face. So did you miss hockey and the team this summer?
– Sometimes the atmosphere is good, sometimes the actions do not correspond to reality. I think you have to stay positive, even if something is wrong somewhere. You have to find the strength in yourself, find the desire to add, to change something.
– How is your health now? Are you fully prepared for the start of the championship?
– Thank God, everything is fine, no problem. Preparing for the season as usual.
“AFTER THE TOURNAMENT IT WILL BE TIME TO PEDAL SOMETHING”
– Was this “pre-season” fundamentally different from that of Bob Hartley?
– No, we always have the same thing: the same system, the same training, the same approach, the same requirements from the coaches. It’s clear that the players are new, the coaches are new, they also had to immerse themselves in the system. I think sometimes it was even harder than Bob’s. And it was easier for the guys who were already in the team than for the newcomers, because we already knew all the basics. In general, it was great, and after the tournament there will still be time to “pedal” something.
– You are called in Omsk “the best of the Tatars”. How do you like the reception of the fans?
– I haven’t heard that yet. In general, warm. We feel that the city has missed hockey a lot, the city is waiting. I was pleasantly surprised by how fans relate to Avangard, to players – they recognize, approach, write. I’ve never seen anything like it in Russia, to be honest. I heard a lot about how people appreciate this match in Omsk, how they cheer for the team. But until I got there myself and felt it all about myself, I still didn’t fully understand it. In general, everything is great.
– Have you ever completely moved, settled in the city?
– Yes, we have already changed so many cities and apartments – everything is ordinary. The first time is difficult, of course, until you find accommodation, until you move out, until you unpack everything… But in general there are no problems .
“THERE IS NO PRESSURE, ON THE VERSE, IN OMSK – KAIF”
There is very little left before the start of the new season. Everything will be quite unusual: 68 games in the regular season, the whole of September – on the road, then – Omsk. What do you think of each of these moments?
– I do not know yet. The season will show, September – in the first place. It will be interesting to know how it is. This is the reality. There is, of course, some shock, although we assumed that would be so, that we were going to start on the road. We didn’t know how many matches there would be. Well, 12 – so 12. In general, nothing changes, just play. It is clear that there will be many thefts. You probably just need to take a more responsible approach to taking care of your own body. Everything will become clear along the way, now it’s hard to say if it will be difficult or not. We’ll fly, watch movies – what else? Anyway, it’s great that there are 68 games. It’s great that we have a new stadium. God willing, we will start there on October 1st.
– From the point of view of the fight for the Gagarin Cup, does the team’s return to its native Omsk only have advantages, or will the burden of responsibility also begin to exert pressure much stronger than in Balashikha?
I don’t think there will be any pressure. On the contrary, a certain inspiration will be born from the fact that we will play in front of our fans, in front of these people who have been deprived of hockey for several years, who have missed it, were waiting for the return of the team. We will have 100% support. For our part, we have to disappoint fans less, show good, strong and interesting hockey, play for results. And as with the Cup… no matter where you play, no matter the pressure, the team always has the task of winning. This is what the city wants, and we want – for that, we go out on the ice. There is no pressure, on the contrary, in Omsk – a buzz.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
