Artem Chobanian
There are players in the Russian football Premier League who are considered likely to make up the next generation of new talents and in turn become the future of Russian football. They are young and willing to put in long hours on the training pitch to learn as much as possible in the hope that one day they can become real professionals and perhaps earn their own place in the history of the Russian game.
One of these is a young man of 18 that plays for CSKA Moscow and his name is Alan Dzagoev. The Moscow team’s fans rate him very highly and keep praising coach Valery Gazzaev for finding Dzagoev and inviting him to the CSKA youth school. Really, apart from the team scouts searching for the new talents all over Russia and abroad, the head coach Gazzaev does his own research, and his latest discovery is Dzagoev.
Alan has played 21 games in total in all tournaments scoring 12 times, but the most important goals were two in the latest match against Deportivo La Coruna, when CSKA defeated that famous club 3:0.
Russian people, including the mass media, coaches, and football pundits, etc. are very slow to praise somebody or make a hero out of a simple person and even now not all of them think Dzagoev should be treated as a rising star. However, this young boy understands this himself and in his latest interview stated he realizes how much time and effort he needs to make in order to become recognized at least in his own country.
Here’s the latest interview taken by CSKA fan club reps.
First of all, before the interview began one of the reporters asked Alan to explain what his father’s words meant. When Alan entered the conference room his father standing at the back door cried out: “Alan! Don’t hurt me!”
Well, let’s start the interview with this then. “(Smiling) My father asked me after the match against Deportivo not to feel like a football star, because that will hurt him and my mum. So, I promised them I will never be sick with this starry disease”
You scored the first goal (against Deportivo) from a free-kick position, but what surprised me was that YOU, not other famous CSKA players, grabbed the ball and prepared to shoot. Why you? You agreed on that before the match?
“Usually Valery Gazzaev says who will be in charge of the free kicks, but there are places on the pitch for Ignashevich, Zhirkov, but in that case I could feel I would do it better. The only thing Ignashevich told me was to try to kick the ball over the players, not in the straight line. I did it and… it was good! (Smiling)”
It was surprising, even after so many nice Russian and European seasons for CSKA, how solid your club played against one of the best Spanish teams. Did you think you would play like this?
“Frankly, I think we were lucky in this game. Well, not totally lucky, like we didn’t do anything, but fortunate in terms of the advantage we received in the beginning. Two quick goals made the game. Deportivo ceased the initiative right after that but, as you said, we played a nice solid match and didn’t let them produce any real chance to score. I liked “Depor” very much, especially Valeron – he was wonderful!”
Did you expect that accurate pass from Vagner Love when you scored the third goal?
“Yes, I did. Vagner always invents something on the pitch and we got used to it. Sometimes he spoils the moment with his extraordinary passes or feints, but he benefits more than he spoils, so… By the way, I’d like to say that all players did great in the episode with the third goal. And Akinfeev was brilliant again – that was one of his best matches, I think”
With every new match CSKA play better. Have you reached the peak of your form?
“Yes, CSKA are doing nicely in the league and we hope to get the first place in the UEFA Cup group. Unfortunately, I am not sure we will be the champions in Russia – Rubin Kazan are playing superbly, but we will fight till the end. Let’s wait and see what happens. As for the peak of our form, I wouldn’t say so, because of the difference of the time periods between the Russian League and the Cup. We are tired, of course, but eager to play as many games as possible”
Valery Gazzaev is known as a great original and eccentric. Can he make a trick and keep you on the bench in the next game or games?
“Yes, sometimes he does the things nobody understands, but he has his reasons and he is a brilliant specialist. He is tough, but I like him as a coach. Let’s hope he believes in me and will let me play in rest of the matches in the league and the UEFA Cup group stage”
Good luck to you, Alan, and your team!
“Thank you and support us as much as you can! Believe me, we need it!”
Since the interview CSKA Moscow lost a crucial match against rivals Spartak Moscow at the weekend, while Rubin Kazan won. This gave Rubin the Russian title. The upside is that this will give Alan Dzagoev a number of first team matches without pressure and allow him to be in perfect form for CSKA’s further involvement in the UEFA Cup. If he continues as he has done he will not be unknown in Europe for much longer!
