Dmitry Bulykin: “I have always been against a large number of foreigners in our teams”

Former football player of the Russian national team, three-time winner of the Russian Cup, champion of the Netherlands, silver medalist of the Belgian championship Dmitry Bulykin at a press conference at MK spoke about the latest news in the football world.

Are you tired of football?

– Of course not. Especially when you play in Europe. In Russia, sometimes I had to suffer. Because there is a completely different attitude to football, and to coaching, and to the training process. Abroad, I definitely enjoyed it. Especially when you win something. This gives additional motivation to move on.

– Can you compare our championship and foreign tournaments?

– Teams should please the fans. If we compare the Dutch championship, where all teams love to score and try to please the fans, then we sometimes put “buses” and act on the principle of “zero behind, picking ahead”. Because a goalless draw also gives one tournament point. I am not a fan of this kind of football. I want the fans to enjoy the stadiums, from football to comfort. Drink beer, eat sausage. And also a great football performance to watch. All this should be done here too, because so far both the quality of football and the level of comfort do not always allow us to match the European level.

— An interesting remark. You have a rich career – you managed to play in Russia, and in Germany, and in Belgium. Where was it more difficult to play?

– It is more difficult, of course, in Europe. Although it is not easy for us either. Not physically, but psychologically. The truth is now everything is aligned. And already few people stand with the whole team on the defensive and fight back. Clubs of the first league play even against Zenit in the Cup. Therefore, we love football because it is unpredictable. The same thing happens in the European championships, but there they play more for the fans. They are trying to attack. When the score is 2:0, they do not stand up in defense for the sake of keeping the score, but strive to score the third. The losing team is also attacking, trying to score at least one goal in return. There’s a slightly different philosophy and intensity. They run faster. All players are fully committed to the game. And sometimes ours save energy. I don’t know what for. In this regard, we need to pull up our championship, because today we can no longer compare our tournament with European competitions. We don’t have European cups. Therefore, we need to decide for ourselves how we want to develop and where to move.

– In Russia, your main clubs were Lokomotiv and Dynamo. What are the similarities and differences between these football clubs? Is there a “Dynamo” and “locomotive” philosophy of the game?

– Although Lokomotiv is often called the “fifth wheel” and it may not have such rich championship traditions as other teams that were more often at the top of our football, but this is a “family” club. Especially it was before, with Yuri Pavlovich Semin. And even when he entered the elite, he began to win tournaments more often, he still remained a “home”. The players and everyone else has always been with the club. There was a very friendly atmosphere.

In Dynamo, when I played there, many foreigners came, coaches and club presidents often changed. More trust in foreigners. It didn’t fit anywhere. I have always been against it, so that there are many foreigners in the team. Clubs should ensure that their pupils grow up, become idols, and then remain working in the club system. Or glorified Russia in the international arena, playing in the top championships.

Today, both Dynamo and Lokomotiv set high goals for themselves – to fight for medals. It’s hard to fight for the championship with Zenit, but it’s necessary to win medals. Like last season, when Dynamo fought for first place. Unfortunately, the forces were not enough. Experience, strength and leaders. Couldn’t even hold second place. But no one counted on them before the start of last season. And they were able to do it. This is great. This season should be the same – someone should compete with Zenit, even though they are stronger in composition and game.

– On July 15, the 31st Russian Football Championship started. So far, 8 rounds have already been played. What teams surprised you – pleasantly and unpleasantly?

– With a minus sign, Lokomotiv surprised recently. They’ve had a terrible start to the season, but there’s time to make things right. This happens if there is no understanding between the team, coach and management. And in this case, motivation can easily be lost. Khimki is unclear what they are doing. Some kind of coaching mess.

Spartak also has a mess, but the team is good, and they will fight for a medal, even though the president has changed. Leonid Fedun, I think everyone in Spartak is grateful. For the way he treated the team, how much he did for the club.

Legionnaires who play mediocre come to us today. They take the place of the Russians, they play worse, because there is no special motivation, since the good money has already been paid – this is a real problem.

– Zenit tops the standings. Who can compete with him in the fight for the championship? What is the secret of St. Petersburg’s success?

– If we talk about Zenit, then its secret of success is in good foreigners – they are head and shoulders above Russian football players. If a football player has always played at a high level, then he has a different psychology. This experience is very necessary, including the coach, to understand and feel the team. Authority and the ability to communicate with older players are also very valuable. Semak, I think, just does it very well, because he has already gone through all this. He himself played at the highest level and knows what to expect from his players.

– And do we now have such domestic football players who would be willingly taken to foreign leading clubs?

– Based on the international situation, it is difficult now. But in terms of the quality of football, many of our players could play somewhere in Europe. In particular, Zakharyan could go to Chelsea. It also shows that we have players that these top European clubs are following. But now with a Russian passport it will be difficult …

You can watch the full interview with Dmitry Bulykin in the Moskovsky Komsomolets (MK) group In contact with.