Sofyan Hanni: I dream of being part of the madness of the Spartak champion – Premier League News – Football

– You said that before you arrived in Russia, you had some worries . Why?

– I think it's good if you've never been to Russia. In France and Belgium, people know your country only very far, and here it is cold and dangerous. When I say that it is only three hours to go to Moscow, they are surprised – for them it is a real surprise. They think that to travel to Russia, they must spend at least 10 hours in the plane. I do not know where this information comes from, but it's like that they see Russia

– You also thought you would be in Moscow for half a day, and at every step you are in danger?

– Well, as for distance, I knew that Russia is not so far away. As for danger – I do not like to invent something myself to invent. If I did not see it with my own eyes, I will not argue. Nevertheless, Russia is for me a new country, a new beginning. Thus, some of the concerns were still –

– What is the current situation?

– I lived in Moscow for a little over four months. It's a great city, there are good people here. I like everything very much. There are no problems. I live in a house not far from our base in Tarasovka, I have a driver

– Can you compare Russian league with Belgian?

– The leagues are alike. I have not played so many games up here in [la Premier League] elsewhere, among them there were no games with the top teams – CSKA , Zenit, "Locomotive" … it is difficult to evaluate in detail. Now the new season will begin, and we'll see. I look forward to going on the field in the match against the championship leaders. Until now, I can say that there is a lot of struggle in the Russian league. Especially the teams are trying to play against us.

– It is believed that against every team Spartacus is looking to hold his best game.

– It's quite normal. "Spartacus" is the most popular club in Russia, which is why everyone wants to remember a match with such a team. The same was in Anderlecht, Belgium. We knew that 11 people would run against us, ready to give their lives to defeat us. We must prepare for this and "Spartacus". Because relaxing a second person will not allow it

– What is the cause of the defeats of Tosno and Dinamo, who have blocked all the work of the season?

– What is the reason? cause, I do not know. We were all very angry. There was a great chance to win the Russian Cup. We knew we are better, we are stronger. When I arrived at Spartak in February, it was said that in the tournament there are already no big teams except us. We should win such matches – as with "Tosno", as with "Dinamo". But for some reason could not …

– By the way, do you know that "Tosno" does not exist anymore?

– Yes. In the Super Cup with Lokomotiv, CSKA will play, and Ufa in the Europa League

– And why would they do it?

– Because CSKA took second place and Ufa – Sixth

– Will not play in the Premier League "Amkar", which also ceased to exist.

– Wow! What is happening ? And who will play instead of them?

– "Anji". But there is also no confidence in this club that it will end the season.

– I am shocked … It turns out that everything depends on the sponsors in Russia. I have never seen anything like it in other countries.

– Last season, there was much criticism of physical trainers. Could you compare physics work in Anderlecht and Spartacus after the transition?

– I think that physical training does not depend on the club or the country where you play. Everything is decided by the selection of coaches and what they want from the team. For example, at "Anderlecht" I had both coaches who gave a little work, and those who organized real tin. That's what worked in the club when I moved to "Spartacus". We practically did not play at training – constantly plowed in physics. For him it was very important. In Moscow, the training was very different. I liked that we worked a lot with the ball. Of course, when we had two clbades a day, we spent one in the hall. But after Belgium it was practically a seaside resort. I do not see any problem in many hours of preparation. We are professional athletes and must train constantly.

– Are not you surprised to see a new coach on your return from vacation?

– Yes, I was surprised because I did not know these changes. I enjoyed working with coaches who were in the spring. They helped me a lot, because I was a newcomer, who had just arrived in the team. Now, there are new people with whom we have quickly found mutual understanding. In football, this happens often: today you have a coach, and tomorrow you are already working with another one. It's good.

– What was your preparation for summer?

– We started everything from the beginning. It took time to get used to new requirements. We worked a lot on tactics, builds and team interactions. From my own experience, I know that this always happens when the coaching staff changes

– In friendlies, you had to play in different positions. Which one is the most convenient for you?

– My favorite position is "ten" I like to play behind the attacker. But "Spartacus" does not play according to the pattern with the "ten". In Belgium, I often played the left offensive midfielder – like Quincy Promes. Now, the coach wants me to play G8. This is not a problem – I can act in the middle of the field. But he also understands that I can not play everywhere. I can close two or three positions but no more. In fact, there is not much difference between the "ten" and the "eight". In the second case, you must perform more defensive functions.

– Last season you played seven games in the [PremierLeague scoring two goals. Not a bad result for the midfielder

– Two goals and two badists in seven games – not bad, yes. But I know that I can do a lot more. And I will show it. In addition, I am upset at not having played so much, but even the playing time that I used was better. I had the habit of playing constantly for 90 minutes, here it was necessary to either replace or give way to the partners. I understand that I was a beginner, but it was not easy to accept. I'm sure I can help Spartak a lot more with my goals and transfers.

– Have you a goal for the new season – a number of goals, for example?

– I have never defined such goals. First, you must win the title. When I arrived at "Spartacus", my first goal was to play. Play as much as possible to understand the level of the league and become one of its best players. The second goal is to help the team win and win titles by playing. But when we win the title, we will understand who scored there, given, etc.

– What we will remember at the end of our career – of course, moments of great victories. Before going to Spartak, I watched some videos from those years where the team became the champion. The fans, the atmosphere – it's just fantastic. And I want to live such moments together with "Spartacus".

In the 2016-17 season, when red-white became champion, I also became champion with Anderlecht. I hope soon I will win the title with Spartak

– Did you see the race on the field after the championship registration a year ago?

– Of course I saw him. It was a real madness. In Belgium, the "Anderlecht" championship was celebrated in a totally different way. When you see this, you understand why and for whom we play football. To be honest, I'd really like to be part of the madness that was on the ground. I hope it is in front of me.

– Who did you find most quickly a common language with the team?

– When I arrived, with Promes and Bocchetti, since they speak freely in English. Now, I try to communicate with everyone and make me more friends. I'm sure it's the way to create a healthy atmosphere in the team. And she, in turn, will help us all in the fight for titles.

– Do you live alone in Moscow or with your family?

– When I just signed the contract, the family stayed in Brussels. My daughter went to the kindergarten and we decided that it was not necessary to radically change the situation at that time. It was necessary to gradually get used to the new conditions. At the end of the season, they made a two-year visa and came to Moscow for a short time. And now we live together, and they moved to Moscow, when I was at a rally in Austria. I did not even need them (laughs). My father met the family, who lived in my house for a while. The driver drove him to the airport and then brought them home together.

– What do you usually do at home? More specifically, they were engaged before moving the family

– If we had only one day off, I was at home. I went to the gym, then to the cafe to eat, I went for walks. If two or three days off, I went to Brussels to see my family

– You're not going to the center at all?

– My wife came to see me twice. In total, she spent ten days with me. Of course, we walked along the Red Square, we were photographed. Somewhere was still in the center, but I can not say where – I do not know the names. We also visited the Spartak Museum in the stadium

– You did not go to the Bolshoi Theater?

– We have not gone to the Bolshoi yet, but we will certainly go. The woman likes to go to theaters.

– And I am a homebody – I like to stay at home. Talk to my driver – he will say that I am an ideal customer (laughs). Carry me almost everywhere you do not need. If I go out of the house, then only at the restaurant. In Brussels, my wife and I often went to the cinema, but now it is impossible with a little girl. So I sit at home, I watch football – a lot of games in general – and the series

– You can not compare Moscow and Brussels?

– The only thing I can say is that Moscow is much bigger. It's just here big-big difference! That's good because it opens up more opportunities, but it's bad because there's always traffic jams everywhere. Sometimes I think I should go somewhere to a restaurant or go for a walk, but then I imagine that it will take more than two hours for the road back and forth . And I stay home at the end (laughs)

– Which championships do you watch most often?

– Ligue 1, for example, the Premier League. After the coup, I watch and the Russian league, and also try to follow the Belgian league.

– You mentioned that you go to the gym. Do you train often?

– Usually, if there is no game, I go home every day. Wherever I live, there was a fitness club in the house . So it's easy. It's time to be alone, to think, to put ideas on the shelves. Sometimes it is very necessary

– Why have not you been recently called to the national team ?

– The last time I played in March, comrades games against Cape Verde and coach Portugal did not call me. But now the coach is fired and the team has found himself without leadership. Now the federation is looking for a new specialist, and we are all waiting for what will happen next.

– All of Algeria team consists of players playing in different leagues. Is it good or bad?

– That's fine. First, we know each other perfectly. Second, even if we do not play in the same league and on the same team, we gain experience in stronger championships. There is no problem when the national team meets, does not arise.

– You have chosen the national team of Algeria, not France. Do you regret now that the French have become champions of the world?

– Yes. I made my choice with my heart and I have never regretted it. Even despite the victory of France in Russia

– What emotions did the French have to raise the World Cup over their heads?

– I was happy for the players. I do not know anyone on this team, but the guys did a great job. The team had a good atmosphere. It helped them.

– Almost the entire French team is made up of descendants of emigrants. Emigrant children or naturalized footballers are playing more and more for teams – is this the trend of modern football?

– I do not think it's a trend. There are simply countries with a lot of emigrants. For example, in France, a group of different ethnic groups. Because the team is like that. It depends entirely on the country. There are not many emigrants in Russia, so the national team is almost entirely made up of local people. Naturalization sometimes helps a little to raise the level of the team. But this is not a panacea. You can not bademble a team of strangers and force them to play for the country.

– What about the Belgian national team? For many years this generation can not justify the progress they have been given.

– It's not easy to win a title. The Belgians have an excellent generation, I am sure that they will experience a serious success. When? I do not know Unfortunately, France has embarrbaded. But third place is the best result in the history of the country. Maybe they could aim to win … For me, the World Cup like the Champions League: there are always teams that win these tournaments. It is almost impossible to imagine that a new team won the trophy. Maybe after several years of testing and a distant pbadage in the tournament. It is not easy, you need some experience. For example, "Chelsea" – how many years and money they spent before winning the Champions League. "Manchester City" and "PSG" try, but not at all.

– The World Cup started on the last day of Ramadan. Has the post affected the game of Arab teams?

– I do not know if the players have kept the position. I think that they have not brought any problem to Ramadan. I heard that in 2014, when the holy month fell for the World Cup, the players on our team were fasting. And that did not bring any negative results – the team held an excellent tournament. If we talk about us, my position even gives strength, but does not remove them. I'm getting stronger mentally. So I do not think that the reason for the failure of the Arab teams is to look at Ramadan

– Who do you support at the World Cup since the beginning?

– He was suffering for Brazil. From my childhood, I grew up playing Ronaldo for her. When the Brazilians were flying, he was suffering for Belgium and France. In Belgium, my daughter was born, and in France – myself.

– I know that Ronaldo is your idol. Who is stronger: Ronaldo or Neimar?

– Ronaldo. Neimar is not even there …

– How do you feel about Neimar's constant skating around the field and its suffering after every foul?

– He does not need it. He is so good!

I do not understand why he does that. Neymar is the best, he is the supertalant. I think that all this does not help, but on the contrary it interferes. Everyone talks bad about him, the critic … He can be the best whiner in the world, he can be the best player in the world and become world champion. But I think he should be a soldier.

In my opinion, he would not be embarrbaded by the instinct of the murderer that Messi or Ronaldo has. Although, who am I to teach him. I played against Neimar for Anderlecht – I saw his possibilities. Believe me, it's actually ten times better than we imagine. He rounded the four and scored. He has crazy statistics, he scores 30 goals per season, but he can do a lot more.

– I know that during the World Cup, Spartak players from the team have bet. How are your successes?

– And I did not participate. I never play for money. Before the World Cup, my sister asked me what I thought of the tournament – who was going to act. To them on the job was any local catch-all . I shared my opinion with her, but I did not guess anything – a complete disaster! And now he is completely foreclosed to make predictions.

Artem Kalinin