Artem Trukhin: "It’s going to be a tough job"

Zenit U21 guard Artem Trukhin commented on the start of the Blue-White-Sky Blues’ youth team preseason.

— Artem, the youth team has gathered and is already preparing for the new season. What are your emotions after the first few days of training?

— I have only positive emotions. I’m happy to be back in a working environment after the break and to get back to training. It was great to see all my teammates and the coaching staff again. It’s going to be a tough job, because we have to defend our title this year. It’s not an easy task. We’ll work as hard as we can to defend it.

— The team has changed, but this is already your second year with Zenit U21. Do you feel that you now have some additional experience and a better understanding of how everything works within the team?

— Even though this is only my second year here, I do feel a little bit like a veteran compared to the guys who are two or three years younger than me. I’ve already gone through the whole process here last year, while some of the guys are only just getting settled in. So I have a chance, or rather an opportunity, to give them some advice and help them fit in more quickly.

— The first test is just around the corner — the Spartakiad, followed by the Russian Cup qualifying stage. What are your expectations for these tournaments?

— My expectations are as high as they can be. Personally, this will be my first experience playing against senior men’s teams. I’m really looking forward to it, because the teams will be at a pretty high level.