Vadim Evseev: "Zenit has a very high-quality and well-known coach"

The head coach of the football club Leningradets Vadim Yevseyev was a guest at the home match of the blue-whites team against Pari NN (81:78). The six-time Russian football champion discussed the importance of athletes and coaches being emotional during the game, and also evaluated the competition in the VTB United League.

— Vadim Valentinovich, we are glad to welcome you to basketball. What do you think of Zenit? As far as we know, this is your first time in St. Petersburg for a basketball game.

— It's my first game in St. Petersburg. I’ve been to Moscow before and to my hometown, Mytishchi, when Khimki played in the EuroLeague.

— Who instilled in you a love for this sport?

— I respect all sports. I play whenever I can. It was instilled in me in childhood, at school.

— Do you think our sports suffer from the fact that both basketball and football are cut off from European competitions?

— Right now, my assistant, coach Ilshat Faizullin, and I are discussing this issue, and we believe that the level of basketball has dropped. I associate this with the level of foreign players coming here. It's one thing to play in the EuroLeague and showcase yourself in Europe, moving to other teams. It's another thing to play only in the Russian Championship, particularly in the VTB League clubs. That’s probably why not all good-level foreigners come here.

— You can play against other foreign opponents, but is it worth playing against anyone?

— Look, your spanish coach is a very high-quality and well-known. I believe that our players, as well as those in other teams, need to grasp everything the coach offers in training.

— You were a very emotional player, and you mentioned Zenit coach Xavi Pascual. It's evident how emotional he is. How beneficial is the release of emotions on the court or field for the team?

— While working in Krasnodar in the spring, I think I attended the game between Lokomotiv-Kuban and Zenit. I appreciated his qualities even then. I think every coach is like that. All coaches are emotional.

— Whose side do you sympathize with in the Russian basketball and football championships? Who do you think will become champions in these tournaments?

— I didn’t have a particular attachment in basketball. I’ve always supported teams that played in the EuroLeague. As of now UNICS has finally become champions? Zenit was champion, Loko is setting a goal, as far as I understand. Therefore, it’s even more interesting that there are many rivals. In some moments the level equalizes, and in others it increases.