Oleg Leontyev: «It is obvious that the guys are tried to do their best»
18.08.2024
Neftekhimik head coach Oleg Leontyev talks about 1–2 loss against Severstal.
– It was a final game of the tournament. How would you rate it?– It is obvious that the guys are tired to do their best. Against this background, they played well. In the second period, we played great. Unfortunately, in the third period, they conceded while shorthanded. At even strength, they scored, they could have scored another goal. In principle, not bad. We looked, tested the fighters. The most important thing is that we saw who is capable of what. A good tournament. Unfortunately, eight people from the main team did not play. What is, is.
– We started the tournament well, with such a convincing victory. Then something went wrong. Why did it happen?
– I would not say that it went wrong. In principle, we also played well against Ufa. The opponent had an experimental lineup, we showed good hockey. In the third game, we already had an experimental lineup. We were able to see everything we wanted. We didn't have a goal to win the tournament.
– The Ufa tournament obviously gave you something to think about it in a good way.
– We saw our weaknesses. We looked at the players, what they were capable of.
– Who did you like from your young players?
– I liked the way Khoruzhev played. I can also mention Yakupov. The others played less brightly, but we still saw them in action, that is the most important thing.
– I wanted to ask about Raul Yakupov. He seems like such a talented guy. What does he lack to gain a foothold in the main team?
– I think he needs to be more mobile, move more, play positionally more correctly. Such nuances come with experience. There is a lot to work on when you move from youth hockey to adults. You cannot immediately become a KHL player. Everyone has a different path.
