"We are waiting for Barinov for the training camp and the next part of the championship"

Moscow's Lokomotiv went on a winter break in the RPL in third place, lagging after 18 rounds by only three points from the leading Krasnodar. Meanwhile, one of the main events of recent months around the Railwaymen has been their negotiations with their captain Dmitry Barinov on a new contract. The current agreement of the 29-year-old player expires in the summer of 2026, and from January 1, according to the regulations, he can begin negotiations with any other club.

In recent weeks, rumors about the inevitability of his departure have become especially acute. After Sunday's match with Sochi (4-1), Barinov himself did not comment on his future, but after the final whistle he went to applaud the Loko fans as if he were saying goodbye to her. And leaving the field in the 85th minute of the match as a result of a substitution, he gave the captain's armband to Artyom Karpukas, the second player of the team after himself in terms of playing time for its main squad.

In an interview with Izvestia, 23-year-old Karpukas expressed hope that Barinov would stay at Loko, appreciated the results of Loko's performance in the first part of the season and expressed his desire to return to the Russian national team.

"The people who came to us added class"

— What was it like to receive the captain's armband from Barinov?

— It's exciting, of course… But I hope that this was not his last appearance on the field with the captain's armband.

— As part of the "Locomotive"?

— That's understandable.

— Did he say anything to the team after the match against Sochi about his future and all the rumors surrounding this topic?

— Rumors don't just arise. But we didn't ask Barinov directly. It's his own business. I can only say that we all love Dima very much and look forward to the training camp and the next part of the championship.

— You recently had a 1-1 match with Krasnodar, which Barinov missed due to suspension, but with you and Danil Prutsev in the center of midfield, we managed not to lose to the leader and the reigning champion. Can that game be called an example of how to act in the spring in case of a negative development of the history between the club and Dmitry?

— Baru (Dmitry Barinov. — Izvestia) it is very difficult to replace. But we tried to partially assume the role of our captain (smiles, looking at Barinov passing by).

— Lokomotiv is going on a winter break in the championship with a gap of three points from the leader. Do you believe that you can fight for gold, that you will avoid a recession like in the spring part of last season?

— This question can only be answered in the following way: the field will show everything, the results of the spring matches and our team game will show everything. I won't say anything in advance, but we will definitely work hard at the training camp to prepare as best as possible for the next part of the championship and avoid the mistakes that we had in the spring of this year.

— A year ago, before the winter break, Loko also had a severe decline in the form of one point in three matches before the winter break. How has this been avoided now?

— The team has become a little more mature mentally. People have come who have added to our experience, help and prompt us on the field. There are more such players with more experience.

— Is it about Nikolai Komlichenko?

— Both Komli and Bakai (Zelimkhan Bakaev. — Izvestia) — people who have formed this class. They go out on the field and help the team.

— At the same time, only Barinov, Bakayev and Prutsev have trophy-winning experience in your team. Is that enough to fight for gold?

— Anyway, part of the work of those guys I mentioned is visible. It is visible in our results. All the people who came in the last transfer window are helping us a lot. Take the same Ore (Alexander Rudenko. — Izvestia), who has joined the team amazingly.

— What is their help? Is there a special atmosphere in the locker room?

— I mean more about what happens on the field. You know, there are times when one player loses and the other keeps. The second is the player's class. The people who came to us added this class.

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"If we had scored two points in those games, we would be in first place now."

— What have you personally improved over the past part of the season?

— I think I started playing more 90-minute matches. And the rest — what was, is what remains.

— Which of the leading group do you see as the main competitor of Lokomotiv in the fight for gold?

— I think Zenit is in good shape. The St. Petersburg team is playing high-quality football and scoring points. They are probably clear contenders for gold. The rest are at about the same level.

— Baltika, which has created the main sensation of the season so far, is only two points behind your team. Do you see her as a contender for medals, or will the Kaliningrad club slow down in the spring anyway?

— It's very difficult to play against them, it's very difficult to show your football. They are a good team, but it probably takes more time for them to become top players.

— Lokomotiv lost eight points in the championship due to a series of offensive misfires - three missed victories in the last minutes, in November they did not put the squeeze on Akron, creating several scoring chances in attack. Do you have a special motivation for the spring to achieve such a result so that you don't have to think about those matches later?

— Of course, if we had scored two plus points in those games, we would be in first place now. But other teams also recall their misfires. Every club has its own offensive point losses — this is football.

— You haven't played for the Russian national team for a year. How do you assess the chances of returning to the team after the winter break?

— I'm always waiting for a call-up to the national team, I always want to play for it. I eat with great desire and pleasure when they call me. If you evaluate your performance in the last part of the championship, I think you had a good stretch. Let's see if I've proved myself worthy of a call-up to the national team.

— Are you not afraid of the latest results of the Russian national team, which drew with Peru (1-1) and lost to Chile (0:2), two not the strongest South American teams?

— Well, that's good, so we can see what we're ready for at the moment. It is clear that friendly games are not the kind of heat and pressure to understand what level we are at now relative to other national teams. But playing against any strong opponent allows us to draw the necessary conclusions and prepare as well as possible in the future.