Anvar Gatiyatulin: I love my job, and I know how to make Traktor better

Answering the question about what was the most important thing you have learned during this past season at the press-conference devoted to the end of the season, you said that you have acquired important experience. Could you please elaborate?
It was very important to give some positive results in a short amount of time. When I first got to Belye Medvedi, I was in a similar situation; something went wrong, and management decided to shake things up a little. It was a new challenge for me because I had never worked with this age group before. Then, I had a tall task because I shifted from working with younger players to working with adults. I had to understand their psychology. Of course, I knew something about it (smiles), and while I have been the interim head coach, I learned something new, all the while reinforcing my knowledge of other things.

It is often said that most professionals look a lot like young players, even though their sport makes the younger ones resemble their elder colleagues.
Well, if we compare junior and adult hockey, there are things that remain the same. However, it is still obvious that adult hockey players are grown men with rich professional and personal experience. Being an athlete teaches young players to survive in a group and become a part of this group; it teaches them to be disciplined. No wonder so many coaches talk about discipline so much.

Is it money or something else that disciplines them?
If there is one thing I am sure of, it is that in Traktor, money is not the first thing the players are concerned about. They are more concerned about winning, about honor of the team and their careers. Plus, each player now has an agent who is in charge of the financial aspect.

Rumor mill had it that you could have become team’s head coach before the games in Zagreb and Bratislava. The only thing that prevented this from happening is the expiration of your Schengen visa. Is that right?
I heard rumors that I was about to appointed, but those were just rumors. The management has not talked to me about anything. My Schengen visa was expiring, that’s right (smiles).

What did you say when you walked to the locker room as the head coach?
I said ‘Hello’ (smiles). Sure, I was worried; maybe it was all due to the night without sleep as I have just returned from Canada. However, I quickly fought it off; I knew some of the guys, especially those who I worked with in Medvedi.

Did you have to show to the team that you are the head coach now?
(after a little pause) ...You know, there was not too much trouble. We had a good working environment from day 1; the team understood everything – they are adult men, after all. As far as my vision of play is concerned – it took me some time to explain the specifics to the players.

What did you decide to change in team’s performance and why?
Personally, I thought that we did not score as much as we could have. Of course there were defensive lapses, but there were few and far between; as far as attacking play goes, it is very hard to win when you score just one goal.
I asked the team to feel relaxed and start winging in the attacking zone. Plus, I believe that the defensemen also have to help forwards; therefore, we started paying more attention to this aspect of the game on training sessions. Moreover, we also tried to apply more forechecking in the attacking zone and exit our own zone in a quicker fashion. It did not pay off sometimes, but there were some great moments in some games.

You have already made several decisions regarding the contracts of players. For instance, one of the most notable ones was the release of Stanislav Chistov.
It was a mutual decision, and it was not an easy one, believe me. I have known Stas for a long time, and he has always been a disciplined player. However, I wanted him to be a leader.

Isn’t he a leader?
(after a pause) He is an elite class player; his contribution to the recent success of the team cannot be overestimated. Unfortunately, for whatever reason he was unable to fully realize his potential. Perhaps, he needed some more time while the decision had to be made very quickly. I’ll say it again – it was not an easy decision to make, but who knows – maybe Stas has even better things ahead of him?

If there ever appears an option of bringing him back, would you consider it?
(again, after a pause) It depends on the roster at certain moment of time, but for now it is not a priority. Plus, he has recently signed a new deal with Lokomotiv.

Will there be more decisions like these in the offseason? Are you satisfied with everyone who is currently on the roster?
I’ve known some of the players for quite a while now, and I expected more from them; however, I am not going to mention any names here.
On the other hand, the season began in a mediocre fashion, and it showed. The objective of getting into the playoffs still stood, although midway through the regular season it became clear that this goal would be a difficult one to attain. I decided not to pump them even more, but this sword of Damocles named playoffs was a lot to overcome.
Again, I expected more from some of the players. They can play better, that is for sure; but the unsuccessful start of the season took its toll.

Which part of team’s potential has been realized at the end of the regular season?
It’s hard to say. We could have played better closer to the end; however, to fully assess the potential of team, I need to know more, and I will get that information during the preseason training camp.

That is a good segue – the upcoming preseason training camp will be your first ever as head coach of a KHL team. Your experience of working with junior teams will not be of much help because of differences in physiological features of youngsters and adults. Do you have some sort of plan?
I do have a blueprint, but I realize that no plan or book has a complete recipe that is going to work every time. Our physicians constantly monitor the health status of every player. Sure enough, we will make necessary corrections if needed.

Do you prefer having a conditioning coach put together a plan, or do you do it by yourself?
We do have a conditioning coach, Vadim Gudzik (son of Viktor Gudzik, a notable coach who has worked in Traktor – editor’s note). His and his father’s vision coincide in some aspects, but I don’t think he works by the book. When he and I worked together, we agreed on some things and disagreed on others. Anyhow, any decision will be made based on a mutual agreement.

Late in the season, you started calling up young players from Belye Medvedi and Chelmet to the main roster. Will this trend continue, and how many young’uns could we expect in the next season?
On the one hand, I want more young players to be involved with the main roster; on the other hand, I understand that it is close to impossible to be successful without veterans. I can tell you that I have watched several Chelmet and Medvedi games, and I am interested in giving a try-out for a dozen of new players. Formally, the season is not over, so we are going to have a chance to see them in action at training sessions. As soon as the training camp starts, there will be fewer candidates.

Each year, Chelyabinsk hockey schools give the country a host of talented players, but not all of them reach their ceiling. Why do you think this happens?
This is a typical problem not only for Chelyabinsk, but for other hockey schools as well. There is a lot that can be said about it; some stop after the very first contract, and some teams are traditionally based on more experienced players.

Could it be due to different level of physical strain in junior and adult hockey?
Everyone sees it differently. Those who I included on the main roster were ready to get it on physically against grown men. Nonetheless, same cannot be said about some of their peers.

What about mentally?
I think it is more about physical challenges than psychological. Those guys who were in Medvedi under my stewardship are not going to be afraid of huge bulky men at the other side of the ice. Of course, there are those who are not strong enough for KHL.

Let’s talk about Traktor’s roster for the next season. The transfers for the past two years have not been very successful; you do not have the knowledge about the players like, say, Valeri Belousov. What positions need to be filled, and what qualities do the new players have to possess?
Here in Traktor, everyone does the job they are qualified to do. Sergei Gomolyako and Yevgeni Gubarev are responsible for the selection of the players; that is not to say my opinion regarding those players is not taken into account – it is. When it comes to Russians, it is much easier to select them because they are always here; but when it comes to foreign players…

You need someone to consult with?
(after a little pause) Yes. In any case, these foreign players should be good additions to the roster. Our primary objective is to keep the majority of the roster that we had at the end of the regular season, plus, to acquire quality foreign players. We are going to try to do that in spite of the difficult financial situation.

What will Traktor’s hockey look like in the next season?
It will largely depend on how we are going to perform defensively. Season stats show you that those teams that allow fewer goals are eventually more successful. I would like to reiterate that I would love see the team push the envelope in the attacking efforts; it is not even about the strategy – I realize that pretty much everything in this aspect has already been established. I think our problems lie in the domain of psychology. Any forward should be able to outplay his opponent in a one-on-one situation, and our forwards are more than capable of doing that, but for some reason they have not been able to do that. Therefore, we need to pay more attention to this aspect of the game.

Are you going to create a certain system and choose the roster for the specific needs, or vice versa?
Every player is different, and the task of the coaching staff is to allow them to show their best skills, but not at the expense of the team and the discipline. Improvising and ‘you can do whatever the hell you want’ are not the same things. Modern hockey is all about details, and we want the players to come up with the best decisions at any given time. Taking into account the style of different opponents, Traktor has to stick to their style.

Do you have a model of the team that you want to build?
I’ve got a plan of how Traktor should look like. We will see how much of this actually comes to life.

Chelyabinsk is a hockey town. Pressure from the fans on the players and the coaching staff is enormous, and it could either make you or break you.
For me it is primarily responsibility, and a challenge as well.

Are you worried?
Of course I am a little worried, because this is going to be my first ever season in KHL as head coach. However, I am also confident in myself, in my coaching staff and in my players. I have no doubts; I have a plan, I love my job, and I know how to make things better for Traktor.