With six qualifying matches yet to be played, Russia are ranked third in their Team, three points behind Portugal and Slovakia. The ideal scenario for the Russian team would be to finish second, Syomin said.
He pointed out, however, that the squad should not look too far ahead now. "It'll be just great if we advance to the World Cup in Germany. But I don't think we should be putting the cart before the horse now. Rather, we should concentrate on the current stage, on immediate tasks."
As Syomin sees it, the main criterion for selecting players for the national squad should be the track records they have in their respective clubs. He cited the example of Alexei Smertin, currently on loan at London's Chelsea. Smertin "does not appear on the pitch as often as we would like him to. There's fierce competition there, and he has a hard time coping." But the Russian squad do need Smertin as their captain, Syomin said, adding that this player was an exception rather than the rule as he was playing for a very strong foreign club.
When deciding which players to call up to join the national squad, preference should be given to the fittest. The standing of the club where one plays does not matter as long as he is in good physical shape.
As for possible refusals to join in, Syomin does not think this will be too much of a problem. If a Russian footballer signed by a foreign club refuses to play for the national squad, he may be threatened with disciplinary action, he said, adding that disqualification was a measure of last resort, of course.
Syomin believes players should be offered monetary rewards for each match played, so as to boost their motivation.
Speaking of his own motives behind the decision to take on the job of head coach, Syomin said that being an ambitious man, he had decided to rise to the challenge and pull the squad out of the crisis they were facing. He also said he would not let anyone meddle in his business, but was always willing to heed to sensible advice.
In their next home qualifier, set for June 4, Russia play Latvia.
