Ukrainian defender of the English "Plymouth" Maxim Taloverov commented to "UF" on the victory over "Liverpool" (1:0) in the match of the 4th round of the FA Cup.
Maxim Taloverov—Maxim, which Liverpool player exhausted you the most? Do the stars really live up to their status, or is it just a bit of noise in the press?
— It's definitely not noise in the press, because these players have already won all possible competitions they have participated in. It’s hard to play against such footballers because you never know what to expect from them. They successfully exploit their strong qualities and the weak qualities of their opponents. We have to be focused on the game all the time.
The attacking line has worn me out, and it was a great honor for me to play against them. This is a very interesting experience. Dias, Jota, Nunez, and Chiesa, who played, are three of the five leading forwards of the club. It’s very nice that we didn't allow them to score against our goal. On the other hand, this is not my first encounter with Liverpool. On a positive note, we managed to win against them for the first time. Yes, we are very happy, but there is no time to celebrate because we need to prepare for the next game on Wednesday.
—Did it feel like Liverpool was missing Salah in this match?
— Of course, it felt like it. As I said, they have very high-quality players for every position. I can't say that those who replaced him are weaker than him. Chiesa is a European champion and one of the strongest players in Italy. Liverpool is not a one-player team, even one as unique as Salah. All players of the club play at a top level, and the club aimed to win the quadruple this season. But Salah is currently having one of the best seasons of his career and is a main contender for the Ballon d'Or. Undoubtedly, Liverpool missed him.
—Were you upset that he didn’t play against you in this match? Or maybe conversely, was he lucky that he didn’t come up against you?
— As for me, I've had to play against him on the same wing at Anfield before. And I can say that he's a fantastic player and would have helped Liverpool today against Plymouth. At the same time, I wouldn’t want to undermine the contributions of the other players on this team; they wanted to do their best. And I’m happy that we managed to stop them.
—Did you have to sing any song during your introduction to the team? If so, which one?
— Not yet, because the first training session last week was on Friday, and there was a game on Saturday. Then there was an intensive preparation for Liverpool, and overall, it was a tough week. Right now, absolutely everyone is focused on changing the standings of our team. Everyone is trying to give their maximum. We are training intensively and trying to rest effectively since next week will be no less challenging.
—There were rumors that Plymouth wanted to sign Kalyuzhny. Which three Ukrainians would you like to see beside you in Plymouth?
— I would like to see Trubin in goal, Sudakov in midfield, and Mudryk in attack. To gather all my gang and be together. God willing, we will play many games together. Whether it will be for the national team or for some club, you never know. But everyone tries to give their maximum to grow as a footballer. We are friends and support each other, whether we experience failures or great moments.
Danilo Vereitin
