Frenchman Kevin Le Roux was one of Dynamo Kazan‘s hottest transfers of the season. After playing only 9 games with the squad, he went down with an injury. He never returned to form, and ended up resigning from the team and joining French League’s Rennes Volley, a much smaller team. The event was shrouded in controversy, as there were speculations that Le Roux’s injury stemmed from the fact that the team’s then coach Yuri Marichev overworked his players. When the coach was fired, these allegations gained even more ground.
Recently, Dynamo’s player Alexei Ostapenko shined some light into the matter which may help clear some things up. Here is what he had to say during an interview to Russian website http://sport.business-gazeta.ru:
– Why did Le Roux fail in Dynamo?
It’s probably a matter of character. He himself is a little melancholic. After coming to a foreign country, he developed a depression. Plus, training in Russia is difficult. In the rest of Europe, training is lighter. I myself felt it. Plus, Le Roux had some problems with his back. In general, he did not help us much, so he left.
– Why did the team look so bad under Yuri Marichev?
The team had a negative atmosphere. Everyone was overwhelmed psychologically and physically. We started working at 8:30 am and practiced six hours a day with a few days off – everyone was exhausted.
Don’t professional players have to train the way a coach thinks is necessary?
In my opinion, a professional is a person who comes out and shows results, and not just trains from morning till night. We did so and dropped to 12th place in the championship. We simply did not have the energy to play. These were excessive loads.
– What changed with the arrival of Boris Kolchin?
First of all, he removed the tension that hung in the team. We worked hard, but at the same time, there were moments when we could rest morally. There was Football or hockey in training, any change of activities help to defuse the atmosphere, make it more positive. I think the changes have had a positive effect on us. Now our game has become more fluid.
Did Ostapenko throw both Le Roux and Marichev under the bus? It definitely looks like it.
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