Shakhtar's newcomer Bohdan Mykhailychenko spoke about his adaptation to the Donetsk club, commented on the Champions League draw and shared his plans for the future.
Bogdan Mikhailichenko. Photo: shakhtar.com— Bohdan, a month has passed since you moved to Shakhtar. How would you rate the adaptation to the new club?
- Basically, it's fine. I went through the training camp with the team. It is most important! I got acquainted with the requirements of the coach, got to know the Shakhtar players better. There were no problems with adaptation. New guys are coming to the team. We need to play more. And, perhaps, that is why the match of the first round of the UPL with Metalist 1925 we drew 0:0.
- Were you dissatisfied with a draw in the opening round?
- I don't think that Shakhtar will ever be satisfied with a draw. Of course we wanted to win. And they did everything for this. But this is football. We understand that they will play against us in such a way that it will be difficult for us to open the opponents' defense. Therefore, we are now doing more work to open the defense.
- You are a former Dynamo player, a graduate of Dynamo, moved to Shakhtar. Was it easy to make such a decision?
- I was looking for options to continue my career, because I had not played for Anderlecht for a year. I was not the main player of the Belgian team, so I was looking for a loan option at another club. When the offer from Shakhtar appeared, I did not even consider this option. I immediately agreed. But, of course, I want to thank all the coaches with whom I worked at Dynamo. They gave me a lot. But that's how life happened. And I don't see anything wrong with moving to Shakhtar.
- Did you quickly adapt to Shakhtar? Did you know many guys?
- Oh sure! We played against each other. And I know them from the games for the Ukrainian national team. Therefore, there were no problems.
— Which of Shakhtar's off-season friendly matches did you like the most?
- I think the most interesting match was with Roma (0:5). It was interesting to check our condition and find out our level. It was the hardest and most interesting fight.
- Why is Igor Jovicevich's training interesting? Do they have something special?
— Yes, there is a place for new exercises in the training process. The workouts are intense. Lots of play activities. More emphasis is placed on tactical nuances. I can also say that Jovicevich is a great motivator. It is a pleasure to work under his leadership.
- Shakhtar's next match in the UPL will be against Yuriy Vernydub's Kryvbas, with whom you worked at Zorya. How do you and the team prepare for this fight?
— Yes, of course, we have known Yury Nikolayevich for a very long time. And I know how he sets his team up for matches. So it will be a very tough game. We are diligently preparing for this fight. And I hope that Shakhtar will win this match.
— How do you like the Champions League draw? What do you think about Shakhtar's rivals, namely Real Madrid, Leipzig and Celtic?
- I can only say that there are no weak opponents in the Champions League. And I think that there will be very difficult matches. I think it's every footballer's dream to play in the Champions League against teams like Real Madrid, Leipzig and Celtic. Therefore, we will prepare for these meetings and play for the whole of Ukraine.
— Shakhtar is a rather young team now. What do you think, how will you try to achieve positive results in these European Cup meetings?
- First of all, in these matches all the players will get great experience. Many have not yet played in the Champions League. The older guys will give advice to those who do not yet have experience playing in the Champions League. How can we achieve positive results? It is closer to the games that the coaching staff will tell you how we will play and try to achieve a positive result. But, I think it will be counter-attacking football.
— Do you think you will play on counterattacks?
- I think yes. Let's see though. Maybe we'll play like Barcelona (laughs).
— Shakhtar's home matches in the Champions League will be held in Poland, namely in Warsaw. Do you expect that there will be a full house at the fights? Considering that there are not so many Champions League matches in Poland and the fact that there are a lot of Ukrainians in this country now.
- Of course, I would like this. When you play with a full stadium, these are completely different emotions. Of course, I want to play Champions League matches at a full stadium.
— By the way, they write that the UPL match between Shakhtar and Dynamo can be played in London. Do you think this is a good idea?
- I dont know. I also read this post. I don't know how to take it. I think it would be better to play in Ukraine. But how it will be, I don't know. I would like to play in Ukraine.
— How would you rate the period of work at Anderlecht? In your debut match, you scored a handsome goal and played 41 matches for the Brussels team. With Anderlecht, you took fourth and third places in the Belgian championship.
— The first season at Anderlecht was good for me. I played a lot for the Brussels team and everything went well. But then a very good Spanish footballer Sergio Gomez joined the team. We had good competition. I lost it. Of course, I wanted more. But how it happened, it happened. Regarding these two years at Anderlecht, I can only thank this Belgian club. I am especially grateful for the fact that I was given a lot of attention individually. I can say that Anderlecht is a very young team with great potential for the future.
- Based on the results of the Conference League draw, Anderlecht will play with West Ham, Silkeborg and Steaua in the group round of the Conference League. What do you think are their chances of getting out of the group?
- Anderlecht has a young team, but the guys have been playing together for two years now. Therefore, it will be difficult for everyone to play against Brussels. I hope they get out of the group.
— By the way, how did you play under the leadership of Vincent Kompany, who has taken charge of the English Championship team Burnley since the new season?
“Company is a young coach who devotes all his time to football. He has some new thoughts about football. He did a lot for young football players.
- Do you think he will be able to rock with Burnley in the Championship?
- I hope so. He took some guys from Anderlecht with him to Burnley. So hopefully they will succeed.
- In September, the matches of the Ukrainian national team in the League of Nations. Do you hope to be called up to the national team?
- Of course, I really want to play for the national team again. The dream of any footballer is to play for the national team. But my job is to enter the field as part of Shakhtar Donetsk and show my best version. And as it will be, so it will be.
Dmitry KOTKOV
