Midfielder of Dynamo Kyiv Justin Lonwijk, who moved to the capital club during the season, told what these few months in Kyiv were like for him.
Justin Longwijk. Photo — Y. Yuryev
- Justin, was it not easy to immediately get used to the new team and become part of it?
- Of course, I needed time to adapt to the football that the head coach preaches. It is also better to know the playing style of each teammate in order to interact well with them on the field.
It was really hard for me at first. But I tried to get the most information and experience from each training session, carefully watched who and what was doing on the field. I tried to get used to the team as quickly as possible, get used to its style of play, in order to start to be useful in matches.
- Now you can already compare the Ukrainian championship with the Danish one, in which you started this season. What are the main differences? What did you have to get used to here?
- It seems to me that in the Ukrainian championship there is more emphasis on physical condition. The main thing I had to adapt to was that Dynamo had a lot of possession of the ball, and most of our opponents sat low and defended with the whole team. This is very different from how Viborg had to play in the Danish championship.
- In the matches in which you participated, you organically fit into the Dynamo triangle in the center of the field. Easily established a relationship with Sidorchuk and Buyalsky?
— Yes, these guys are really very smart football players. In addition, they have been playing in the team for a long time, they feel its game perfectly. In the matches we were able to interact well, everything came naturally, because, again, these are very smart players who see the field well, which made it easier for me to adapt to the command mechanisms in the center of the field.
- Your shots from a distance each time carried a threat to the opponents' goal. Is this a demand from Lucescu to shoot more often on goal from a distance, or is it your usual way of playing?
- To some extent, this is my style of play, because I know that I can shoot well from a distance. But Lucescu also tells me that if there is an opportunity to strike from afar, then you need to hit. So I have a kind of carte blanche to use my punch at every opportunity.
— Have you already had time to get to know Kyiv better?
— During the season, I didn’t have much free time, but several times I dined in the city and saw Kyiv a little. Of course, not everything I wanted yet, but from what I saw, I can say that this is a very beautiful city.
- Are your relatives very worried about the fact that you live in a country in which there is now a war?
— Of course, they are closely following the news about what is happening in Ukraine. Sometimes their anxiety intensifies and they call me or text me to see if I'm okay. I try to calm them down.
— With whom do you most often spend your free time in Kyiv?
- Most often with Ruslan Neshcheret, Vlad Vanat, Tomas Kendzera. We sometimes go out for dinner together, because these, like me, now mostly live at the base.
— Where do you spend your holidays? What are your plans for the Christmas holidays?
— First, I went to my native Tilburg to my family. And now I am in the Netherlands, meeting here with all my relatives and friends whom I have not seen for a long time. My family and I are planning to celebrate Christmas in Paris.
— In the junior and youth teams of PSV, you played together with Cody Gakpo, one of the main discoveries of the 2022 World Cup. Are you friends with him?
- In fact, Cody and I have been on the same team all the time since the age of 10, starting with the PSV U-11 team and right up to U-19. That is a little over nine years. Yes, we still sometimes communicate, keep in touch. Naturally, I wished him good luck before the World Championship.
- Do you think that after such a performance in Qatar, he has a good chance of moving to one of the top European clubs?
— I am sure that he will play for a top club. After his goals at the World Cup, he is now on everyone's lips. He made a very significant step forward, and I am sincerely happy for him.
- Who else from the team do you know well?
- I played in the youth team with Matthijs de Ligt, he was a substitute in this championship. Of those who got into the final application, I still know Noah Lang, he was also born in 1999, we somehow crossed paths in the youth team.
— In general, do you carefully follow the 2022 World Cup? How many matches did you watch?
— Yes, I watched almost all the matches of our national team. Unfortunately, the Netherlands did not make it to the finals or medal matches, but the team played well. It's a shame that we lost in the penalty shootout, because it's always a lottery, where the chances are 50/50.
- Who will you root for in the final?
- I tend to "cheer" for France, because Argentina knocked out our team. Yes, I will support France.
- Is becoming a player of the national team your goal for the near future?
- I don't focus specifically on getting into the national team, I'm more focused on my game, on Dynamo. And it will come by itself when I'm really ready. The main thing now is to demonstrate a good game and progress in Dynamo.
