Dynamo defender Oleksandr Syrota shared his impressions of the first part of the 2022/2023 season, told what he learned from Mircea Lucescu, and also recalled his debut at the capital club.
Oleksandr Syrota— The third place in the results of the first part of the 2022/2023 season for Dynamo cannot be called a positive interim result. What do you see as the objective reasons for such results?
— Of course, the first half of the season was not what we expected and hoped for. Why this happened, the coaching staff will explain to us at the training sessions - we will analyze the mistakes and work on the field in order not to repeat them in the future.
— Also, the team this season did not qualify for the Champions League, and failed in the Europa League at all. Is such a conclusion legitimate?
— In the Champions League, we reached the final qualifying round, but Benfica, who faced us, showed that they are actually a very good team, and in the two matches against them, we could not, or the opponent did not allow, to show all that able
And we were frankly unlucky in the Europa League. For example, if we scored a goal in the first half in the home match against AEK, the score would have been tied, and I am sure we would have won the match. This win would definitely give us confidence. Also, many matches were conceded in the last minutes - probably due to a lack of concentration until the final whistle.
— The team missed a lot, both in championship matches ("Dnipro-1", "Zorya", "Shakhtar") and in European cups. In those matches, the defensive actions were not the best? Already understand what exactly led to this?
— When a team concedes goals, it's not just the defense's fault, because the whole team both concedes and scores. There are both objective and subjective reasons for this - for me, one of the main ones was frequent moves and a lot of time spent on the road, and again, a lack of concentration in the last minutes.
— After the start of the war, many legionnaires who played both in the top teams and in the middle ones left our championship. In general, has the level of the championship weakened or, on the contrary, leveled off?
— Mister told us long before the start of the current season that the championship of Ukraine would be much more difficult and interesting this year. This is how it turned out, because each team can play on an equal footing with the leaders and take points from them.
— In the first part of the season, "Dynamo" had three nominal central defenders - you, Ilya Zabarny and Denis Popov (Nykyta Burda, although he recovered from the injury, played only in one match). How would you rate your partners/competitors for their roles, does competition with them help you grow professionally?
— "Dynamo" has gathered high-quality football players, but the head coach has the final say on who exactly goes on the field in one or another game. I've always said that healthy competition helps me grow professionally, so training together and talking with the guys is only good for me.
— In general, how would you rate your progress over the last three seasons that you have been a player of the Dynamo first team?
- I don't want to evaluate myself - that's what the head coach is for. I can only say that I feel myself gradually adding. Unfortunately, not without mistakes, but I analyze them and move on, trying not to repeat them in the future.
— Why did you study under Mircea Lucescu?
— In general, Mister taught both me and the whole team a lot of new things. And even now, every day, we continue to learn from him, because he has a lot of experience and a lot of things he wants to pass on to us.
— What does Mister say in personal conversations? What does he pay attention to in the first place?
— He always pays a lot of attention to the mistakes that we analyze in theoretical classes and tells how they should be corrected or done in such a way as to minimize them on the field.
— You were also called up to the national team of Ukraine. What can you say about working with Oleksandr Petrakov?
- I really like working under the leadership of Oleksandr Vasyliovych - he is the most positive and emotional coach. So it's always a joy to be in the national team location.
— While at the team's location, you witnessed both the failure of our national team to reach the finals of the 2022 World Cup and the failure in the League of Nations, where the "yellow and blue" could not make it to the elite division. Could the results have been better?
- Of course. I believe that we deserved to go to the final part of the 2022 World Cup and to the elite division of the League of Nations. But, unfortunately, Fortune was not on our side.
— Although you have not performed at the highest level yet, you have already managed to work with many coaches both at Dynamo and in the national teams, from youth to national teams. Can you single out any of the mentors you have met along the way during your career?
- I don't want to single out anyone, everyone made a great contribution, but still, Mister teaches a lot through experience. I would also like to mention Ruslan Petrovych Rotan, who always trusted and believed in me.
— Before joining the main team of Dynamo, you went through the preparatory stages - youth and youth teams, and with both you became the champion of Ukraine in the respective tournaments. Did these tournaments help you develop as a soccer player?
— Of course, this period is very important, because it is extremely difficult to jump from children's football to adult football. And thanks to successful performances at the youth level, the spirit of a winner is developed, which later helps to set and achieve goals already in an adult career.
— Is the championship with Dynamo in 2021 the most significant medal in your career so far?
- So far. In general, that season turned out to be surprisingly successful for us, we won everything we could at home. I hope that in the future "Dynamo" will return to the winning way and continue to win trophies in Ukraine and perform successfully in the European arena.
— Your debut for the main team of "Dynamo" took place in the domestic classic - against "Shakhtar". Remembering your emotions, didn't your knees shake before going on the field?
— Of course, I was very worried before the debut game, and even with such a sign. But as soon as he stepped onto the field, the frenzy disappeared. The fact that all partners supported me, especially Pivarych and team captain Sydorchuk, added to my confidence.
— Andrii Shevchenko called you to the national team for the first time, but you managed to make your debut under Oleksandr Petrakov. Is the team's game significantly different under these two mentors? What did Andrii Mykolayovych focus on, and what was the priority for Oleksandr Vasyliovych?
— I don't like to compare coaches, because everyone has their own style, manner of communication, even expression of emotions.
— Looking back, over these three years, which match can you call the best (both for you personally and for the team), and which, on the contrary, was a failure and one that you would rather forget?
— The best match for me is my debut for the national team in an official match, when we beat Ireland away (1:0) in the Nations League. I can call the return match with Benfica in the playoff round of the current Champions League the worst.
— In one of the interviews, you said that your father dreamed of you becoming a football player, but, unfortunately, he died when you were only six years old. Did he have anything to do with football? Is anyone in the family involved in professional sports?
— My father loved football very much, was a crazy fan of "Dynamo", so he dreamed that I would play for this club. But no one in the family is connected with professional sports.
— Your mother brought you to the soccer section. Did you immediately like the training? Didn't feel like quitting after a while?
— Yes, I was excited about training. I remember that out of 50 children who came to the screening, only I and one other boy were taken. Our joy knew no bounds... And after starting training and playing football, there was never a desire to give up everything.
— True love for football is instilled by coaches in the children's school. Who became a second father for you at the Dynamo school?
— I really liked the time when the Spaniards helped our coaches at the Academy. This mixture of Spanish and Ukrainian teaching style gave a good result. But the love for football was not instilled in me at the Academy, it came to me from my father.
— After starting your studies at Dynamo DYFSH, were there any options after that with a change of team? Maybe there were offers from other children's academies in Ukraine or even from abroad?
— I was never interested in such questions, but only engaged in my favorite business. And the options, if there were, probably nothing concrete - only an agent will be able to tell more about this, since I was always focused on performances only for Dynamo.
— Now all thoughts are about football, or is there time for personal life? Do you have a girlfriend?
— I believe that you should always find time for your personal life. Yes, I have a girlfriend, we have been dating for a little over three years.
— What are your hobbies outside the football field?
— I like to spend time with friends, go to the movies, play video games together. I am also interested in tennis.
Pavlo KLYMENKO
