Oleksandr Andrievskyi: "I want to play football, not sit on the bench"

"Dynamo" midfielder Oleksandr Andrievskyi shared his impressions of the first part of the season, named the possible reasons for the failure in the European Cups, recalled the milestones of his career before returning to his hometown in 2018, and also told what he will do when Ukraine wins the war.

"Dnipro-1" is an unexpected leader, and the game of "Shakhtar" did not get worse after the departure of the legionnaires"

— Let's start with the results and impressions of 2022. Is Dnipro-1 the surprise leader after the first part of the season? Or are the people of Dnipro rightfully at the top of the standings?

- For me personally, it was unexpected, I did not expect such dexterity from them. But at the same time, I liked how they played in the first part of the season, and luck was often on their side. Now it will be interesting to see the team and the results in the spring.

— "Shakhtar" lost almost all legionnaires and the head coach with the beginning of the war. Has the miners' game changed much from the outside?

— Yes, it has changed, but not for the worse. Especially in the matches of the Champions League, it was noticeable that the Miners now have a united, coherent team that is able to solve serious problems.

— In general, what can you say about the level of the championship of Ukraine? Has it become weaker after the mass exodus of legionnaires or, on the contrary, more competitive?

— I think the level has dropped a little, but over time, I think the legionnaires will return, and young domestic football players will also gain experience, so the championship will only become stronger.

— "Dynamo" started with two defeats in the championship of Ukraine - against "Dnipro-1" and "Zora". What was the mood within the team at the time?

— Of course, not the best. Everyone was upset because they didn't understand why this was happening. At trainings, everyone gave their all, prepared, dissected opponents, but on the field, everything went haywire. However, with each other's support, we eventually managed to overcome this in-game crisis, which could not last long.

— In the match against "Zorya" the victory was generally won by Ex-Dynamo team - in particular, goals were scored by Rusyn and Brazhko. Did you expect such a "pretext" from them?

— Not as expected... Knowing their strong qualities, for me there is nothing surprising in their performance. But the fact that we lost on our field actually both surprised and saddened me.

— For you, matches with the same "Zorya" or "Chronmorets" are of principle, taking into account the experience of performing for these teams?

- No, there were never any such moods at all. I have very good memories from Chornomorets and Odesa, and from Zorya and Zaporozhye, where the Luhansk club is based. So when our teams play each other, it's always nice to see everyone I've worked with before.

— In general, the current third place with a gap of five points from the leader is an acceptable result with the prospect of fighting for the championship?

— There is, of course, a prospect, but such a result cannot be called acceptable for Dynamo, as we must always be first. The second round will put everything in its place, and, I am sure, the whole struggle is still ahead.

"They wanted to play in the Champions League, but in fact they could not win a single victory in the Europa League"

— Can it be called a failure in the European Cups this season? Or was this final result influenced by objective reasons?

— Now it is difficult to say what exactly caused such a negative result. First of all, there is a war going on in our country, because of which we had to spend a lot of time on the road, and this definitely affected the training process, the training was not as high-quality as it could have been in our home walls, at our base in Konchi- fall asleep It was also mentally difficult, because all the guys were worried about their families, children and parents - and this also had a big impact.

— Was it possible to play Benfica in the physical and psychological conditions the team was in at that time? What was missing in the first place?

- There were no complaints about the physical conditions at that time - we were very well prepared, we did intensive training, and there were no problems with the physical condition. But the psychological state, taking into account the news coming from Ukraine, left much to be desired.

Despite all this, Benfica is a very strong opponent, comparable in level to Ajax, against whom we played under Oleksandr Khatskevich, and then in that season Amsterdam reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. So, taking into account how Benfica performed at the current group stage (the Lisbon team took first place in the group with PSG, Juventus and Maccabi Haifa. - ref. "UF"), the Lisbon team is quite capable of repeating the path of Ajax several years ago.

— Dynamo scored only one point in the Europa League group. The fact that the team could not play home matches in Kyiv and Ukraine in general had a strong psychological impact?

— Of course, our fans were not enough - that's 100%. But that shouldn't be an excuse. Our goal was to play in the Champions League, but it turned out that we couldn't win even in the Europa League. In my opinion, there are reasons for this, but I do not want to make excuses for such a performance.

— In general, how would you rate the reception in Poland, where Dynamo played home matches in the European Cups?

— No complaints before reception, everything was at the highest level. In general, both football teams and our refugee citizens who were forced to flee from Ukraine were very warmly received in Poland. And for this, a big thank you to Poland for such hospitality.

— Did the president of the club go to the locker room after the matches, talk to the players and the coaching staff?

— Yes, the president was always with the team, often entered the locker room, both after victories and after unsatisfactory results.

"When I wanted to leave, the coaches said that Dynamo needed him

— You have not played so many matches this season. Considering you're not in your first year with the team, how satisfied are you with your status as a rotation player?

— Of course, I don't play that often, so I can't say that I'm satisfied with my position. I want to play more, but it has its nuances.

— In this regard, there are no thoughts about changing the team in search of game practice?

— In general, I am in constant contact with my agent, and if there are interesting options, we will approach and talk with the management, coaching staff. I want to play football, not sit on the bench.

— How long is your contract with Dynamo? Are there any plans to continue it?

— The contract is valid until 2025, so it is too early to think about its extension. Of course, I am happy to be in such a club as Dynamo, and if I were to play, I would be happy to stay in Kyiv. If not, then I will think about what to do next.

— Starting from 2018, when you returned to Dynamo from Zora, were there any options to continue your career in another club?

— The options were almost at the level of conversations, and this often happened. I approached the coaches to be released in order to get game practice, but they always told me that Dynamo needed me.

— Now many Ukrainian football players go abroad, performing in the championships of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Belgium. Would you like to try your hand at Europe?

— If there was an offer from clubs from Belgium or the Czech Republic, I would be happy to consider it. And I had options during the time I was playing for Dynamo. But, once again, in order for the matter to move from words to specifics, the agreement of the coaching staff and the president was needed...

"League One is a good school for a young footballer"

— You are a native of Kyiv, but you graduated from the Metalist football school, played for the Kharkiv team. How did you end up in Kharkiv?

— He took his first steps in football at the "Dynamo" children's school, but after playing little, he transferred to "Atleta", another capital football club. Already there, I was noticed by the breeder Yevhen Kucheryavtsev and offered me and my parents to go to "Metalist" for a screening. We agreed, and in the end I got into the academy of Kharkiv people, and from there - to the backup team of Metalist.

— Do you think you did the right thing by leaving Kyiv?

- I think so. Going from "Athlete" to "Metalist" was pretty good at the time. Moreover, there were not particularly other options, and I met many good people in Kharkiv who later helped me a lot.

— "Metalist" played in the top league, played in European cups, but you had to go on loan to the first league. Did the performances for "Girnyk-Sport" come in handy?

- Undoubtedly. The then coach of Hirnyka-Sport Ihor Zhabchenko helped me a lot to adapt to the team, plus a very good team was selected at that time. Everyone advised me to accept Hirnyk-Sport's offer in order to truly experience men's football. During the time I spent in the first league, I managed to both score and provide assists, so I think in football terms I definitely grew up there.

— In general, is the First National League a good school for a young football player? Or, on the contrary, can you break your career there?

— Undoubtedly, this is a very good school, and the First League, in my opinion, is an order of magnitude higher than the former reserve championship. But with all this, the coach should really feel the moment when to let a young player into the squad, so as not to harm the formation of a football player.

— Can we say that you really experienced top-level football while playing in Zora in the 2017/18 season?

— Probably yes, because with Lugansk I played in the Europa League, and our opponents were such teams as German Hertha, Spanish Athletic, Swedish Ostersund, who at that time was coached by the current coach of London Chelsea, Graham Potter . Then, thanks to Yuri Mykolayovych Vernydub, I experienced high-quality football, and I really liked it. However, in the championship, we did not manage to win bronze, and because of this, it is very unfortunate: after losing to "Vorskla" in the last round, we missed the Poltava team to third place, and we ourselves remained fourth.

— How is Yuriy Vernydub in the training process, when he is not seen by the fans — just as expressive?

- Yes, one-on-one - both in the training process and during matches. In my opinion, this is his advantage - he is an open person, he does not hide anything and always says what he thinks to his face.

— When you moved to Dynamo in 2018, did you feel like you were coming home?

— Yes, of course, because I am a native of Kyiv and I really wanted to be at home. Especially in such a legendary club as "Dynamo" (Kyiv). It was a great honor.

— How did your Kyivan parents take this news?

- Positive. My father is a long-time Dynamo fan, and he was pleased that I was invited to the club. But it is also important for him that I play, have practice, and when I sit on the bench, we both get nervous.

— In general, do you have a sports family? Are there any other professional athletes besides you?

— There are no professionals. At one time, my father played at the amateur level, and he instilled the love of football in me. Although, I remember, I came to my first training sessions at the children's school, so to speak, from under a stick, with tears in my eyes, but with each training session I liked it more and more and soon I was happy to go to training sessions.

"Mister gave us confidence in our own abilities - as a result, winning the championship, the Cup and the Super Cup"

— You are 28 years old, the prime of life for a football player. Do you think there is a chance to get into the national team, for which you were called up earlier and played one match?

— Of course, I really want to, because it is an honor for every football player. But time will tell, and now I don't want to make any far-sighted promises. I will try and do my best.

— In order to be called up to the national team, you need to become the main player in Dynamo. Who is your main competition for a position at the club and what do you need to add to win the competition?

— Among my competitors, you can name Sydorchuk, Shaparenko, Shepelev, and we have healthy competition in our team. As for what needs to be added, it's probably better to ask the coach. Personally, I know about my shortcomings, which I work on carefully, but I will not talk about them.

— In general, how interesting is it to work with Mister?

- He is without a doubt a legendary coach who won a lot of trophies during his career, so you can definitely learn a lot from him.

— What new things did he bring to the training process, what are his main requirements in matches?

— First of all, don't mindlessly hit the ball forward, try to play combinations through the pass, analyze our game and opponents in theoretical classes in detail. Also, we must have maximum concentration, both in matches and in training, even in the simplest exercise of holding the ball. But the most important thing he gave us was self-confidence. In the first season after Mr.'s arrival, we became champions, as well as the owners of the Cup and the Super Cup of Ukraine, and for this we have to thank him.

"February 24 is my sister's birthday, but this year there was no celebration..."

— Now Ukraine and all Ukrainians are going through terrible times. Remember how you met on February 24 when the full-scale invasion began?

— As I recall, we were supposed to arrive from Turkey two or three days later, but the coaching staff decided to return home on February 21, as we already had a tough training camp. As for the morning of the 24th, like most people, I woke up to the sounds of explosions. To be honest, I didn't know what to do. I looked out the window, saw huge traffic jams on the roads, so I decided not to go anywhere and wait at home for messages from the club. It is noteworthy that February 24 is also my sister's birthday, but then there was no time for celebrations...

— As far as I know, the club organized a transfer for local football players who wanted to go abroad to a safe place...

— Yes, I took my mother and sister across the border so as not to worry about them, for this I am very grateful to the Dynamo management. My father and I were at the club base in Koncha-Zaspa, in case the enemy attacked Kyiv, we could escape with him into the forest.

— For some football players, their relatives and friends were in occupation for a long time — for example, Karavaev's parents stayed all the time in Kherson...

— Yes, and it's actually very scary. Thank God, all my relatives are in Zhytomyr region, and everything was more or less calm there.

— Did someone you know go to defend the country with a weapon in their hands?

— Just the other day I found out that my classmate died at the front. Of course, I read the news, how many of our boys are dying. Moreover, if from our side the native land is protected by the flower of the nation, then from the opposite side only bio-waste comes at us - convicts, drug addicts, thieves, etc.

— What wishes do you have for the people of Ukraine in this difficult time?

- The most important thing is a peaceful sky above our heads, health to loved ones and victories at the front. We believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and our President. I have already promised my family that when Ukraine wins the war, I will drink a glass of champagne on this occasion - it will be the first alcohol in my life (smiles, note: "UF"). I hope it will happen as soon as possible.

Oleksandr KARPENKO