Pakhtakor head coach and Dynamo legend Maxim Shatskikh commented on the victory over the Bilo-Syni in a friendly match and not only.
Maxim Shatskikh (photo: 1927.kiev.ua)- Congratulations on your victory! How does it feel to beat a club you have spent so many years with?
- Good emotions. To beat such an opponent is always very nice. Moreover, it was our last game at the training camp. Most importantly, the guys have shown their level of readiness at the moment.
I liked the speed we showed, but in the final phase we did not see what we wanted to. But in terms of movement we looked good, in terms of desire and commitment - also. We saw what we wanted to see.
Also, we should not forget that it's the end of training camp. "We`ve had enough of energy, we`re tired mentally and psychologically. But today the boys looked good, in some episodes very good. Plus, of course, I would like the quality of the field to be better.
- Do you think the result is logical?
- The result is such a thing. The game was interesting, we could have scored more, we could have conceded. But it turned out that we won against Dynamo.
- Did you talk to Mircea Lucescu after the game?
- No.
- During this winter break, you managed to play with the two UPL leaders - Dynamo and Dnipro-1 (0:3), how would you rate the level of those teams?
- They are different, and different in style. We played against Dnipro-1 earlier, at that time we were in a different state. Now everyone is in more or less good shape.
- Who has a better chance of winning the championship - Shakhtar, Dynamo or Dnipro-1?
- I have always said: "The end of the championship will show who will be in what place. Now everyone has learned to play football, both attacking and defending. Only Dynamo is a championship team, and Dnipro-1 is a bit less experienced, which is important. We have the feeling that they are champions, and it is in Dynamo blood.
We will see how Dynamo and Dnipro will look in the second round, but there is also Shakhtar. The championship is more or less, I try to watch all games, especially Dynamo. The championship is flat now, you can't beat anyone just like that.
- Has the earthquake in Turkey a few days ago had any impact on your training camp?
- No, it did not. When it was the most powerful first earthquake, I did not feel anything - it was at night. But in the morning the guys said they woke up and it was a little scary. The next day we were sitting in a restaurant having lunch and it shook a little, just a little. And that, thank God, was the end of it.
- Your training process has not changed?
- No, everything was on schedule. Everything that we`ve planned - that`s what we`ve done.
- Will there be any strengthening at the training camp or there`s no one to watch?
- We didn`t plan to add anyone to the previews. We`ve bought players before the training camp, but unfortunately, our new guys got injured and we could not see them in full. Plus, the window closes today. By the time until the next transfer window the squad we have, so it will be.
- Let's return to "Dynamo". Why is there no new Shatskikh in the team?
- Well, there is only one, there will be no more (laughs). Only joking, of course, but it is a problem not only for Dynamo. It is a problem in global football in general. Everyone wants some fast striker, scoring and everything else. And we have a problem with it in Uzbekistan, we have no strikers. We need to find them, reeducate them, do something with it.
- Who can replace Viktor Tsygankov after his transfer to Girona?
- It is hard to say. There is no such individual qualities as Vitya at present in Dynamo. But it is all compensated by teamwork. They have people on the flank, and there are talented young lads on the way. Unfortunately, it takes time to train them, for them to understand and hear what is required of them.
- Ilya Zabarny switched from Dynamo to APL outsider Bournemouth. Did you expect his move to England?
- I expected him to go. I thought exactly there - to the APL, because in terms of style and qualities Ilya should have gone to England in the first place. There was no doubt that Zabarniy deserved to try his forces in the APL. When the transfer happened, such a move was absolutely normal. All the more, for the central defender there is an equal substitute in Dynamo - Popov, Sirota, younger guys. I think, Dynamo players should go through this loss painlessly, and Zabarniy should go and play in a stronger championship.
- Mykhailo Mudryk and Chelsea - what will come of it?
- We'll see, he also needs time. He has been there, figuratively speaking, for a week. Mudrik will be there now, he will adapt, get used to "Chelsea" game. We will see how he will do in the second year. There are no strong expectations that he will transform English football there. There are a lot of players of this level there. The main thing is for him to be at his level.
Andriy SHEVCHENKO
