On Monday 29 May, in the match of the 29th round of the Ukrainian championship Dynamo Kyiv defeated Veres Rivne 3-0. The game took place at the Avangard stadium in Rivne. The post-match press conference of the teams' head coaches is to your attention.
Oleksandr SHOVKOVSKY, acting head coach of Dynamo:
- First of all I would like to thank our defenders and fullbacks for allowing us to hold these matches. Yesterday was Kyiv Day, and we all know what presents the enemy prepared for us that night. But we have made it! We will stand! And we will definitely win! No matter what happens, no matter how it all turns out.
Once again I want to thank our warriors and wish them to return home as soon as possible after our victory, to come back alive and healthy, to celebrate our victories in the matches together with the fans in the stands.
As for the game itself, we prepared thoroughly for it. You know that Mister has already returned from surgery. Yes, he is still moving with the help of crutches, but he is constantly with the team, he sees everything, manages all the training process and we are constantly in touch with him.
We understood that our today's opponents are fighting for survival - we are deciding whether they will remain in the UPL. We understand that and emphasized it in the preparation of the team to the match, tuning the players that the game will not be easy.
We can say that we no longer have tournament goals, but we have our face! Which the players must not lose under any circumstances.
Александр Шовковский. Фото — А.ПоповWe should have made it 3-0 midway through the second half, but instead we not only missed the chances but also earned a penalty on fair play. Had the opponents been luckier, the game could have gone very differently. 3-0 is a result that suits us, of course, but judging by the game we failed the second half in defence.
- What did you say to the team at half-time after the unsuccessful first half, when "Veres" had an opportunity to open the account?
- We made some comments on the organization of the game. And, let's say, we put certain accents, based on how Veres played.
But to say something specific... Have you ever heard a coach say at least once what the conversation was about at half-time? (Laughs). I perfectly understand your interest, but you should also understand us. We analyze, make comments, set the accents. Today it worked. Although, again, we missed a few good chances to build on our lead and make the game more relaxed. And so, unfortunately, it turned out to be a nervous ending. However, as it almost always happened with Dynamo in this championship...
- In 1994, you played here against Veres as a Dynamo goalkeeper, and then the Rivne team was strong. You should compare that "Veres" and the present one.
- In 1994, I was 19, I thought football in a different way, looked at the game in general and mine in particular. And, of course, I generally did not analyze the game as a coach. Therefore, my perception then and now are completely different things. I looked at everything differently. So I cannot compare those events and those, and somehow analyze it. Moreover, to be honest, I don`t remember how I played in Rivne in those years.
But we are always changing. What was once normal is not enough today. In order not to stand still, one must move, go forward, but to be ahead one must be a sprinter.
- If Dynamo president offered you to become a full-fledged head coach after this season, would you accept?
- I have so many dreams, if I say all of them out loud, none of them will come true. As the saying goes, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.
I manage the team in the locker room, just before the game, during the game, and I try to perform my duties as best as possible. I will never tell you what we talk about with the team, I will never tell you the content of individual conversations with players, I will never tell you any details about our training process that you would be interested in. But I can say that my character has been hardened over the years. This was facilitated not only by the good moments, but also by the ones you want to forget. But it is the latter that make your core inside.
I will pass on all my knowledge to the players. No matter in what capacity. I am currently acting head coach and I do everything to ensure that the boys perform on the field what the coaching staff wants them to do. Some things they succeed, some not, but there is also the rival, who also sets their own goals.
I can say one thing: I work with pleasure! And I will work with pleasure in the future. And time will show in what status.
Юрий Вирт. Фото — А.ПоповYuriy VIRT, Veres' head coach:
- I thanked the guys for their attitude to the game. The first half was equal. Defensively we played responsibly, but we had to play better offensively. We lost balls easy and could not attack well. We played well on defence; the opponents, in fact, had no chances to get the ball to us. That's how we set up the team. But we still need chances for goals.
As for the second half, the first goal came after the second pass to us, the boys didn`t solve the problem in defense, and then Ramires`s mastery played its role.
When the score was 1-0, we had to cover the opponents "above", and Dynamo are a great team, which in this situation used their quality. Of course, that unrealized penalty... We just "nicked" it. And it is not the first time.
After that, we simply became and switched off the game. And conceded two more goals. Then it did not matter which score we would lose - 0-2 or 0-3.
Had we got a draw today, or even won, everything would have been decided in the last round. So we will prepare for the match with "Ingults" which we have to win. That's all. But for confidence in psychological terms, of course, it would be better to play 1-1 today. Again, for the attitude to the game I`ve thanked the guys, but the class of the rival had an impact, who is clearly more skillful than us and whose players are individually stronger than "Veres" players. However, if we act responsibly, we can play even with this team. In the meantime, the main match of the season is with "Ingults" on Sunday.
- You said that it is not the first time you have not converted penalties. Why does this happen?
- Bliznychenko scores from the spot, but today he was not on the field. And Shestakov didn`t have enough skill. You should not invent anything in such situations. Yes, very often we don`t take penalties. It is the skill of players, psychology. Shestakov took responsibility, but a football player has no right to take a penalty shot like that. Maybe he was pressured by the surname Buschan: he is standing in goal, the national team goalkeeper. I have nothing to comment on here, it is very difficult to do. We could have snatched a draw with Dynamo. It would have been prestigious for the club. It was a pity Bliznychenko was absent. He is a master of penalty kicks.
Alexander POPOV from Avangard Stadium
