FC Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Oleksandr Andriyevskyi summed up the season and spoke about his future.
- How would you rate Dynamo's past season? What was it like?
- Very difficult. We did not fulfill our goal, so we cannot take credit for it.
- I remember, before the season kicked off, all the experts one-voiced their opinion that Dynamo should win the title. Did it play a cruel joke on the team?
- No, it had no effect at all. I do not know what was the reason. I am sure we will fix it next season.
- This season you have scored a lot of beautiful goals from long range. I have always wondered: how much time do you spend on training for long-range shots?
- At every training session I try to stay in goal. When I have free time and there is not a lot of practice, I am happy to stay on the field and shoot on goal. Sometimes goalkeepers stay with me and we practice this component together.
- What was the greatest distance from which you scored in training?
- I don't know... Maybe 30 metres.
- And from the centre of the field?
- Well, I`ve been scoring in the game. But no, it also happened in training.
- How did you react to the news that Mircea Lucescu was forced to take a break and go for treatment?
- Of course, we were surprised. But we understood that we had to continue to play, there were a lot of games ahead. Oleksandr Volodymyrovych (Shovkovs'kyi - ed.) was on loan from Mircea Lucescu. In his turn, Mister was always on the phone, so we did not feel that he was not physically present. He carried out theoretical studies, so we can't say he took a forced pause.
- You have played a few games under Oleksandr Shovkovskiy. In football circles, goalkeepers are often called 'aliens', because they look at the game in a completely different way, unlike field players. Did you feel a fundamentally different approach, working under the guidance of the former goalkeeper?
- The trainings were not particularly different, because Mister managed them remotely. But otherwise, I liked it: Shovkovskiy talks to the players, he has extensive game experience and it is always interesting to talk to him.
- Mister was physically present at one of the last training sessions. What did he say upon his return, what words did he find for the team?
- He didn't say anything in particular, we just reviewed our game as usual, then the opponents, and then he tuned us up for the next games. That is, no special features, everything was normal.
- Did the team have a final meeting with the club president?
- No, the team did not. I think that the captain talked to the president.
- What moment from the last championship would you like to forget?
- Probably the fact that we`ve finished in the fourth place. In general, there were enough unpleasant moments. There were some positive moments at the end of the season for me, but the final result spoiled everything. We need to correct it.
- OK, and the opposite question: the warmest moment of the season?
- Shakhtar's goal.
- Are you upset by the fact that following the season results two of your former clubs were relegated: Metalist in the UPL and Gornyak-Sport in the First League?
- Yes, I`ve been following "Gornyk-Sport" and "Metalist", because there are still good friends of mine, both players and members of coaching staff. I would like for them to stay. But they have serious problems at the club, I know that for 3-4 months the guys have not received their salaries. I do not understand how with such an approach the players should have solved the tournament problems. Motivation is very important.
- There are a lot of rumours about your future: in particular, there is talk about the interest of "Polesie". How close to the truth is it?
- At this point, I'm not holding any negotiations.
- That is, your future is tied to Dynamo?
- Today it is so, I have an acting contract with Dynamo.
- For a long time I was subscribed to the DTP-Kyiv sub-public and I saw that you often reacted to the posts. Aren`t you afraid of getting behind the wheel after all the content you`ve seen?
- You know, it disciplines you in some way. In the sense that when you're driving and there is an idea of a potential violation, you immediately think 10 times whether it is necessary to do this, whether it is necessary to step on the gas more or it is better to drive by the rules? Because it is not always up to you what happens on the road. Not everything you can control, you have to keep in mind and obey traffic rules.
By the way, it is a good publicity club. Its administrator, Antonov, does a very good and useful job for the community.
- What are your plans for holiday, given that you cannot leave the country?
- Right now I'm dealing with the dentist, some minor things need to be sorted out. And then I will go somewhere to the western regions of Ukraine. On the 26th we`re getting out of the holiday. There`s not much time, but I thought it would be less. It`s good that there`s such an opportunity now.
Daniel Vereitin