Former Dynamo defender Artem Shabanov gave his first interview as a player for Zhytomyr's Polissia.
Artem Shabanov (photo: polissyafc.com)- Share your first impressions of the team: who have you already met in the team, maybe you knew some of the guys before?
- I used to know Yevhen Morozko and Pylyp Budkivskyi. I played with Andrii Hitchenko when I started. My impressions are pleasant, the team has accepted me very well. It's too early to say what will happen next, it's only the third day. We'll see how things go.
- How well do you know Yurii Kalitvintsev, what do you think of his style of work and his vision of football?
- I haven't followed Yuriy Kalitvintsev's coaching career and I haven't trained with him before. But I really like what I see now. A good training process, everything is done with the ball, very football-like exercises. So now I am very happy to be working with him.
- Did you follow Polissia, did you watch the team's matches and results before coming here?
- I watched a few matches because my friend Yevhen Morozko plays here and I followed his performances. When I came here, I called him and asked him how everything was going - good or bad. He gave me good recommendations, so I made my choice and I really hope that this choice will be good.
- If FC Polissia were a car, what brand would it be?
- I don't know, it's a rather difficult question. Let's say it would be a Mercedes. Because I like this car.
- You played abroad for several years, did you follow the UPL?
- I tried to follow Dynamo Kyiv, tried to watch every match whenever I had the chance. There are a lot of good rivals now: "Zorya, Dnipro, Oleksandriya, Vorskla. I think that the championship is not bad at all, but on the contrary, it is a very good level. This season, there are good teams from the First League. Therefore, I think next year it will be harder to fight for getting into the European Cups and the Conference League.
- How do you think Polissia will join the country's elite football division this season?
- It's hard to talk about anything now, because the holidays have just ended and everyone is in different conditions. Perhaps at the next election I will be able to say more precisely and answer this question more confidently. Now we are running a lot, working hard and it is difficult to predict anything.
- What football qualities do you consider most valuable for a player of your position?
- You need to play very well from the top, read the game, be able to cover your partner, and now all European teams want centre-backs to start attacks and work very well with the ball. I think that's the level that should be there: a defender who can start an attack, impose a fight, and be very strong in one-on-one combat, so that it is difficult to beat him.
- What things in everyday life are unbearable for you ?
- There must be discipline in the team, I always get annoyed when someone does something alone, for example, when the coach is telling something and someone either kicks the ball or hits something, something like that. They don't listen to the coach, they're late, something like that. It's very annoying. When someone somehow shows their "I". This is very annoying. This is, firstly, disrespect for the coach, and secondly, for the team, for the guys. That's why such things are annoying.
- A question from the fans. Tell us about a match that you are happy to remember?
- Dynamo vs Barcelona, when we played at the Camp Nou. It's nice to remember, we played well, even though we lost 2-1. Many matches: with Chelsea, but we played badly then - we lost 3-0. With Olympiacos, when we won the last 16 and then got to Chelsea. There were many matches that are nice to remember.
- How did it feel to play against Barcelona?
- We usually arrived two days in advance and went to training. And then no one could do anything, we couldn't pass two passes to each other. During the match, of course, the first 10 minutes were very difficult. It was obvious that the guys were nervous, and nothing worked out either. But then everything somehow went well. During the game, you forget about everything and try to play as well as possible, regardless of the opponent. You want to show your level against such players. And I think we played well enough then.
- Will you celebrate a goal if you score against Dynamo?
- I don't know. If it's a winner and for first place, then I will celebrate.
- The last question from our fans is probably more about your football youth. Do you miss Kvartsiany?
- There were some good moments, but no, I don't miss him.
- Now we are watched and read by Polissia fans. What would Artem Shabanov like to say to the people who support the Zhytomyr team?
- Cheer for Zhytomyr, victories are ahead!
