Mircea Lucescu: "Our squad is made up of players aged 19-20, but they are progressing well"

In an interview with Bresciaoggi, Mircea Lucescu, the head coach of FC Dynamo Kyiv, recalled the period of his coaching career at the Italian side Brescia, which he coached from 1991 to 1995, the discovery of Andrea Pirlo and also touched again on the fact that he stayed in Ukraine despite the war.

- What's special about Brescia?

- It's a beautiful city, very peaceful. There is no hustle and bustle and it is very comfortable to work here. Also, you make friends easily in this city, it's not hard to adapt to the local customs, and that's very important too.

- You came to Italy in 1990. How did you meet Brescia president Gino Corioni?

- I remember that once in Italy there were matches organised for Romanian teams. I played with my side Dinamo Bucharest in Bologna where I saw Corioni for the first time. We played against Sampdoria in 1989 in the quarterfinals of the Cup Winners' Cup. On that occasion, Corioni invited us into his company. Since then, we've remained friends.

- And this friendship quickly developed into a professional relationship.

- The following year, I returned for a series of friendly matches. We faced Bologna, among others. Having seen how my Dynamo played with young players in the squad, Corioni was delighted. He wanted me straight away, in 1990, just after the revolution in Romania. But then Pisa's president Roma Anconetani put more pressure on me and in the end I signed with that particular club.

- Nevertheless, your arrival at Brescia was delayed by just one year.

- "Brescia was my luck, especially meeting Corioni, one of the best club presidents I have had in my career. With him, football was football, matches were matches: it was very important. But off the pitch, we were united: we played tennis. A friend more than a president. At Brescia, thanks to him, I experienced one of the most brilliant periods of my life.

- You were among the first to spot the immense talent of the very young Pirlo.

- Let me tell you how it was. An Anglo-Italian game on a very difficult pitch: we were facing Ipswich. It was on 11 October 1995.

We were 2-1 up and at the end of the match I sent Pirlo, who was only 16 years old, onto the pitch. He loses the ball in the middle of the pitch. It's okay, it happens, but our defence gets distracted and the score is 2-2. The game ends with that result. Many asked me in the dressing room why I sent such a young player onto the pitch at such a delicate moment. I replied that he is a big talent, who in a short time will become the best midfielder in the world. And now we have to help him become great. And we must also allow him to make mistakes.

- After this season, Josep Guardiola has overtaken you in the number of trophies won.

- In this regard, I would like to advise all European coaches to go to work in the East, where it is much harder to realise themselves and achieve their goals. Everything is available in Western Europe. And you can buy the players you want. I have always worked with the youth in Eastern Europe. Matuzalem, Willian, Douglas Costa, Mkhitaryan, Fernandinho, Luiz Adriano - I took all these players in my team when they were 18 years old. At the same time, big clubs can not afford to wait for the talent, they prefer to acquire experienced players aged 27-28, if not older than 30.

- You stayed in Kyiv Dynamo in spite of the war. How is the situation now?

- It is hard, very hard. No one knows how it will end.

- And how do you feel about football in such a context?

- Training often stops and you have to go to the shelter. During the matches of the Ukrainian championship the alarm may also go off: you stop playing, run to the shelter, you can sit there for a whole hour, and only then you resume the game. The matches are played without fans.

But if it weren't for football, things would be even more difficult. This game gives you the feeling that life goes on. That's why I did not leave Ukraine, where I spent exceptional moments. When the war started on 24 February last year, almost all the Legionnaires left.

- But Lucescu did not.

- I had to stay, even when things got worse: the issue of responsibility, respect for people and fans.

- Your Dynamo Kyiv will play in European competitions again next year.

- Yes, we will play for the first time in the Conference League. Last season we sold our best players to England and Spain, and now our squad is made up of the boys aged 19-20. But they are progressing well.

Translated and adapted by Dynamo.kiev.ua, hyperlink is required if using the material!