Artem Kozak, a graduate of Dynamo Kyiv who now plays for Polissia Zhytomyr, shared his opinion on the new head coach of the Ukrainian youth national team, Unai Melhosa, under whom he played for Dynamo U-19.
- What is Unai Melgosa's coaching approach?
- He lives in the process and demands a lot from his players, teaches them. I think that a lot of things will be new to the players, because this coach lives for the team.
Melgosa is also very meticulous and emotional, which distinguishes him from Ukrainian coaches. This is generally a special feature of the Spaniards. They are famous for their emotionality in all aspects, and it's very cool. The players feel that they are squeezing the maximum out of them.
- What are his football principles?
- He wants the team to always play aggressively. This is probably his main leitmotif. He demanded aggression in the press and forward play. We often used elements of vertical football. The team was focused on the result.
- Does he have a high workload?
- The training sessions are very intense, although not too long.
- How good is he as a psychologist?
- He communicates with the players. I think we need to get the most out of him and learn from him.
- What are the strongest qualities of this coach?
- He has a clear vision of football. Thanks to this, he gets the best out of the players.
- Have you noticed any drawbacks in his work?
- I had enough of everything. I won the championship and went on to play football.
- Who from your team improved the most under his leadership?
- The entire Dynamo U-19 squad of that time was actively growing thanks to Melgosa and Vicente Gomez. Now these players play in the top leagues of various championships and have a name in Ukrainian football.
- Perhaps, on the contrary, someone didn't like this specialist's approach?
- There were a few, which is also normal.
- Did Melgosa have any favourites in the team?
- No, he treated everyone equally.
- What were the peculiarities of working with the Spaniards in terms of organisational or everyday issues?
- They have a very specific sense of humour. Sometimes you can't tell when they are joking and when they are being serious. It was cool, you could always laugh. He was treated as well as our players and coaches.
- How would you rate his work at Dynamo on a ten-point scale?
- I would give him a ten. In the system that Serhii Rebrov built, the Spanish staff with Melgosa, Vicente, Alberto Bosch and Raul Riancho helped the youngsters grow a lot.
- In your opinion, was it a good decision to appoint Melgosa to replace Ruslan Rotan? Will this transition from one coach to another be organic?
- I think this replacement is a very good fit. The guys took a lot from Ruslan Petrovich. He had his own style, which is similar to Melhosa's football. Perhaps some nuances in the game will be changed, but the essence will remain the same. The players will only win.
- Rotan will remain the coach of the Olympic team. Do you think the players' attitude to him will change when they have a different coaching staff in the youth team?
- How can the authority of a man who played in the Europa League final and brought so many victories to our youth and national teams be shaken? Everyone in Ukraine knows Ruslan Petrovych on the good side. None of the young players will doubt his authority.
- What do you expect from Melhosa's work with the youth team?
- I think that the team should qualify for the next Euro no less confidently than it was with Rotan.
Dmytro Venkov