Former Dynamo Kyiv defender Mykyta Burda, who joined Kolos Kovaliv before the start of this season, assessed the start of his new team in the Ukrainian league and shared his thoughts on today's match against Shakhtar Donetsk in the 5th round of the championship.
Mykyta Burda. Photo - koloskovalivka.com- Mykyta, last round you played a difficult match against Rukh (1-1). It so happened that as of now it was a meeting of the championship leaders. How would you rate this game for yourself and the team?
- If we recall that game, the 1-1 result is more positive for us than for Rukh. They were closer to winning, they had more chances, and in general, I really liked Rukh as a team, they have improved a lot this season. The game was tough, firstly, it was very hot. "Arena Lviv is a specific stadium, it is quite closed and in such weather it is difficult to circulate air there. That's why it was physically difficult.
Secondly, Rukh has a lot of young players and it is clear that they have been working hard on their physicality, in the first half we looked better, but in the second half they had the advantage. Therefore, the draw was a more positive result for us than for them. In general, it was a good game.
- While Rukh has a lot of young players, this off-season you have assembled a team of experienced guys. How did the arrival of so many masters affect the atmosphere in the team?
- Everything is fine, we communicate well, we have a warm team spirit. It is clear that we all knew each other, but now we are in the same team and are getting to know each other better. Now we need to show a good result, which is the measure of whether the team is doing well in terms of atmosphere. The season will show everything, you can say that everything is great, but there will be no result. Or you can say nothing and see the result. Only the final standings will show everything.
- You joined Kolos this summer, even though many Ukrainian players are now leaving to play abroad. What was the factor that influenced your decision to choose a Ukrainian club to continue your career?
- There were options, but I can't say that it came down to specifics. Also, to be honest, these are not the clubs for which I wanted to leave my home, Ukraine. I wanted to stay here. Of course, if they were top teams at my level, then I would consider such options. But I wanted to stay in Ukraine more, and secondly, Kolos is the only club that has voiced specifics. The club chose me, and I said yes.
I am very impressed with Kolos, I have known the club for a long time, I played with them in the regional championship when I was in Dynamo's youth teams and Kolos played in the amateurs. During this time, the club has shown fantastic progress, rising from amateurs to the Premier League, building a base and a stadium. Several factors coincided, so I ended up at Kolos.
- Your next league game is against Shakhtar, and you had a Ukrainian Cup game last week. How intense is this schedule at the beginning of the season?
- Everything is fine, we worked hard at the training camp, and playing matches is better than training. Of course, if you look at myself, it's a bit hard for me to endure so many matches, but not because of the workload, but because of the weather conditions. When it's hot, it takes even more energy and the body needs more thorough recovery so that you are ready for the next match. The calendar is really tough - Rukh, the Cup match and then Shakhtar. But when there is a positive result, it is easier to work and fatigue is better tolerated.
- Shakhtar have already dropped points twice in the current league, drawing with Veres and Kryvbas. Did it surprise you?
- Of course it did. "Shakhtar is the leader of Ukrainian football, a top team. Therefore, when they lose points, it is always a bit of a sensation. I like the fact that the leaders are losing points now. It used to be that Shakhtar or Dynamo would play, you would switch on the game, and in the 30th minute the score would be 2-0 and the fate of the match would be de facto clear. It's great that there are now many teams that can take points away from the favourites, and I think this championship will only benefit from this.
