In an interview with the VZBIRNA telegram channel, Ukrainian defender Ilya Zabarnyi of Bournemouth spoke about the start of the Premier League season and his adaptation period in the English Championship.
Ilya Zabarny- In your last match with Brentford, you conceded in the last minutes (2:2)...
- This is football, you have to do your best, no matter where you are: in England or Ukraine. Everything happens, we could have won or lost. We will move on, because there are still many difficult matches ahead - we need to take our points.
- Is the team happy with the start of the season?
- Of course not, we would like to get points, but we understand that the opponent was also probably a higher class, so it's hard to play. But everyone understands that there is still a chance to get points. Not that there is a chance, but it will happen.
- Brentford have Yehor Yarmolyuk, who is almost at the top of the team...
- Yes, I spoke to him before the match. I wished him good luck in the season. This is English football - you need patience. An example is Oleksandr Zinchenko. Footballers first need to adapt well, understand the game, and only then, when you go out, you will do your job 100%.
- Do you keep in touch with our other teammates in the Premier League or are you still far away?
- Yes, I communicate a bit, but of course they are a bit far away. And the schedule is such that there is virtually no time.
- Have you already got involved in this busy English schedule?
- Everything is fine, I have already adapted, I can say 100%. I feel good both in the team and in life. I'm preparing for the games, because the matches are very hard, very exhausting, you really need to be well prepared.
- Because of the high intensity, do you need to be well prepared functionally?
- Well, first of all, yes. But also mentally. You can't be away for a single second. Because the pace is quite high and you need to be focused every moment. If you're with the ball, you can lose it right away, then a counterattack and... You always have to think about your position on the pitch and many other things.
- Do you feel your progress?
- I haven't played many games, but of course I felt it in training, which is a slightly different attitude to football in general. I can say that I have improved in many aspects, but I also see that I can still do better.
