Acting head coach of Zorya Luhansk Yuriy Koval summed up the results of the first part of the season for his team.
Yuriy Koval- 2023 is a jubilee year in the club's history for Zorya. On the hundredth anniversary, the team went from being a championship contender to an outsider (14th place in the UPL standings after 17 rounds - ed.) I would be interested to hear your assessment of the team's performance in the first half of the season.
- The situation here is simple. A very short pause in the summer, the departure of leading players: Brazhka, Imerekov, Rusin, Buletsa. And the most important thing is the departure of Patrick van Leeuwen. The players who joined the team in the summer were agreed with him. New players were invited on his recommendation. When the pre-season starts and there is no coach, of course, this week before we left for the training camp in Poland confused all the cards.
Then Lalatovic arrived at the training camp. Very few players worked at the training camp, and here I agree with Nenad. We played a lot of control matches, which were agreed by the previous coaching staff. We had to play these matches to the detriment of preparing for the championship, which resulted in injuries. Churko and Butko fell out. Before the start of the championship, Zorya was missing six players from the starting line-up who defined the game last season.
Lalatović's style is completely different from the football that Patrick instilled. After ten days of preparation, it was difficult for him to figure out which scheme to play. Because Patrick has developed a structure of the game, the Dutch system. The players were taught what to do. It was accessible and understandable. A new coach comes in, tries to rebuild, find the best combination of players on the field. It doesn't always work out right. Plus, there are problems in the central axis - first of all, the defence and the support area. Hence the unconvincing results. The alternation of victories and defeats.
If Patrick preached vertical football, mobility, training for which you have to run a long distance, then Lalatovic's system is based on the fact that players have to improvise and play according to the situation.
- Then Valery Kriventsov came in.
- He tried to teach the team intelligent football, based on the player's intelligence, changes, good attacking play, and elements of pressure.
All the coaches conducted quality training sessions. Watching from the outside, I can't say that any of them prepared the players incorrectly. In such a short period of time, the change in style, coaching opinion, and lack of personnel makes it impossible to rotate the squad while it was being formed and players were being selected. All of the above components have led to what we have now.
I don't see a big tragedy here. Every team has fluctuations. "Zorya, if you remember, was in decline after Vernydub, when they invited a group of young players from Dnipro-1 (Lunin, Kochergin, Lunev, Svatok - ed.). Today, Bol and Yatsyk are not yet strong enough, so in combination with the foreigners and the rest of the players, they could not carry the team's game. There are certain positions that need to be strengthened.
We are definitely not inferior to other teams in terms of speed and player qualifications. Only time will tell how much Zorya will be able to improve its performance.
- How will Zorya get out of this situation?
- This is a temporary phenomenon. The position Zorya is currently in does not match the club's ambitions. In the spring, we will not be torn on two fronts, we have a squad, training camps are planned, and the selection is being prepared.
- Before your eyes, Zorya has gone from a hopeless outsider to one of the medal contenders. What will be the task in the second part of the season?
- This is the phenomenon of Zorya. 10 years ago, we left our hometown and moved to Zaporizhzhia. This is the second year the team has been based in Kyiv. At first we trained in Nyvky, but when the children returned, we had to move to another place. Even such everyday moments have an impact. How much effort the club president puts into keeping the team alive!
The lack of material facilities is compensated for by the right training process, the choice of coach, and the results. "In recent games, Zorya have shown that they have the character and are ready to fight to the end. Therefore, Zorya will fight for the European Cups to the last, no matter how ridiculous it may sound. This is the task at hand.
- From the selection point of view, did Zorya fail with anyone?
- In terms of selection, there were problems for one reason. We have three young goalkeepers. The season started with Saputin, who was first-choice all last season. Sasha had a slump and Turbayevsky got a chance, who started well and started to make mistakes in the distance. Don't forget about the European Cups. You have to constantly rotate the squad, and logistics have been added to the mix.
A team with a stable squad can play on two fronts. Of course, some players did not develop as we wanted. Legionnaires have a very good potential, but we have to wait for them to reveal themselves. Much depends on experienced players.
- Will the young Dynamo players be able to benefit Zorya in the long run?
- We really hope for Yatsyk, Voloshyn Gorbach, Bol. They need to improve their athleticism, get older, and they will bring a lot of benefit to the team.
- After changing three coaches, you had to manage the team in the last matches of 2023. Is working with a whistle very different from a supporting role?
- Yes, I was without a whistle, but under my supervision we built a structure between the U-19 and first team. Plus, I give lectures for the UAF Licensing Centre.
The management process is divided into two parts - player management and the training process. Given that I give lectures, I have to know the latest techniques.
For me, having had a 32-year professional career, it was not difficult to enter the coaching role. If I had gone and worked as a housekeeper and then picked up a whistle, it would have been one moment. I am involved in all the processes of interaction between the first and second teams, training of our coaches.
I am constantly in touch with everyone, no adaptation was required. The situation was such that we had to help the team shake up. I think we have solved this problem.
- At what stage is Zorya in the search for a new coach?
- Koval is a temporary phenomenon. In order to avoid frequent coaching changes and to have some perspective, we need to find a coach. If one coach holds a training camp and another is signed, the summer story will repeat itself.
- The media often mentioned the name of Raymond Atteweld, who could continue van Leeuwen's work at Zorya.
- Kucher came there, others came. The press has the task of stirring up interest in certain moments Negotiations are underway with more than one coach. The main thing is not to make a mistake.
Oleksandr Karpenko
