Ukrainian defender of Everton Vitaliy Mykolenko in an interview with the club's press service spoke about his adaptation in the Liverpool club, and also shared his expectations from the next match of the championship of England - against Aston Villa.
Vitaly Mikolenko. Photo: Gettyimages- Vitali, you seem to be enjoying your football this season with Everton. What is the secret of your success?
- I work hard at every training session. I remember when I got injured in July, I started training with our physiotherapists and worked really hard to get back. Every training session has been hard for me and now I'm adapting to the league, which is important.
I feel more confident when I go out to play against top teams. I'm always looking to get better and become a better footballer and that motivation really helps me to move forward.
- What is it like playing under Sean Dyche?
- The first few months it took me a while to get used to a new manager with new ideas and rules. It's normal, but now everyone understands the rules and what is expected of us.
He doesn't talk much. He speaks short and it's easy to understand. I like that because I know what he wants and he brings a good atmosphere to the team.
The head coach told me after the Chelsea game that I played great. Before that it was just, 'It was good' or something like that, but about this game he said: "Awesome. It was awesome!
- What did he say he wants from you as a defenceman?
- He just makes it clear what he wants: for me to win individual duels, to defend well but also to contribute in attacks.
However, it's obvious that he wants me to act intelligently. If we are facing a good attacking team and a strong striker, he won't want me to overdo it in attack. It's about being sensible and picking my moments to join the attack.
- How would you rate this season as a member of the Everton squad?
- When I heard the news about dropping points it was hard to understand, but when it comes to training I can see that everyone wants more points because we don't want to be at the bottom of the table. I think after that we realised that we have to work in the same direction - together. I'm sure we can avoid any danger.
- The team had a really good start last month: four wins in a row without conceding a goal, then the results changed. What do you attribute this to?
- It's hard to say, but we had a lot of games in December. We started well, beating Forest away, winning twice at home and then we beat Burnley. Maybe a few injuries changed our squad - it was tough.
- Obviously, in the last meeting with Palace, the team had to sit deep in the defence with the whole squad after the suspension of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. What do you think about the cancellation of this penalty?
- Yes, I was very relieved. We had a few injured players but thankfully people are coming back and that's good. It's great for us too that Dominic is available.
- Overall, how are you adjusting to life in Liverpool? We are doing this interview in English and you speak very well.
- Maybe not very well, but I'm always trying to improve. Even my translator said that I speak better, but my English will continue to improve. The first year here was difficult for me and my girlfriend, but now I like it here.
I feel much better in the locker room now. I understand the jokes - even the scouser's accent! When I moved here, it was more difficult at first, but now I feel much more comfortable.
- Of course, there are problems in your homeland, Ukraine. How has it affected you and what are your hopes for the future?
- I hope it ends as soon as possible because it's terrible for the whole world. I try to forget about the war on the pitch because it doesn't help me. I concentrate on good emotions and try to send good messages to the people of Ukraine. If I play well, I think it will be good for our country.
- What do you do to relax away from football? I heard that you like fishing.
- At the moment, there is no fishing because it is too cold. I recently went to Paris for a few days with my girlfriend and it was nice to "switch off" from football. It was nice to relax after such a busy December.
- Returning to the issues on the pitch, the next game will be a meeting with Aston Villa. This is one of the best teams in the Premier League. What do you expect from them?
- They have a good manager, a very good manager. They know what to do on the pitch. It's hard to play against a team like that because they know all their roles. But we play at Goodison and we can beat anyone in front of our home fans.
Translation and adaptation by Vladimir BOBYR
