Dynamo Kyiv defender Taras Mykhavko spoke at the winter training camp in Turkey about preparations for the second part of the season, his move to Dynamo U-19 from Lviv FC and adaptation to the first team.
Тарас Михавко- The training camp in Turkey is coming to an end, what kind of shape are you in? Are you ready for the resumption of the season?
- The training camp is hard, but I'm used to it, and I'm generally ready for the second part of the championship. This is my first training camp in an adult team, and it so happened that it was with Dynamo.
- How do they differ from the training camps with the youngsters?
- In the first team, the workload is much greater, but psychologically, everything is fine. In the youth team, we spent more time on endurance and preparing for work in the first team.
- Did you train with the first team during the season?
- Yes, in the autumn I was periodically involved in training, but I played for the U-19s.
- Did you manage to adapt to the first team? How do your senior partners help you?
- At first it was difficult because I didn't know the guys, but over time I got used to it and got to know them. The senior partners help, advise and show me how to make the right decisions on the pitch. So everything is fine.
- The other day, Andrii Yarmolenko was training with the boys, and the boys looked at him with admiration, how do you feel about working with the legend of Ukrainian football?
- It's only positive, because when I was 13-14 years old, I used to watch the matches, cheer for Dynamo and Yarmolenko in particular. I look up to him as a professional on the football field and in life.
- Who was your football idol in childhood?
- Among the world football stars, probably Lionel Messi, among the Ukrainian ones - Andriy Shevchenko and, as I said, Andriy Yarmolenko. In general, I have been supporting Dynamo since childhood. Of all the Ukrainian teams, I have always preferred the White and Blues.
- How did your move to Dynamo go last summer?
- I played for FC Lviv, and at the end of the season I received an offer from Dynamo and several other Ukrainian clubs, but I didn't hesitate and chose the capital's club right away. The president of FC Lviv's children's and youth school told me that there was an opportunity to go to Kyiv. I agreed and went for a medical examination, and then to the training camp with the Dynamo U-19 team.
- You immediately became the main player there, missing only one match in the first half of the season. How did you manage to do that?
- It was easy to adapt, because I had already played at this level for FC Lviv. Of course, these teams have different tasks, but I quickly got used to it, the guys accepted me well.
- This year's U-19 championship is very interesting, with four teams fighting for the championship at once, can we say that the level of competition has risen?
- Yes, indeed, more teams are competing for the top places, so I think the championship has really become much stronger. There are strong teams that improve the quality of the championship.
- Who do you communicate with the most during the training camp?
- With Matvey Ponomarenko, I share a room with him. In addition, with Vladislav Vanat, Vladimir Brazhko, Nazar Voloshin. In general, with everyone a little bit, but mainly with the guys who have recently joined the first team from the U-19s.
- In the last match you played in two positions at once. Is the role of full-back new to you?
- It's not new, I played in the centre of the pitch at the youth level, so I know what to do and how to play in this position. It's just a completely different level. There were no worries because the match went well and I played well too.
- In general, are games with adult teams like Dynamo Tbilisi a new level for you?
- Such matches are very difficult, it's a new challenge for me, I try to prove and show what I can do in every match. Of course, the opponents are much stronger than the ones I played with before, but I'm slowly getting used to it.
