Dynamo Kyiv striker Ihor Horbach, who is currently on loan to Zorya Luhansk, told us about the latest news from his current team's camp.
- How is Zorya spending the pre-season in Turkey?
- The training camp is difficult. Training is exhausting. In terms of running work, it resembles the training camp with Dynamo under Lucescu. We run a lot, try to prepare well physically and tactically.
The first lap was a failure, but now we are not talking about what happened. We'll try to improve the situation. Everyone wants to do their best. I think the second round will be completely different for Zorya.
- It is noticeable that Zorya has drawn conclusions from the summer, having been active in the transfer market. How do the newcomers feel in the team?
- We have a very good team, so the newcomers have been well received. They feel comfortable and integrate into the squad. They are treated well in the team.
- Have you talked to each other about the realities they might face in Ukraine?
- We haven't talked about it. I think they should think about where they are going. They have to assess the situation themselves. If they agreed to move to Zorya, they must have assessed all the consequences. The whole world sees what the orcs are doing, so their decision to move to Zorya is the answer to your question.
- Has the competition at Zorya increased compared to the summer?
- It has grown a lot. When I came to Zorya, there were personnel losses. There were a lot of injuries. Now everyone is back, newcomers have arrived. The competition has increased significantly.
- Having passed the training camp led by Yurii Koval, what requirements does his staff set for the players?
- We have increased our aggression. Yuriy Koval demands that we quickly enter the tackle when we lose the ball, so that we can quickly switch from defence to attack.
- What is the atmosphere in the Zorya camp before the UPL restart?
- I don't want to throw around big words. In my opinion, the situation is improving. We started to act more confidently, we have thrown off the moral burden. The team has a more friendly atmosphere. When you are constantly losing, there is tension in the air, criticism from all sides. Now we feel more relaxed.
The thing I like about us is that we don't feel like we failed the first round and resigned ourselves to this situation. We want to fix everything. No one is going to give up. We were written off early on. Everything will be completely different in the second round.
- You are playing your debut season in adult football. Was the transition from youth football difficult for you?
- The pace of the game is very different. The level of performers is higher. I think I coped with it well. The guys in the team helped me to make this transition easier and not to worry about every little thing.
- Did the fact that Bol, Yatsyk, Voloshin, who were also in the Dynamo structure, play alongside you make it easier for you to adapt?
- It helped a lot, especially at the first stage, when you come to a new team, you don't know anyone and you are with people with whom you have spent a lot of time. You have common interests. You can immediately live in the same room.
Now we are one team. We communicate with all the guys. There is no division into groups. I want us to transfer this to the football field. I'm not interested in what happened. I'm interested in what will happen next.
- Did you set tasks for Zorya for the second part of the season?
- There is no clear place we have to take. We will move from match to match.
-Your bright performances in the Zorya shirt came in the European Cups (Horbach scored 3 goals and gave two assists in the group stage of the Conference League - ed.) Could the team really fight to get out of the group?
- The situation in the league was superimposed on the European Cups. Everyone understands that the logistics issue was difficult. We were constantly on the road, there was not enough time to recover. We didn't play weak teams. Their class was higher than ours, if we face the truth. If we performed like that, it means that we were not ready to compete with Ghent and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
- In the first match against Breidablok (1-0), you scored your first goal at the adult level. Can you describe your emotions?
- It was an important goal, because we had a pretty good chance to get out of the group. It was definitely the most memorable goal for me.
- Did the postponement of the first match against Maccabi due to the new conflict with the Palestinians ruin all of Zorya's plans?
- In this situation, UEFA was more in favour of Maccabi. At that time, everything was just beginning there. We are also in a state of war. Perhaps, in some ways, it was right that we entered their position. If this had happened in February 2022, I don't know if we could have played football at all. We wanted everything to be on a sporting basis, not to get ahead by playing office games.
- Despite the disastrous first round, Zorya had some good matches. Which of them do you remember the most?
- Against Dnipro-1 (0-1). All our matches were not easy, even the shootout with Obolon (4-2). The championship has become more competitive. There is no clear leader who can take on everyone.
- Which of your rivals surprised you?
- I can't say that anyone surprised me. The way the coaches prepared us for the matches, that's what happened on the pitch. I can't really single anyone out.
- On 26 February, Zorya will open the second part of the season against Vorskla. How is the team approaching the UPL restart?
- A fighting spirit. We have not yet dismantled Vorskla. We start from ourselves. We are trying to improve our game. I believe that we are able to impose our own game on Vorskla, rather than adjust to the opponent.
- You have outgrown the U-19 team. Have you received an invitation from the head coach of the youth team Unai Melhosa?
- There were no conversations. I hope that my game will attract the attention of the coaching staff of the youth national team of Ukraine.
- You have six months left on your loan at Zorya, which coincides with the end of your contract with Dynamo. Have you been offered a new deal?
- This topic has not yet been raised, so I can't tell you anything.
- Did Zorya offer you a full-fledged deal?
- I'm not thinking about it now. Events can change at any second. I'm thinking about something else entirely. I will try to help Zorya and improve my game. This is a priority for me.
Oleksandr Karpenko