Former Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Yevhen Smyrnyi told us how he moved from the capital's club to Oleksandriya last summer.
- Zhenya, let's go back a few months. How did you become a player for Oleksandriya?
- Dynamo and Oleksandriya agreed on everything. I don't know all the details.
- It seemed most logical for you to return to Kolos, where you made a name for yourself at the senior level...
- Kolos was also interested, but we didn't agree on the money.
- Do they hold any grudges against you in Kovalivka?
- What's done is done. Now I am a player of Oleksandriya.
- How would you assess the first six months in Oleksandriya?
- A lot of young people have come. The team has changed by half. It was necessary to understand the requirements of the coaching staff. These six months were spent in training mode. It's time to show the result.
- Against their background, you can be considered an experienced footballer, because you once played on loan at Kolos and Chornomorets. Does this experience help you now?
- I don't think I'm that experienced a player. I continue to develop and improve my game.
- Looking back at your Odesa career, it was not an easy one, as Chornomorets fans did not like you.
- As far as I know, if we hadn't gone to Chornomorets, the team could have disappeared altogether. Chornomorets fans believed that the team could become a pharmaceutical club of Dynamo. The club didn't have much money at the time.
- Was the transition to adult football difficult for you?
- All young players who have been out of practice at Dynamo need to get out of the warm bath and learn.
- Do you personally understand Rotan's football?
- Yes, because I was called up by Ruslan Petrovych to the youth national team of Ukraine. It didn't take much time to adapt.
- Which of the matches in the first round is the most memorable for you?
- Against Dynamo (2-4). It was the first time I played against them officially.
- What is the Oleksandriya coaching staff preparing the players for in the second half of the season?
- For us to play as the first team, as aggressively as possible from a position of strength. To improve the game in the third zone.
- What did the move to Oleksandriya give you personally?
- I like that the coaching staff wants to play football with the ball. Not just kick it forward. I definitely discovered a lot for myself in terms of tactics, playing on the third. There are a lot of team moments that the coaches instil in us. This is definitely a plus for me.
Oleksandr Karpenko