Former Dynamo Kyiv defender Mykyta Burda spoke about his debut season with Kolos Kovaliv and the restart of his career.
Mykyta Burda. Photo by O. Popov"I missed the match against Veres due to the flu"
- Mykyta, Kolos made a confident start in the UPL with a victory over Veres. Does this success reflect the work the team has done at the training camp?
- Only the distance of the season will show how we prepared during the training camp. For me personally, the preparation was not very good because of my illness. I had a very hard time with it, I was sick for 10 days with a fever. Compared to Covid, it was not so bad.
- The illness didn't stop you from coming to Rivne with the team. How are you feeling?
- I think I can get fit for the next game against Rukh (2 March). It's up to the coach to decide.
- Veres lasted 80 minutes with you. Has the opponent changed much in the off-season?
- They were a fighting team, and they still are. We won 2-0 in Kovalivka, but the game was not easy. It was never easy to play with them, even when I was in other teams.
- Kolos is the best defence in the league, but the lack of implementation contributed to the fact that the team drew most of the matches. Did you manage to improve this component during the training camp?
- I think so. We worked hard on it. I hope that this will be seen in the season. Newcomers have joined the team, the guys who left in the first part of the season have recovered and will help us.
- Did Kolos try anything new at the training camp?
- We will try to play differently. You could see it yesterday.
- Indeed. "Kolos, who used to play with three centre-backs, came out to play with two. Was it due to your injury and Mikalai Zolatav's departure to Kazakhstan?
- It's better to ask Yaroslav Vasylovych (Yaroslav Vyshniak - Kolos head coach - ed. note).
- How was the training camp in Turkey?
- There's not much football at the training camp. The first stage is quite unpleasant. A lot of running work.
"Van Leeuwen didn't give me a chance to prove myself at Zorya"
- You came to Kolos before the start of the season. How would you rate your debut season in Kovalivka?
- I am happy that I made the right choice. The most important thing for a footballer is to play. I don't remember the last time I played 15 matches in six months. I have the coach's trust, the team is good. I'm a little dissatisfied with Kolos' current position, but we'll fix it.
- Why Kovalivka?
- My contract with Dynamo has expired. I started thinking about the next step in my career. I don't remember what my options were, but Kolos was the most concrete. After talking to the coach, staying at home, I gladly accepted a new challenge in my career.
- When you came to Kolos, was nothing guaranteed?
- I talked to the coach. He did not say specifically that he would guarantee me a place in the squad because of my background. There was no such thing. Yaroslav Vasilyevich said that he was counting on me, but only if everything goes well with my health and the training process. If I get fit, I will play. Having the coach's trust is the most important thing for a footballer.
- You had a brilliant performance in the 2-0 win over Minaj, when you scored a goal and an assist. Is this match the most memorable in the first part of the season?
- Actually, it was supposed to be Andriy Bogdanov's goal. But I don't think the game against Minaj was the best. We played very well against Chornomorets (2-0) as a team.
- Was it easy for you to adjust to playing with three defenders?
- It took me some time to feel the distances, the partners, how to work in a three-man formation. I like this formation, especially if you watch Italian football.
- Do you feel more comfortable pushing the ball forward or playing up to your partners?
- I feel more comfortable with the ball.
- You had an attempt to restart your career at Zorya, but you didn't play a single match in Patrick van Leeuwen's bronze medal-winning team. Why is that?
- When I joined Zorya, Patrick said some things, but in fact it turned out differently. I didn't even get a micro chance.
- Was there no chance of winning the competition against the Batagov-Imerekov pair?
- I'm not saying I was stronger than the others. The team lost one game in six months. There were no questions, but an unpleasant aftertaste remained. Why did it happen? I don't know. A lot of factors coincided. "Zorya played well, losing only to Shakhtar. Imerekov was having one of the best periods of his career. Maybe the coach didn't like him in the training process or his behaviour. It's hard to say.
- Did you feel comfortable in the team?
- Yes, I did. I was depressed because I didn't play. After a while, I realised that I would not have a chance. I knew a lot of people in the team. Everything was fine in this regard. I didn't have the coach's trust, which is why I didn't play a single minute.
"Every operation does not pass without a trace"
- Your career has been spoilt by injuries to a large extent. How can a young guy not break down when you spend most of your time on the operating table instead of on the pitch?
- It's hard. All the same, you live all these problems with yourself, in your family circle. Even now you think that you can't get time back. Everyone has their own destiny. This is my destiny. I can't do anything about it.
- In the process of recovery, did you follow the medical recommendations or did they cause even more trouble?
- Somewhere in the recovery process, I went wrong. Later, I set up a plan and tried to be professional about it. You can't treat yourself differently when you have something that hurts, is uncomfortable and you need to go through it.
During my career, I have seen a lot of players who didn't bother much about it. They didn't warm up properly, didn't prepare for training or recovery. In my entire career, I have not had a single serious injury. And vice versa, when people follow all the recommendations, prepare themselves and still suffer from various kinds of injuries.
- What do you attribute this to?
- Genetics. If God gave you the health of a certain horse, then nothing will happen, you keep yourself in shape. You can correct it somehow, but it is unrealistic to completely eliminate it. This is my subjective opinion.
I've had enough surgeries. Each of them does not pass without a trace. You recover, but it still has consequences. The body starts working differently, you start taking care of yourself somewhere, you shift the load to the other leg, there is an imbalance in the body.
- Have you ever resorted to biohacking? Did you go to a nutritionist who would put you on a diet? Did you have a lactose test done?
- I tried to keep the diet, but I was failing. There was no noticeable progress in a short period of time, although perhaps I had to endure somewhere. The problem is that as many doctors as there are opinions. You start to believe one, then another...
I listen to my body and try to prepare myself based on my experience. Where to work at full capacity or reduce the load on the body on another day. When your body tells you to stop, it's better to stop than to fly off the handle for a while.
- At Kolos, did you manage to get back what you were missing?
- After my injury at Dynamo, I saw that they were not counting on me. It didn't work out at Zorya. Mentally, it all put a lot of pressure on me. At Kolos, I returned to the usual rhythm, when the training cycle alternates with matches, with the team. You start to enjoy football again. My psychological state has improved a lot, I'm back in football. Two different Nikita's.
- Did you deal with the mental problems yourself?
- Yes. Somehow I got used to dealing with it myself. I didn't even bother anyone at home with my problems. He didn't go to specialists.
- It says a lot about your strong character, thanks to which you returned to big football.
- I really want to spend the time I have left in football with dignity.
- You have played in the UPL with top legionnaires even now, when many foreigners have left the championship. How would you assess the level of the current UPL?
- It seems to me that the championship has levelled up a bit. It is quite unusual to see that Dynamo and Shakhtar are not at the top. Of course, in such circumstances, young people have a chance to prove themselves and progress. This is a very cool experience for them. For the national team, it is a plus that the guys are growing and can reach the level of the top championship.
It's more interesting for the fans. Previously, everyone knew how everything would end and Dynamo and Shakhtar would decide everything between them. Now no one would say that.
- Did any of the opponents impress you a lot?
- Kryvbas looks powerful, Polissia burst into the UPL in their first season.
- Will the emergence of coaching teams in the UPL help our championship reach a new level?
- Of course. You understand that this is a coaching job. It's great that we have more teams and coaches who have their own style and are trying to put football in a European way. When there is a game and a result, it is perceived differently than just a result.
"I will never say anything bad about Dynamo"
- A tricky question: "Will Dynamo be able to solve the problem in the centre of defence?
- I can say one thing. Dynamo will be fine after a bad period. They will cope with all the difficulties. There can be no unqualified players in such a team. I will never say bad things about Dynamo, even if I think something in my head. This is my home team, which I love and care about very much.
- You played together with Oleksandr Shovkovskyi. Did you see even then that he could become a good coach?
- When I started, he was a role model. You could tell he was balanced, calm, and eager to develop himself. He is not the kind of person who would be satisfied with working with goalkeepers. He is just starting out as an independent coach. With his background, he will be a good coach.
Everyone started out once. Rebrov also took over the first team, which he made champions twice and led to the Champions League play-offs, without any experience. Time will tell what kind of coach Oleksandr Volodymyrovych will be. So far, everything looks quite optimistic.
- The crisis in Dynamo's game is associated with Andriy Yarmolenko's injury. Do you see the team's dependence on its leader?
- Yarmolenko is a legend of the club, the captain of the national team. Such a figure inspires young people. In such a team, it is impossible for the team to depend on one player. There is Andriy, there is no Andriy. I don't think it's interconnected. It's just the way things are. You need to be inside to understand the depth of the problem.
- Does the experience you gained in top-level matches come in handy now?
- It's hard to say how it helps Kolos. It's better to ask the coach. I'm very glad that I had such an experience in my career. I hope that I will have the opportunity to play again.
The more matches you play, you gain confidence and make the right decisions in stressful situations. I won't say that I'm to blame. It's great that it happened. I would like to repeat it in the future.
- Can successful performances for Kolos help you return to the national team of Ukraine? Especially since the team is now coached by Serhii Rebrov, who gave you the path to adult football.
- It will not play a role that I once played in Rebrov's team. He is now in charge of the national team, which is represented by top-level players. You have to be realistic: my chances are minimal.
I am doing my job, trying to return to my level at Kolos. I will be very happy if it happens. Now I am fully enjoying football. I watch every game of the national team, I worry about the guys, I know almost everyone.
- Will Rebrov manage to build a vertical in the national teams, as he did at Dynamo?
- I don't know, to be honest. Serhii Stanislavovych has experience. He is a very serious specialist with experience. We'll see how the club experience can be integrated into the national team institute. It's one thing when clubs train in a weekly cycle, and the national team gathers for a week, you can't play something global. It will be interesting to watch. I think everything will be fine. Especially since Andriy Shevchenko did it in the national team
- The last time you were called up to the national team was in 2018. You have experience of working not only with Rebrov, but also with Andrii Shevchenko. What are the differences in the principles of the game offered by our legends?
- They are two different coaches with their own vision. This is European football. This is the kind of football that our national team has never played before. The difference is enormous. More control of the ball, playing as number one, including with the top teams. There was no such thing as the team fighting back.
- Do you have any hobbies outside of football?
- Nowadays, every day I enjoy my free time with my family. I go to the shooting range and try to learn a little bit about handling weapons. Now is the time when you need to be prepared. Otherwise, I mostly relax at home.
- What can Kolos hope for at the end of the season?
- We want to correct the situation in which we find ourselves. We want to be higher. We are not just going to play for fifth place. We will try to give a fight to every opponent, no matter who they are. We had a lot of draws, but the way the matches went, we lacked the decisive shot.
Oleksandr Karpenko
