The head coach of Dynamo Kyiv, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, has spoken about the end of the 2023/24 season.
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi. Photo by O. Popov"Congratulations, Dear Fans!
One of the most difficult and emotional seasons in my football career has come to an end. It was my debut season at the helm of the great club Dynamo Kyiv! It left me with a lot of memories, both bright moments and, unfortunately, not so bright ones...
The first thing I want to say is that before the war started, I could never have imagined that one day we would be involved in a match that would last 4 hours... I could not have dreamed in a nightmare that the players would recuperate for the second half not in the locker room, but in the stadium bunker, hiding from missile attacks... This is our modern reality... But we are still alive and doing what we love!
And I will never get tired of repeating: the fact that we play football is the merit of our Heroes, Defenders, who protect us from the enemy at the cost of their own lives! The fact that football is developing in Ukraine in the era of full-scale war only proves the invincibility and invincibility of our sports nation. A nation of patriots and winners! We are waiting for and believe in our main Victory - not on the football field, but on the battlefield!
Second. I told the team at the end of the season that I was proud of them. I am proud of the dedication and effort of my players. I am proud of the desire and passion in the game and in the training process.
I think we did quite well in the spring stage of the championship, and we lacked just a little bit to achieve our goal. But I see the potential in my team. I see the individual growth of each player... They are becoming better than themselves. And this is a significant argument that gives me hope for success in our near future football.
Third. When you take on a serious and responsible project, you desperately need like-minded people, and people whose opinion plays an important role in your decision-making. For me, Mikhail Mikhailov, Oleg Gusev, Emil Karas, Sergey Fedorov, and Vitaly Kulyba are exactly those people. I am also grateful to Mircea Lucescu for the opportunity to work with him, which brought me new knowledge, experience and confidence.
Fourth. I would like to sincerely thank the club's management for their trust. Leading Dynamo is a huge challenge for me as a young coach. I can say with my hand on my heart: my biggest football wish is to always win! That's why I want to emphasise that our task for the next season is to bring the gold medals back to Kyiv.
In the meantime, let's watch and cheer for our guys in the ranks of the National and Olympic teams! Now we have Ukraine to show the whole world that we are invincible! We support and believe in our guys!
Together to Victory!
Glory to Ukraine!
Glory to the Nation!
Glory to the Armed Forces!
Everything will be Ukraine!" Shovkovsky wrote on his Facebook page.
