Dynamo Kyiv defender Denys Popov shared his impressions of the first training days and praised the newcomer Brian Ceballos.
Denis Popov- This is not the first training day. Are you slowly getting into the swing of things?
- Yes, we have a lot of workload now, so it's a bit difficult. But the guys are doing all the work, trying their best - I think everyone was preparing during the vacation. Now, after the intensive cycle, we will have one half-day off, and then we will continue to train twice a day.
- This morning you worked out in the gym, and in the evening you worked exclusively on the training field...
- Now we use the gym more for muscle activation and warm-ups. The main work now is running, to increase the mileage - that's what we "love" the most. I think that over time, the running load will decrease, and more emphasis will be placed on the gym and strength exercises.
- Is running the hardest job now?
- Yes, definitely. Plus, it's still hot - over 30 degrees outside. It's not that it's hard, but it's stuffy, you can't breathe, everything is melting.
- What is important for an athlete in this heat? Does drinking plenty of water help?
- We are all professionals, and each of us knows what is best for him or her to endure such climatic conditions. We recover, feel for ourselves what we need.
- Today, the team was introduced to a newcomer - a competitor for the position of center back, Brian Ceballos. Did you have time to make a first impression after the first training session?
- He works well with the ball. But let's see him in the match against Shakhtar(Smiles). It's hard to say on the first day, we need to test him in a real "battle" with a good team. In general, if he was invited to Dynamo, then he can't be a bad player.
- What are your expectations from the foreign training camp?
- At the moment, we are not thinking about it yet. Now we need to bring all the players to the same conditions, run a certain mileage, gain physical condition. At the training camp, as always, the coaching staff will play out certain connections and combinations, and closer to the official matches they will decide on the lineup.
