Dynamo Kyiv defender Oleksandr Karavayev gave a long interview to UPL.TV, talking about the team's recent results and his work under Oleksandr Shovkovskyi.
- Did you have a feeling that Dynamo was stronger than Rangers? If so, when did it arise?
- Even after the training camps in Kyiv and Austria, it was clear that we had a lot of potential. There is something to work on, we need to be focused on our work. There is room to grow.
- Could the missed goal in the last seconds in the first match against Rangers have played to your advantage?
- I read the opinions of experts, some also believed that this goal could either break us or vice versa - help us play more for the result. The team was offended, but we understood what we could do to beat this opponent. They are a good team, a powerhouse, but we knew that if we gave them speed and played our disciplined game, we would be able to go further.
- Two goals for Partizan, an assist in the match against Rangers, and a penalty for the opponent. Can you say that now is the best period for you personally at Dynamo?
- Yarmolenko constantly teases me that if the Golden Ball was given for performances in July, August, and early September, I would take it every year(laughs). Usually, this period after the training camp is the most successful for me. At the training camp, you prepare your body for the season and enter ready.
- You didn't go to the Euros, did it help you?
- Maybe because I had a good vacation - almost a month, spent it with my family. And then you come to the training camp with renewed vigor and prepare for the season.
- Nevertheless, you have played 49 matches for the national team. Do you want to celebrate the anniversary?
- Of course, I feel that I can still give a lot to the club and the national team. I feel very good, I train constantly and keep myself in shape. I'm always ready and if I'm needed, I'll be happy to come and show results.
- What can you say about Oleksandr Shovkovskyi as a coach and as a person?
- As a professional, Shovkovsky is very demanding, he pays a lot of attention to all the little things. Even in the training process, he focuses on how you receive the ball, where you shoot. These details play a very important role.
Shovkovskyi is also a motivational psychologist who can give you some advice during a match, as well as in everyday life to help you direct your thoughts in the right direction. And the player will be fully focused on the game. He pays a lot of attention to it.
- Is Shovkovskyi always so calm?
- Yes, but everyone has emotions, and he can also "explode" somewhere if something goes wrong. Shovkovskyi is a human being, like us, but he is very calm and focused.
- You did not play in the match in Rivne. How did you take this decision of the coaching staff?
- It was their decision to leave me, Vanat, Brazhko and Yarmolenko in Poland. We played constantly, so they decided to give us a rest. We have a lot of players in the team, and everyone has to compete. In that match, we should have scored more in the first half to avoid such nervous last minutes.
- Should we expect rotation in the match against Karpaty as well?
- I don't know, to be honest. Whatever decision the coaching staff makes will be made. Once again, we have a lot of competition and everyone must be ready to play.
- Last season, Dynamo was always catching up with Shakhtar in the fight for the championship. Did it bother you?
- I can't say that it bothered us much, but when you are in the lead and have a certain margin of victory, you play more calmly. But when you catch up, it's somewhat psychologically pressuring, because you just need to win.
- Now, since the start of the season, the situation is different.
- Everything is in our hands, feet and heads. The main thing is to go gradually. I think that every year it will be harder and harder to win in the UPL, because even during the war, there are clubs that are well-funded and recruit quality players. This also adds to our motivation. Everyone tunes in to Dynamo in a special way.
- What are your expectations for the match with Karpaty?
- We know that it will be difficult, because they have a young and ambitious team. They have a new coaching staff. We know that our game is also being analyzed. We need to be prepared.