The head coach of Lviv's Karpaty Vladyslav Lupashko spoke about his game philosophy.
- We are not going to retreat. It's much easier to build a 4-4-2 formation, stand in the middle block and run out on the counterattack. It's not difficult to build - I'm sure it can be done in a month. You need to improve your physical condition, play on the counterattack, do specific exercises and achieve results. But here, a lot needs to be changed and brought to a completely different level. It is technically very difficult. I really don't like it when people say that there are no players, we can't play, give us others.
Even now I can see how much our older players have grown. They have changed a lot, even compared to the first match. A little over a month has passed, and they are completely different players. They are different in those things that are often said to be unchangeable. I mean the technical work on the ball.
I've heard a lot of good things about Kononov's Karpaty. I agree, they looked very interesting back then. The team was different from the rest in the championship. But I also remember that the two seasons were very difficult.
When asked at a press conference yesterday how long it would take, I replied that some people need a year, some people need two years, some people need three years, but there is no need for deadlines. If we have chosen a direction, if we have the trust of the president and the management, if they see changes that are going for the better, then this is the main thing.
We were hired because of the game we showed. We were an organized team, we played first in the first league, we dominated with the ball. But I emphasized that we had to be different in the game without the ball.
Probably, these are not quite compatible things for our football. When you dominate on the ball, everyone thinks you're a good team and you play football. But you also have to be different off the ball. For me, this is the European level, when you are good in all components. It's all part of a balanced team.
Most teams in Ukraine have a one-sided tilt - either you are only on the ball or you play only in transitional phases. Kononov built a good team that has been remembered for 15 years. He did not chase a quick result, but chose the path of development. It's good that there are fans who notice this," Lupashko said.