The head coach of «Dynamo» Oleksandr Shovkovskyi commented on his team’s victory over «Vorskla» in the 1/8 final of the Cup of Ukraine on the club’s Poltava TV channel.
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi. Photo: fcdynamo.com
— Mr. Oleksandr, congratulations on the victory. A tough match for «Dynamo». Was it expected for you?
— Yes, certainly. Given the game against «Shakhtar», we consciously changed almost the entire starting lineup, allowed those players who had played against the «miners» a few days ago to rest, and also checked the condition of other players.
I want to emphasize once again: we don’t have a main or reserve squad. Because some wrote that we fielded a reserve squad in Rome. No, we have a team, a starting lineup that is determined based on all circumstances.
We understood that the game would be difficult. We prepared our guys for this kind of battle. The main thing — we accomplished this task and will continue to prepare for the next matches.
— Are you satisfied with the condition of those players who play less?
— Considering that we are playing every two days on the third, we can’t even fully maintain the load in the training process. That’s why I tell the guys that they have to work on in matches what we always do in training. Everyone is approximately in the same condition, and this is very important for the team.
No mistakes went unpunished. We conceded a goal after a mistake, but I don’t want to focus on who made it right now. Of course, we will analyze everything and continue to prepare.
— There was a change of coach at «Vorskla». Did the team surprise you tactically?
— When a new coach comes, it always brings an additional surge of emotions for everyone. And we know how demanding Maksymov is with his charges. It’s never easy to play against Yuriy Vilyovych's teams. And in Poltava, we always have tough matches.
