On Wednesday, December 4, in the postponed match of the 1st round of the Ukrainian championship, Kyiv’s "Dynamo" drew 0:0 with "Alexandria". The match took place in Alexandria at the "Nika" stadium. Here is the post-match press conference of the head coach of "Alexandria" Ruslan Rotan.
Ruslan Rotan. Photo — A. Popov— A battling game. No one wanted to give in. And that’s normal, as the teams that are leading in the championship met. Today, first of all, it was necessary not to let the opponent play their football. Yes, there weren’t many goal-scoring chances for both teams, but regarding the game plan, I can only compliment our team, including the desire they demonstrated. We didn’t allow the opponent much.
But in attack, I would like to see more. And also, at times, we didn’t take advantage of the chances we had. But it’s okay. I praised the team, told the guys that they are on the right track.
If we imagine our locker room after the draw with Dynamo in the past, there would have been nothing but hugs. And now the guys are disappointed. This is a good sign: it means the team wants to win. That is the most important thing.
— Today your team pressed very actively, but on the other hand, Filippov was very unobtrusive. Why?
— The fact that Filippov was so absent in the game today indicates that we were playing against a compact and qualified team.
Yes, today the attacking group had a lot of work: they had to press, put pressure on the opponent's defense. The guys did an enormous amount of work. When you are not fresh, it is hard to score, but in defense, we demonstrated a compact game, positioned ourselves correctly, and didn’t allow Dynamo to play their football. Of course, we didn’t have many chances, but we did have some. Of course, I would like us to take advantage of those opportunities.
— How is Kravchenko doing? Does he have an injury or just a cramp from fatigue?
— Let’s hope for the best. The doctors will take a look and give their verdict. I would like us to have our optimal lineup for the two remaining matches before the winter break. So we hope for the best.
— Did today’s match testify that your team already has some solidity?
— We must become such a team. And it feels like we are moving in that direction. But the way we conducted the first round shows that we already have a certain solidity. I want decisions to be made in the best way in specific situations. The team should clearly understand when to press, when to hold the ball, and when to hurry. We are working on that. So far, it’s not everything as we would like, but I believe it’s a matter of time.
— What mood will you take to Kyiv for the second match with Dynamo?
— The same as the one we had when we went into today’s game. I told the team that they need to play with the same mindset. We will see who is out, who is fit, and we will build from there. Unfortunately, we do not have a large bench, but I am sure that the guys are very motivated right now. We need to concentrate to look like the same team in four days as we did today. The guys have that desire, and that is the most important thing.
Post-match press conference of Dynamo head coach Alexander Shovkovsky >>>
Alexander POPOV from Alexandria
