Ukrainian midfielder of Belgian “Westerlo” Sergey Sidorchuk, who returned to his team at the end of October, talked about how his functions on the football field have changed: the former Dynamo Kyiv player no longer performs the classic role of a defensive midfielder.
“It’s nice to return to the field. The first months of the season were probably the hardest in my career. For the first time, I spent so much time on the bench. It’s quite logical that in such a situation you generally don’t feel very well. Every footballer wants to play, to feel that adrenaline from the game and the support of the fans. It’s like a drug.
My new role on the field as a more attacking player? It still requires some adaptation. Now I touch the ball less often, I need to pay more attention to it, think more about my movements, and work more on pressing the opponent. At the same time, I find myself in one-on-one situations more often than before.
I don’t want to use all these changes as an excuse, but I feel I still need time to fully adjust to my new role.
If we talk about my performance in the recent matches, I’ll say this: it could have been better. And the first half against “Kortrijk” was the worst half I’ve ever seen. Both in terms of my performance and how our team looked in general. I hope I can show progress in my new role in the coming weeks,” Sidorchuk is quoted by Nieuwsblad.
Translation and stylistic adaptation — Dynamo.kiev.ua, mandatory hyperlink required!