Press conference. Oleksandr Shovkovskyi: «I will not be able to count on Shaparenko and Mykhavko in the match against Real Socie

The head coach of Kyiv’s Dynamo, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, answered questions from the media regarding the match of the 6th round of the main stage of the Europa League against Spanish Real Sociedad during the regulatory pre-match press conference.

— Which Dynamo players will not help in tomorrow’s match for various reasons?

— We have losses. In addition to Andriy Yarmolenko, who is recovering and will not help us this year, Mykola Shaparenko and Taras Mykhavko have joined him. These are the players I cannot count on in tomorrow’s match.

— What can you say about tomorrow’s opponent?

— First of all, it should be noted that in recent years the team has been steadily performing in La Liga, being in the upper part of the league table. At the last European Championship, the most players were from Real Sociedad in the Spanish national team, which became the continental champion and showed a very high-quality game. This indicates a great direction of strategic development that the team from San Sebastián has chosen over the past years.

I can say that the team likes to play with the ball, enjoys wing attacks, and demonstrates very good play. I believe that we will have a very decent opponent tomorrow. Unfortunately, we were not counting on such a result, so we will strive to show our best qualities in tomorrow’s match, to step onto the football field, demonstrate our best game, and prove that the recent results in the Europa League are an accident.

— In the first part of the season, Dynamo played more matches than usual, given the new format of European cups. Is it difficult in the last calendar matches of the year to maintain players' physical condition at the proper level?

— Summarizing should be done not in the middle of the tournament, but after its completion. I can say that it has added certain piquancy; in every match, teams go out to play solely for victory. There are no easy matches, and this is an additional plus for both fans and all football lovers.

If we talk about the teams, then certainly the load on players has increased, especially for those who also play for their national teams. We see a large number of injuries, and this is one of the negative aspects.

As for the readiness, much has been said, I don’t want to and will not repeat myself. The end of the season is always difficult, but from my experience, I understand well that if you start thinking about the fact that the season is coming to an end, and mentally you are already on vacation, injuries or certain negative moments often occur. Therefore, players must be professionals until the end, must step onto the football field both during training and in matches, and demonstrate their determination, their position, readiness to play in every match against any opponent.

— How does Dynamo plan to play against Real Sociedad tomorrow — will you be attacking or defending?

— Of course, I will not tell you the plan and strategy for the game. You will see a team preparing for a principled game and fight in training now. We can choose any strategy, but there is a game that consists of each individual moment on the football field. And this pattern of the game must be supported in every link — in attack and in defense. It must be a harmonious structure, and the guys who go onto the field must accomplish the tasks set before them to the best of their abilities and show their best game. Everyone has already understood that in order to win such a tournament, you need to go out and play bravely, with heart, with passion, and be ready for any situation.