The head coach of Kyiv Dynamo, Alexander Shovkovsky, summarized the results of his team’s match against the Latvian RFS (1:0) in the final, 8th round of the group stage of the Europa League, which took place yesterday in Hamburg.
— Today, not only did we have to face a very organized team that defends tightly, builds its game on counterattacks, and has tall players, but we also had to struggle with the quality of the pitch. The grass was recently changed here, but it still does not meet the standards of international matches.
— Why did you wait so long to make substitutions?
— Did you see our roster? (Smiles). I could count on only six players. Plus, Bushchan left us. So it turns out we had already lost seven players.
We had four young players today, two of whom made their debuts in a European Cup match. Against Galatasaray, our young guys first stepped onto the pitch in an international match, played for five minutes, but they have little experience representing the first team. Not to mention matches at this level.
Overall, we understood that today, in terms of personnel potential, it would be difficult for us. But by the end of the match, we needed to make substitutions, considering that the opponent refreshed their lineup. However, I would note that we maintained the structure of our game.
— How important can this victory be considered?
— Unfortunately, this match no longer had tournament significance. But from the perspective of image, positive attitude, and emotions, we aimed to win today. And I am grateful to the team for its attitude and for how it worked. I believe we deserved this victory.
— In the first half, your team lacked sharpness. How could this be corrected?
— By quickly moving the ball, finding space that needed to be exploited. This can only be achieved when the ball moves quickly and players take the right positions. I reiterate, today we struggled both with the opponent’s tight defense and the quality of the pitch. But overall, I believe this was a positive match, considering the demands of modern football and the requirements we impose on our players.
— How do you evaluate the new format of European Cups, when two matches have to be played as early as January?
— It was not easy. Let’s not jump to conclusions just yet. There is still the second half of the Ukrainian championship. We will see how we get through it. Then we will draw conclusions. But physically, we were ready for the January matches. Now the team will get a few days of rest, and then we will enter the second stage of the pre-season training. Let’s see.
Transcript — Dynamo.kiev.ua, when using the material hyperlink is mandatory!
