Press conference. Alexander Shovkovsky: «What Okon and Slyubik wanted, we could not give them»
On Monday, March 3, a press conference was held to summarize the results of the off-season preparation of Kyiv’s «Dynamo» and the team’s plans for the second half of the current season. One of the participants of the event was the head coach of the «white-blues» Alexander Shovkovsky.
— How can you summarize the results of the winter training camps?
— First of all, I congratulate the fans on the start of the second part of the season. Football has returned to Ukraine. It has returned at a difficult time, at a time when we are fighting for our lives. Therefore, I would like to thank our Defenders for giving us the opportunity to go out on the field and bring emotions to the fans. But many Dynamo fans are now defending Ukraine from the enemy...
As for the camps, they are an integral part of our life, one of the challenging ones. This is the period when the foundation of the future is laid, which, we hope, will help us successfully navigate this distance and accomplish the task before us. But not everything is simple. A camp lasting a month and a half is definitely not easy. In our time, there was an understanding of the effectiveness of camps. They should last about two weeks. That was the case before the war. But life makes its adjustments, and we must continue to work.
Besides, we held official matches for the first time in January. This is also not easy; it was a challenge for us. We had to prepare for these matches, but we did not specially prepare for them.
Overall, the team passed the training camps quite well. But we will summarize the results after the end of the season. Now is an intermediate time, and it's difficult to say something about the results. Especially since the first rounds of the second half of the Ukrainian championship brought many unexpected results. So it is too early to summarize. But we went through the camps quite normally, without injuries. Except for a situation with a virus, 6–7 of our players had it, and some guys had certain complications. But we passed through that as well.
— Did the loss of points in the match with «Vorskla» affect the psychological state of the team?
— One of the components of football is that players must show their maximum in every match regardless of the circumstances. In the match with «Vorskla», unfortunately, according to some criteria, we did not meet our obligations. And we were certainly unhappy about that. We carefully analyzed this game, focused the guys’ attention on all moments that required it. The season is not over; we are preparing further.
— Were there situations in your career when you made an unconventional decision on the football field that you were not taught?
— That was a very, very, very long time ago; I can hardly remember. But one of the most challenging moments in my career happened in the away match of the Europa League with «Rio Ave». During the warm-up before the match, I felt discomfort in my calf muscle. A decision had to be made whether to take responsibility onto myself and try to play or tell them during the warm-up that I couldn’t play. Ultimately, I immediately said that there was a problem, and while I was preparing to go out on the field, Rybka began to get ready. In the locker room, I made the final decision not to play. It was a difficult choice, believe me. But time showed that I made the right decision. Burda and Kravets got injured in that match, and there were forced substitutions. If I had gone out on the field, there would definitely have been another forced substitution, and I don’t know how the team would finish the match, in which, by the way, we won.
To think that anything can happen except with us is a big mistake. This is typical of young players. You need to look at things realistically and sometimes make difficult decisions.
— During the COVID times in the Ukraine national team, there was a time when almost all goalkeepers were injured or ill and then you, already one of the coaches of the national team, were included in the match squad. Were you ready to go out on the field then?
— It was not my decision. The team needed a second goalkeeper. I always keep myself in shape. At that time, I was actively doing exercises on the treadmill. I was basically ready. After one of the training sessions, I was asked if it was possible to include me in the squad. I agreed, and when we received the answer in the morning that there were no objections to such a decision, I was included in the squad.
— But did you feel that you could go out and play if necessary?
— We all think that, well, I would have jumped, I would have run. (Smiles). But we will never rise to the level of our expectations; we will always fall to the level of our abilities, our readiness. It is always necessary to properly set the boundaries of your capabilities. Then we will perceive information correctly. But it was an interesting moment. I remembered all the feelings that players have when they prepare for a match.
— During the training camps, there were two central defenders at the trial in «Dynamo»— Slyubik and Okon. Does that indicate that this position is one of the most problematic in the team?
— You drew a conclusion and want me to confirm it... We watch all the football players. But we had the opportunity to take only two for the trial. There were more candidates, but they did not want to go to the trial. As for Okon and Slyubik, they did not end up in «Dynamo» because what they wanted, we could not give them.
— Will retaining Brazhko in the team help in the fight for the championship? And what is his current psychological state?
— Each player wants to perform in one of the strongest championships, and that is normal. The Premier League, in my opinion, is such a championship. On the other hand, we have our own tasks, and we certainly want every player to grow and become the best version of themselves. But letting a football player go to any team, or to one that aims to stay in the Premier League, is probably not the development that we wish for our players.
Brazhko sustained a rather complicated injury in the sixth match of the Europa League. His recovery was complicated. Therefore, we didn’t even count on him in the last two matches of the Europa League— we allowed him to recover in peace. But during the recovery process, quite interesting things happen. There is a sense of fear when you start training, fearing that what happened will happen again. Psychology kicks in: a player asks himself why that happened specifically to him. There is also resentment towards the person who inflicted the injury. You have to go through all of this.
Brazhko is one of the leaders of our team. But no position is fixed in the lineup for any leader or player: those who currently look better will play.
We constantly communicate with all the guys, trying to convey to them that their ambitions and desire to be in the starting lineup must be justified and proven in training.
As for the moment with the goal against us in the match with «Vorskla», it initially seemed that in that particular episode Brazhko was tightly marking the opponent who scored against us. But when we analyzed that episode, it turned out that it was difficult for Brazhko to reach, and there should have been backup from another player.
— Is it common for players on your team to call you and ask for advice?
— I understand that they are somewhat afraid of me or something of that sort. But I tell everyone: we are doing the same work, solving the same task. Our jobs are different, but the goal is the same for everyone. And to accomplish it, we need to communicate as often as possible. If something is unclear, if there are specific moments, I will always be open and happy if my advice helps.
— Starting next season, there will be a new rule: the goalkeeper will have no more than 8 seconds to introduce the ball. Otherwise— a corner kick. What is your opinion as a former goalkeeper about such an innovation?
— Sometimes in matches of the Ukrainian championship, when the opposing goalkeeper took the ball in his hands, I would purposely stand next to the fourth official and start counting: one, two, three, four, five... And gradually I would raise my voice. Sometimes I would reach up to fifteen or sixteen in that count.
Therefore, for the improvement of the quality of play, such an innovation is a correct decision. I support it.
— After the sale of Bushchan, can we say that Neshcheret has become number one? What would you advise him as a former goalkeeper, so that he does not bend under the burden of Bushchan's legacy?
— Why should he bend?
— Bushchan was the first goalkeeper for too long, and now he has the immediate responsibility for the results...
— A player must first and foremost think about the quality of his game and strive to play as well as possible. Who will play is the coach's decision. In the situation with the goalkeeper, it is also a decision involving the goalkeeping coach. Neshcheret was ready to play a year and a half ago. The moments he had in some matches were accidental. In training, in understanding the game, he did not lag behind Bushchan in anything. But on George's side, there was experience.
— Shaparenko is now coming on as a substitute. What is wrong with him? When will we see him in the starting lineup?
— I repeat: no player is guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup. This is the first and foremost thing. Secondly, Shaparenko had a tough period in November and December when he contracted an illness and had to take antibiotics. We spent the end of the first half of the season without him. When we started preparing at the camps, his condition was not the best. Though Shaparenko was in the starting lineup for the match against «Galatasaray», we saw that he was not at the level he can show. This all is the result of the illness. He did not play in the match against RFSh due to card overages, and then he got sick again, with a temperature near 39. His recovery was quite difficult. He lost three kilograms in weight. Only by the end of the camps did he start regaining the shape that we are all used to seeing him in. But he still needs time. He is gradually approaching his lost level. I am sure he will have more playing time. But we will see what condition he is in.
— A question about the logistics of the Eurocup season. Do you agree that the decision to play in Hamburg was not very successful? Was there a conversation about this topic in the club? And where does the team plan to play its home Eurocup matches next season?
— There was a conversation. A conversation regarding our unsuccessful performances in the Europa League. Reasons, consequences... One of the reasons, which we will not blame our performance on, but it exists, is logistics.
As for next season, we have directions, several options that are being worked on, but it is still too early to talk about that.
— Which of your colleagues in the UPL impresses you in terms of building play, tactics?
— I try to listen to and read all coaches. And not only from the UPL. I will not single anyone out. But there are some pretty interesting things that I underline for myself. I do not take a template; a person must constantly learn. Learning through communication with others, with colleagues, with subordinates. I am not a closed person; I am a person who constantly strives to improve. This is a modern view on development.
I treat all colleagues with great respect. We all develop Ukrainian football.
— In this part of the season, most matches in the Ukrainian championship will be played away. Will this affect the training process and the chances of «Dynamo» in the fight for the championship?
— We do not need to travel somewhere for two days. We leave in a day. So this will not affect the training process. As to how this will affect our chances, nobody can say. But our goals are the highest, we are moving towards them, we stated this from the very beginning of the season, we constantly repeat it, we tell the players. We strive for them to improve while accomplishing tasks. Both as individuals and as part of the team.
— How would you assess the performance of young players in the camps?
— There is a big difference between playing for «Dynamo U-19» and playing for the first team. Completely different speeds, less time to make decisions, less space. And this adaptation period varies from one player to another. We try to involve young guys, some of them train with us, but for gaining playing practice, they have a youth team. The doors to the first team are not closed to anyone. It is important for us that there is constant development in the club and that players feel that they exist, that they are knocking on the first team, and they are invited. This is a big task for both the coaching staff of the youth team and for us: to assess the player’s potential and analyze his capabilities correctly so as not to make a mistake when the decision regarding his future is made.
— How did you manage to solve the recovery task in the conditions of Eurocup logistics?
We had a choice: either recovery or preparation. We were going on the baggage that the team had. We changed the logistics throughout the season: we started breaking our journey into two days. We would leave Kyiv by train for three days, spend two days in Lublin, have lunch, train, recover, rest, go to sleep. In the morning, we would fly to the match location. There, lunch, rest, theory, pre-match training, rest, massages, and match preparation.
If earlier we could take off to Kyiv immediately after the match, in the current situation, we would fly to Lublin early the next morning. This moment was very difficult because players have a poor quality of sleep after matches, it is hard to sleep, the loads are heavy. After late matches, players fall asleep at 4–5 in the morning, and by 8–9, they have to get up. In Lublin, we had lunch, rest, training, dinner, a bus, a train to Kyiv. We arrived home and immediately went to the base. There, lunch, rest, training, and the next day, a championship game. Speaking of any preparation under such conditions is difficult. It is more recovery. That is why there was significant rotation. With one lineup, we simply could not have sustained it.
— Do you agree with the assertion made by Lobanovsky that injury occurs when a player is not physically ready?
— Not always. I have an opinion that I came to based on situations that I have experienced. Sometimes players make decisions on the football field that do not reflect the real picture of events. You can delve into psychology, go further, but very often, injuries occur when players have certain doubts and certain problems in life, some moments that affect their psychological state. This is my personal opinion.
I received my first injury in the year 2000. In 1999, there was that mistake in the match against Slovenia. On the part of the press and fans, there was serious pressure on me. My psychological state was less than ideal. I sustained a serious shoulder injury. Recovery took six months. Then— a complete ligament tear in the knee, I was out for four months. Then a shoulder dislocation— recovery took half a year. When everything stabilized somewhat, I started playing from 2003, and the story went on. There were other similar moments.
— Are you ready for any unusual actions in case of winning the championship?
— We work and move toward the goal not in order to do something later. You have to sacrifice something, correctly set priorities in preparation, priorities in communication, understand the boundaries of your capabilities, and do everything right. And not to pull the blanket over yourself: you should not do someone else's extra work because you will not have time to do what you should.
Believe me, we are ready to work and do everything to accomplish the task set before us.
— Given the narrowing gap from «Shakhtar», do you feel an increased pressure?
— The last time I measured the pressure was at the training camps. (Smiles). Everyone sitting in the coach's chair feels pressure. Especially at Kyiv’s «Dynamo», which always aims to win every match of every tournament. But pressure is pressure, and we must understand what we can solve a particular task based on, what allows us to beat a certain opponent. Therefore, we approach each match as a championship match. Sometimes things do not go as planned; that happens in football. Unfortunately. That is probably why this is the number one sport in the world.
Alexander POPOV from KVC “Parkovyi”