Oleksandr Pykhalyok: «I should have played much better against Vorskla»

Midfielder of Kyiv's Dynamo Oleksandr Pykhalyok missed part of the autumn calendar due to injury. «UF» asked the Dynamo player if he was ready to return to the field.

Oleksandr Pykhalyok

— Oleksandr, how are you feeling?

— Everything is good. I am preparing with the team for the next very important championship match against LNZ. We hope to earn three points in Cherkasy. From my side, I will do everything possible to help the team win.

— Have you completely forgotten about that injury, which made you miss ten games in the first part of the championship?

— Yes, it’s all behind.

— Three days have passed since the match against Vorskla, where Dynamo drew 1:1. What was wrong in that match?

— We lost a lot of duels, and because of that, the whole team didn’t perform well. Poltava played well, they could have even won. I think the game against Vorskla was the worst of all the matches we played in the championship.

— What can you say about your performance?

— I believe I should have played much better in the match against Vorskla.

— What do you say about the complaints regarding the quality of the pitch?

— It was dry, hard, but not just for us, but also for the opponent. They adapted, and we did not. That's why the match turned out this way.

— There’s little time left before the game with LNZ. How is the preparation going?

— Everything is going as usual. We are preparing as for any other championship match. So far, we’ve analyzed the match with Vorskla. We haven’t reviewed the LNZ game yet. On Tuesday-Wednesday, we will focus on the upcoming match.

— Many games are ahead. In your opinion, what needs to be done to avoid losing points in the future?

— It’s hard to say, as this is football. As Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Shovkovskyi said, we need to prepare and approach each match with full responsibility.

— Two rounds ahead, and then the national team matches. What do you know about when you will be called up?

— So far, nothing. Although I have already played several times for the national team and am not a debutant, for me, every call-up to the national team feels like the first time. Everyone dreams of being part of it.

— What are your expectations from Belgium?

— We are to play two playoff matches of the Nations League against the Belgium team. The Belgians are considered a giant of European football, many expect a lot from them, as well as from us. So I think we will have interesting confrontations with them.

— Let's go back to the championship. Do you think the match between Dynamo and Shakhtar will be crucial in the battle for the championship?

— For us, every match left will be crucial.

— Did you watch Shakhtar's last game against Oleksandriya?

— Yes, I watched the entire match.

— What can you say about the performance of your main competitor?

— Let someone else talk about Shakhtar; we will focus on our own game.

Oleksandr Petrov