Former midfielder of Kyiv’s Dynamo Serhii Buletsia spoke about his move to "Oleksandriia".
Serhii Buletsia— Serhii, what encouraged you to accept Oleksandriia’s offer?
— A concrete offer came in that suited me. A good club with a good coach. I worked with Rotan back in the youth team. It’s good that everything worked out. I came here for the coach and to write history for the club and the city.
— Have you settled in at your new place?
— I’ve been here a few days. I know practically all the guys, just as they know me. They were waiting for me here, sending greetings about my transfer.
— Did the return to UPL after 1.5 years in Poland fit into your plans?
— I am very happy that this option appeared.
— How did the negotiation process with Oleksandriia go?
— At first, I had a conversation with Ruslan Petrovich (Ruslan Rotan — head coach of Oleksandriia, — ed.). Any football player will confirm that the most important thing for a player is that the coach is interested in them.
— What are your thoughts on Oleksandriia this season?
— I saw a few matches of Oleksandriia. I really liked the game, especially against Shakhtar (0:3), regardless of the score. The guys demonstrated a very good level of football. The most important thing is Oleksandriia plays football.
— Are you ready for competition with Tsara and Bezerra?
— The best will be chosen by the coaching staff. I can play on both flanks and in the center as an eight, and I will try to earn a place in the starting lineup.
— What do you think about today’s UPL after your stint in Europe?
— There is greater competition. There is no gap between the giants and other teams. Everyone is strengthening, which raises the level.
— How do you assess Oleksandriia’s chances of staying in second place?
— Every game will be a final for us. I know well what that is like, having gone through a similar experience in Zorya. It will be hard, especially away. If Oleksandriia shows its best game — anything is possible.
— This season started for you at Lechia, but you were not selected by the most pro-Ukrainian team in the Ekstraklasa. Do you regret this transfer?
— You can’t do anything about it. Such things happen in football. We have to move on. Last season at Zaglembe was very good. I tried myself in a different championship and felt the difference. It was great.
— Poland is often cited as an example when it comes to football. How does their football differ from ours?
— Just like here, you need to be physically prepared for constant battles. The teams that are up top try to play the ball, while the other teams demonstrate quite primitive football, in my opinion. Class decides.
Last year, when I was at Zaglembe, we had a good team, great legionnaires, and we finished seventh. Now those footballers are gone and the team has plummeted.
— Do you still have ambitions to play abroad?
— I really want to try to reach the main stage of the European cups with Oleksandriia, return to my level, and then make a name for myself there.
— According to Transfermarkt, Oleksandriia bought you for half a million euros. What didn’t let you unfold fully at Dynamo?
— It’s hard to play football without psychology. You need to be able to endure, work hard, and push yourself to extract the maximum. You can complain about injuries, the coach, and everything else, but first, you need to sort yourself out.
— It seems that Patrick van Leeuwen and Raimond Attaweelt have found the key to you.
— At Zorya, we just did what Patrick and Raimond asked us to do. I saw that I was trusted.
— Do you regret that you spent half your career on loan spells, despite being a U-20 world champion?
— It is what it is. Right now, I am very motivated to get back into football.
— What hopes do you place in the move to Oleksandriia?
— I haven’t played football for six months. I really want to enjoy the game again. Football is my everything. I will have to work hard to get back in shape. Oleksandriia believes in me, and I believe that I will succeed.
— What helps you get through difficult moments?
— The support of my loved ones helps a lot.
— How do you spend your time outside football?
— Now I am doing extra training to quickly regain my condition. In my free time from football, I enjoy playing on PlayStation.
Oleksandr Karpenko
