Midfielder "Dynamo" Oleksandr Karavaev spoke about his vacation, preparation for the new season, and shared his expectations from the upcoming training camps:
Oleksandr Karavaev. Photo: fcdynamo.com— Were you able to fully rest and gain strength before the new season?
— Yes, of course, as there was a lot of time, almost a month. My wife and I calculated that over the past 10 years there was almost no vacation in the summer—constantly matches, national team. And now I had a full vacation, spent all of it with my family. Now with renewed strength—for the new season.
— Is today's medical examination more of a check of what you did during the vacation?
— No, it is more an indicator of how ready you are for the season, to ensure that everyone is healthy and ready to start preparing for the season from today's training.
— Do you already personally know all the doctors? Do they recognize you?
— Yes, there are many doctors who have been working here for many years, we constantly cross paths and understand that professionals are working in their place. So we recognize each other.
— How did you follow your individual program? Was it difficult?
— Everything, as always, is about maintaining your functional state and muscles. It is necessary so that it is not too hard for you during training right away. Over all this time, over 15 years in professional football, I have understood: no matter what you do, you can never prepare too well for the training camps. Because training camps are precisely the preparation for the season. And preparing for the training camp only means being in good shape.
We are always given a program that we follow during our vacation. Some may think that they do not need to do anything or can perform different exercises. I know that some experienced guys work individually with their coaches because they know their bodies better after many years in football. I believe you can rest for half of your vacation, and prepare for the other half. It is enough to do some normal cardio and muscle exercises to stay in shape. And then you go through full training camps.
"Dynamo," as the champion, will start official matches from the second qualifying round of the Champions League, just like last season when the team was not the champion. Is such a calendar already familiar to you?
— That's the situation we find ourselves in, we all understand that we score very few points in European competitions, so our ranking keeps getting lower. And now first place in the championship no longer guarantees direct entry to the group stage of the Champions League. So we must do everything possible to pass the qualification and reach the main stage.
Your opponent in the second qualifying round of the Champions League will be either Lithuanian "Žalgiris" or "Hamrun Spartans" from Malta. Have you already looked into these teams and how strong they are?
— Honestly, I haven't thought about that yet, but I believe that each team from any country participating in European competitions—the Champions League, the Europa League, or the Conference League— is strong because they strive to get past this stage and enter the league stage. There are many examples of teams from the first qualifying rounds making it to the main stage because they had great desire, they wanted to prove themselves. So I am not thinking about our opponents yet, but I understand that it will definitely not be easy. We will prepare.
— In the next season, four new teams will participate in the UPL; what impression do they make on you?
— It will be very interesting to see how the teams that played in the First League will perform in the Premier League, as there are indeed many newcomers. They earned this place with their efforts, desire, and according to sporting principles, which I congratulate them on.
A lot of young players will head to the training camps. Since the youth team of "Dynamo" remains in Kyiv, the boys will be constantly with the main team. As an experienced player, how do you find it to work with them?
— There are absolutely no questions or problems. We communicate with everyone, help because everyone was young, just like they are now. Everyone was in the main team for the first time at some point. They just need to understand that U-19 is one thing, while the senior team is something completely different. Here, the requirements and level are entirely different. Every day you need to give more than 100%, as they have something to prove and show to establish themselves in the best light. I will only provide support. Of course, there will be guidance, but not the kind that is given to children. They are all adults already, and it has to be guidance that will help.
