Midfielder of “Dynamo” Mykola Mykhailenko spoke about the preparation for the new season and also shared his emotions after winning the championship and debuting in the national team of Ukraine.
Mykola Mykhailenko (photo: fcdynamo.com)— Last month, an important event happened in your career — you debuted in the national team of Ukraine. Share your impressions of this.
— The impressions are only positive. It's a great happiness. Everyone who has been playing football since childhood dreams of getting into the national team. So I am very happy, and I will work even harder so that this call is not the last.
— What can you say about the atmosphere in the national team?
— The atmosphere is great, all the guys welcomed me very warmly. Although it was a friendly tournament, we wanted to perform as well as possible. But it turned out as it turned out, and we saw those moments that need to be corrected before the upcoming matches.
— Last season was breakthrough for you — you returned to “Dynamo” and immediately became a champion. How do you evaluate it for yourself?
— First of all, I am very happy that the team managed to win the title. This is also my first championship, so only the best and positive emotions. Also, I think we brought joy to everyone who supports us, our Armed Forces of Ukraine, and everyone who waited for this.
— How do you evaluate your personal progress?
— I don’t like to evaluate myself — let others do it. I’m just doing my job, and I hope to do it even better.
— “Dynamo” has already played its first friendlies at the training camp. How do you evaluate the physical condition of the team?
— Basically, as always at training camps, you can ignore the results of the first matches, as all players are under heavy load. Now it’s important to get as much information as possible for development and preparation for official matches.
— In the first days at the training camp, the weather was hot, now it has become cooler, today there was rain. In what conditions is it more comfortable to train?
— Undoubtedly, in the conditions like now, it is better to train — the field is “livelier,” and psychologically it’s a bit easier. But we don’t have much choice. Even when it’s hot, we have to go out and work at 100%.
— The first official matches for the team will be the contests of the second qualifying round of the Champions League. What are your expectations from them?
— There are no special expectations since we want to win every game both in the Ukrainian championship and in European cups. Therefore, of course, we are preparing very seriously and will strive to show our best game.
— Soon the first match will be played between potential opponents — Lithuanian “Zalgiris” will host Maltese “Hamrun Spartans.” Do you plan to watch it yourself or will you wait for a collective analysis of the future opponent's game?
— So far, no one has said anything. If there is time, I will watch it; if not, then we will analyze it later.
