Cherkasy 'LNZ' became the sensational author in the last round: Vitaliy Ponomaryov’s team defeated one of the giants, Donetsk 'Shakhtar', with a big score (4:1). The head coach of Cherkasy talked about this match and the current affairs of his wards in an interview with UA-Football.
Vitaliy Ponomaryov— Many coaches often say that after such matches, the positive adrenaline and emotions prevent them from sleeping. Did you feel that on the night from Sunday to Monday too?
— I slept peacefully (smiles). Everything is okay with the nerves. Of course, it’s nice to beat 'Shakhtar'. But despite the pleasure, it was just a victory. Because regardless of whether it’s 'Shakhtar' or some other team, you get no more than three points for it. So the victory in this match was important for us. And not only from the point of view of the result, but also from the team actions' perspective.
After the game, I told the guys that there was indeed a Team on the field that evening. At this stage, it was very important for us, as the process of building our team continues. LNZ is currently being built: we have only been working together for three months, and there have been many changes in the team — many players left, and many new ones came.
No matter what, we strive to create a team that operates on the field as a single mechanism during a game. The victory over 'Shakhtar' is also significant for us from a psychological point of view. We work very hard in training, and this was a satisfaction for the guys for their work.
— Are there any increased bonuses for a brilliant victory over 'Shakhtar'?
— In general, we have a scale that determines how much we should receive in bonuses for this or that match. And after the match with 'Shakhtar', our club’s president thanked the guys and gave some reward for this victory.
— Coaches are usually rarely satisfied with their wards' actions. Is the match with 'Shakhtar' an exception?
— Mistakes are always there, and they will be in every match. No team in the world will play ideally the way the coach would completely want. But in the match with 'Shakhtar', the guys executed the game plan. They managed to implement everything we prepared for this match.
— Do you assume that one of the factors in your team’s favor might have been the opponent’s underestimation, who three days earlier had defeated the Scottish 'Aberdeen'?
— I don’t think there was underestimation. 'Shakhtar' also prepared for the game with us. You see what our championship is like now and the density formed in the standings. You can’t underestimate any team, and 'Shakhtar' prepares thoroughly for meetings with any opponent.
The 'miners' have a long bench, and there are replacements for any player. After all, top-quality players are assembled in the Donetsk club, and most of the foreigners cost 10 million euros or more.
— After such matches as with 'Shakhtar', some football players may develop symptoms of 'star syndrome'. How do you prevent its development?
— This is already the second stage in the coaching job. When building a team, there are both positive and negative results. So you always want to achieve stability, as it is very important for any team. And as I already said, a match like the one with 'Shakhtar' has great significance for psychology — primarily in terms of confidence. On the other hand, players must enter the next match, playing with the same dedication as in the previous game. And, of course, achieve results.
If this is successful, it will already be a certain level of stability. This is very valuable for any team, so we will put in maximum effort so that the guys do not stop at the victory over 'Shakhtar', limiting themselves to local self-satisfaction. It’s necessary to continue working in this direction, and if the team manages to do so, it will be a significant step forward.
— LNZ has the most shots on goal in the current season. Does it seem that many unused opportunities manifested in the match with the 'miners'?
— Yes, we create many scoring moments practically in every match. And if we had scored at least half the goals, we would have won all the matches played. But this is not an easy process, and we are working on it. I believe that it is very good that in many indicators LNZ is in the first places.
The number of our shots on goal speaks with figures about us playing attacking football. This is a positive factor that confirms the correctness of the chosen path. And the goals will definitely come.
— Even during your work as the head coach of 'Rukh', one of the main virtues of your wards was intensive 'high' pressing. The group of players who worked in the Lviv team and moved to LNZ in the summer transfer window were familiar with this. And how about the others?
— The same match with 'Shakhtar' showed that other players also execute this. 'High' pressing, like intense play in general, is a requirement of modern football. If we want to move forward and achieve some results, we need to use the mentioned aspects of the game — without it, you can’t get anywhere.
We practice them in training because it is important for any team in every match. With opponents like 'Shakhtar', the mentioned methods allow us to compete. In the game with the 'miners', we saw that the guys managed to do it.
— Who of the wards is currently in the LNZ infirmary?
— Sasha Drambaev and Ilya Putrya. Both are recovering and will soon be working in the general group. These guys are important players for the base of our team. Their return to the ranks will only increase competition. However, I don’t consider there to be substitute bench players in LNZ — we have those who play in the main line-up. Depending on the opponent and the use of a particular scheme, rotation is applied in the team.
— How are you spending the break in the championship?
— The players had three days off — from Monday to Wednesday inclusive. After them, we gathered on Thursday in Cherkasy, where we are preparing for the next match — with 'Kolos'. This is also a serious match. This coming Sunday, October 12, we will play a control match with 'Oleksandriya'. This is a rather quality opponent. We will meet them in Oleksandriya.
Vyacheslav Kulchytsky
