This Thursday, November 6, Kyiv’s «Dynamo» will play in Lublin in the 3rd round of the main stage of the Conference League against the Bosnian club «Zrinjski.» A pre-match press conference of the head coach of the Ukrainian team, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, was held a day before the game.
— Can you tell us about the team’s personnel situation, do you have any losses ahead of the game?
— As of today, among the players preparing for the match with «Shakhtar,» we have only one loss — Volodymyr Brazhko. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to help us, at least in this meeting. He stayed in Ukraine, went to Kyiv to recover, undergoing necessary procedures to prepare for the next game. This loss adds to the absence of Kristian Bilovar, who is continuing his recovery.
— How would you describe the current state of your team? Are they on the rise, at their peak, or in a slump?
— The team is currently in working mode. Given such a tight schedule, talking about whether the team is in crisis or on the rise would be inappropriate and incorrect. We can’t even conduct full-fledged preparations. We have time for recovery and preparation directly for the match, playing in a schedule of every other day.
— After the qualifying matches and the first round game against «Crystal Palace,» what is your general impression of the field condition in Lublin and the atmosphere at the matches?
— First of all, I want to thank the organizers, the team working to make us feel at home here. This means a lot for us. Unfortunately, we cannot host matches in Kyiv, in Ukraine. The reason is the war we are fighting for our independence against the aggressor country — the Russian Federation. Almost 80 years have passed since Kyiv was liberated from the fascists, and now we are fighting against the «rashists.» We are fighting for our independence, for our right to freedom in this war. For this, we owe a great thanks to our Armed Forces of Ukraine, to our defenders.
Of course, we want to play in our hometown, feel the support of our fans. That would be an additional 12th player for us on the field. But the situation is such that today we have to call Lublin our home city. And we thank this city, thank for the opportunity, thank for the hospitality, thank for the efforts to ensure the football field is in the best condition, and for making us feel at home here.
— The opponent can be unpredictable. Are there any moments that can be unpredictable yet crucial in tomorrow’s match?
— Football is always an unpredictable game. At any moment in the game — it’s not math, not an exact science. Each player, with certain traits, certain qualities, can both excellently implement them or make mistakes. And these mistakes always affect the gameplay and the final result. This is why millions love football; it is the number one sport in the world.
Unpredictability is mainly about individual skill and sometimes an excessive desire to showcase one’s best qualities, which should be an additional motivation but can also be a burden.
— Sometimes it seems in the first halves your team is as if «asleep,» and «wakes up» only in the second half, showing aggression. How to find balance?
— Great question. Maybe we should bring you into the locker room so players can hear you too. We always try to talk about this, always emphasize this, focus on smart aggression. But indeed, it turns out that only after certain events on the field the team wakes up. We note, repeat, emphasize, take targeted actions on this, but honestly, sometimes even it’s unclear why it happens. Truly, it is like a real problem. We can’t ignore it. If we see it, we understand it, and we will work on it, emphasizing attention to these actions.
— «Dynamo» has improved in playing standards, is this the result of training?
— We try to work through different moments that occur in a game. Set pieces are also one of the key situations on the football field, which can be an additional advantage. We are working on this too.