On Thursday, November 6th, in the match of the 3rd round of the main stage of the Conference League, Kyiv’s «Dynamo» defeated Bosnia’s «Zrinjski» with a score of 6:0. The match was nominally a home match for the Ukrainian team, but due to the war, it was held in Lublin. Here is the post-match press conference of the head coach of «Dynamo», Oleksandr Shovkovskyi.
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi— We just had a chance to talk to Kabaev, and he said that you noted the opponent’s strong side, how they quickly move forward and utilize transitional phases. But today we saw that it was «Dynamo» that caught the opponent in such transition phases when moving from defense to attack. Was this planned or was it the team’s improvisation?
— First and foremost, congratulations to all the fans on this important victory. We certainly analyzed our opponent’s actions and paid attention to many moments. One of the criteria is fast counterattacks and quick attacks; the Bosnians make excellent use of space. And, if you remember, at the beginning of the game they had a good moment, where Taras Mykhavko covered well — playing as a left-back, he managed to cover our central and right defenders. We noted the opponent’s speed in attack and their standard positions. We had a certain idea, but whatever we agreed upon before the game, we must go out onto the football field and execute those instructions. At the same time, individual skill certainly plays a big role. We are practicing, as I mentioned at the pre-match press conference, many different interactions both in defense and in organizing attacks — direct attacks, quick attacks, counterattacks. Some moments worked today.
— Was the substitution at halftime planned or was it prompted by the course of the game?
— Until today, both Voloshyn and Torres hadn’t had the opportunity to fully come out and play a match. And we couldn’t risk their health. We needed to get a certain period, endure it, in order to bring these players to a state where they are ready to go onto the football field. Unfortunately, Ogundana didn’t manage to get into the game today, and I had to replace him with Voloshyn, already understanding that Nazar was ready to last at least 45 minutes. Sometimes it happens that players don’t get into the game. It seemed to me that we were just missing active actions on the left flank.
— You have an important match in the Ukrainian championship in a few days. Did you consider this when preparing for the game today, or did you make any adjustments due to this game when the players took the field today?
— As I said in previous press conferences and before the game — every game is important for us. Every game is important for Dynamo Kyiv. We can take into account this or that event or circumstance, but we prepare for each game separately. We believe, and it’s the club’s philosophy, that we don’t have secondary games. Perhaps we can change the lineup in one variant or another, we can change some tactical moments, but we treat every game with maximum responsibility. It doesn’t always work out, it’s not always the case, but these are our main principles and priorities.
— Are you completely satisfied with the mood the team came out with in the first half today? What was the focus at halftime when in the second half «Dynamo» did not stop and scored goal after goal?
— I’m not fully satisfied with our actions in the first minutes of the match. In the first 15 minutes, we should have played more calmly and avoided the mistakes we made. Today, the execution of individual skill was at a high level, but we can’t afford to make the mistakes we did at the start of the game. Generally speaking, I see many areas we need to improve in to make our play even better.
— Can you name the aspects of the game that should be improved in your team’s game?
— I will answer you with a phrase by Valeriy Vasylovych Lobanovskyi: «If a coach is completely satisfied, he needs to end his career.» There are always aspects that can be improved and worked on. In organizing the defense, in organizing transitions, in organizing the attack, in finishing. There are many. And this is an ongoing process.
Today, the result is very important for the team, for the fans, but there is also the quality of the game. I think we need to constantly work on this component, and you can never be perfect. Striving for perfection will make you stronger and better. If you do simple things perfectly, you will already be 75% ahead of other players on the team. You can always work and need to work on this.
So, once again, congratulations and we will prepare and continue to work. We always told the players that we have to monitor not where we ended up — we have to always monitor what we did to get there. Any goal has meaning because it gives you the opportunity to move toward it. And you need to track precisely this progress.
