The head coach of Cherkasy LNZ, Vitaly Ponomarev, shared what he expects from his team’s match against Kyiv Dynamo in the 12th round of the Ukrainian championship.
— Vitaly Yuryevich, today you face a very difficult match against the current champion — Dynamo. Is LNZ ready for this challenge?
— We aim to play for victory in every game and prepare seriously for every match. I believe that the matches we’ve had this season were conducted at a sufficiently serious level by LNZ. Of course, there were different results, but overall, I believe our team is currently competitive. I trust that this will be the case in the match against Dynamo.
— Dynamo approaches this match with positive emotions after a confident victory in the Conference League. Is this a minus for LNZ?
— Of course, the victory over Zrinjski in the Conference League was important for the Kyivans from a psychological standpoint. Especially since they had two tough matches against Shakhtar before that. Nevertheless, we don’t have a choice (smiles), we analyze and prepare for this game. We have our plans, and we will try to implement them.
— What makes the upcoming opponent strong?
— First of all, the champion has many individually strong players. A good bench, which won’t affect the team’s potential. And the last match in the Conference League showed that Dynamo’s team play has improved, at least compared to the beginning of the season. The Kyivan players, as it seemed to me, have become more organized.
— A month has passed, but many still remember LNZ’s big victory over Shakhtar. Was this match the best in your coaching career?
— Of course, if you look at the result (4:1), it’s the best, but in terms of execution, there were equally high-quality matches when I led Rukh. By the way, also against Dynamo away. But the game against Shakhtar was tactically high-quality, and it will stand out for me and the team, I have no doubt.
— Could the upcoming match resemble the game against the Miners, or are you preparing a new surprise for the giant?
— We prepare individually for each opponent, and in matches with each opponent, we try to use different game schemes. The match against Dynamo will be no exception since these are two different teams compared to Shakhtar. We have prepared some strategies, but how they will work, only the match itself will show.
— Experts praise your team, but at the same time note that LNZ won’t last the entire distance. What do you say about this?
— In some ways, I agree with this opinion. But we are actively working in this direction to look more stable. In many interviews, I have said that it’s possible to win one or two matches brightly, but it’s important to maintain such a rhythm over the entire distance. Only then can stability and a team’s class be discussed.
We are only building such a team, and at the moment it is not fully formed. There were matches where we achieved results through rational play, and there were also instances where LNZ lost despite having the full advantage.
— Obviously, in the match with Dynamo, you will motivate your team for victory, but taking a point from Kyiv wouldn’t be bad either...
— These are relative matters. You see how tight the standings are, so every point is worth its weight in gold. I won’t be upset by a draw with Dynamo, but on the condition that my players show the football that our coaching staff wants to see.
— You mentioned the density in the standings. Despite its reduced level, the championship has become unpredictable.
— That’s interesting for the spectators. Previously, there was a big gap between Dynamo, Shakhtar, and the other teams. But now it’s really hard to predict the outcome of any match. Even LNZ has won away against Metalist 1915, Polissya, Shakhtar, but then lost at home to the then-outsider Veres and later to Oleksandriya. So, guessing is almost impossible. (Smiles).
— What are the goals set for LNZ in this championship?
— First and foremost, it’s about building a competitive team and a strong, if I may say so, club with its football school. Meanwhile, we already want to win, and if we can, we won’t refuse any major successes. Although we understand that it’s important to be stable, which we are currently lacking, and which we strive for.
If you mean reaching European competitions, then at the moment, we are not ready for that, as we need a strong bench; everything needs to be done consistently and wisely. LNZ won’t be able to play at the same level every few days. We see where we excel and what we lack. Therefore, there’s a lot of work to do, and it’s a challenging process, let me tell you.
— But LNZ wants to be in European competitions?
— I think that every club, every team that wants to develop, wants to be in European competitions. But you have to be ready for that and analyze the situation soberly. Do we want to get there just to be eliminated in the first round? No, that’s not our path. We really want to be in the group stage. But for that, as I mentioned, many conditions are necessary. I believe that sooner or later, LNZ will be ready to conquer those heights.
— If we abstract from the European competition zone, who do you think in the UPL will fight for the top-4?
— Shakhtar, Dynamo, LNZ, Polissya, Kryvbas, Kolos, Metalist 1925, Zorya, and Karpaty. Any of these teams can be in the top four. Undoubtedly, the favorites in this group are Dynamo and Shakhtar, followed by Polissya and Metalist 1925, whose overall readiness and investments are currently higher than those of other competitors.
Serhiy Demyanchuk