After the Friday session, FC Dynamo Kyiv winger Andriy Yarmolenko did an interview for club media.
- Andriy in what kind of mood do internationals rejoin the club after the national team games?
- I wish we were coming back with victory of course, but one needs to realize who our opponents were. It is what it is. Nothing horrible has happened, we’ll keep fighting. Now we need to switch to the club affairs.
- Ukraine demonstrated decent football. Drew against England and could gain points against Italy. What do coaches think of that?
- We gained one point in two games. I guess coaches wanted more. No one likes to lose, but his is football. You need to find a way to get over that. I don’t think fans have claims to our dedication. Everyone did his best on the field, but England and Italy are among top teams of the world, so it wasn’t easy to oppose them.
- You’re the record holder in terms of the caps for Ukraine. What do you think of the potential of the current team?
- It’s significant. The team is quite young, beside Sydorchuk, Stepanenko and myself. The rest are under 27, they feature in different European leagues which is very beneficial for the national team.
- Besides, a lot of players have known each other for a while. For instance, Zabarnyi, Mykolenko, Tsyhankov are Dynamo trainees. Does this mean you don’t have teamwork issues?
- Of course we don’t as we know each other really well. Not only Dynamo players. I guess there was a lot of new stuff at the first training camp for the guys, who hadn’t worked with Serhiy Rebrov before. But at the second one we were pretty much doing the things the head coach wanted us to correctly. After the match against England, he said our defensive work improved a lot comparing with the game against North Macedonia.
- Dynamo have already finished the euro cups campaign. Does it mean you’ll have double motivation in the UPL?
- We’ve been having this double motivation since the beginning of the season as last year we finished fourth which is unacceptable for Dynamo. Other options but the first place in the league just don’t exist to us this season.
- On Monday Dynamo will face Vorskla, who started the season quite well and have 9 points already. Are you already getting ready for this game?
- We rejoined the club only yesterday, early in the morning. The trip was long, so we needed some time to rest. But today we had an ordinary session. There also was a theory class, where we analyzed our performance against Besiktas. Unfortunately, many players are currently injured, but we need to deal with that. We’re working and getting ready for the game.
- Will the team miss Serhiy Sydorchuk? You are old friends, did he consult with you about his transfer?
- He’s a grown man, so he doesn’t need that. I think if it wasn’t for war and his wife and kids could be in Kyiv, he wouldn’t leave. Serhiy dedicated 10 years of his life to Dynamo and we need to thank him. He’s my friend, Dynamo skipper, so of course his transfer is a problem to us. But that’s what football’s like. I wish Serhiy all the best. We always keep in touch. I know how much he cares about the club. We’re always glad to see him.
- You’ve got significant experience in European top leagues. Do you think each Ukrainian player need to try his hand outside the UPL?
- Everyone’s different. Some people prefer spending the whole career with one club, like Olexandr Shovkovskyi. Some want to taste different life. Playing in other leagues you gain new experience. Speaking about Serhiy, this experience will benefit him even after he finishes his career of a player.
