The head coach of Dynamo Kyiv’s U19 team Ihor Kostiuk commented on his side’s 6:0 victory over Kryvbas in the National U19 League.
– Was today’s match against Kryvbas difficult or, on the contrary, rather easy?
– We never have easy matches. Against Zorya the scenario was basically the same, except that we couldn’t score then. Today we played with more power, increased our intensity compared to the previous games because we have nowhere to retreat — we can’t afford to drop points. In the game with Kryvbas we even had to hold the boys back a little because they were eager to score as quickly as possible, launching attack after attack but it took a while before we finally scored.
It was good that we managed to score twice in the first half. During halftime we made a few adjustments, gave some instructions and after the break we had total control — scored several goals and at the same time organized our defensive transitions well, pressing high even in a low block. The boys did really well today — that’s all there is to say.
– Despite the big scoreline the team couldn’t score until the 34th minute. Was that because of excessive eagerness as you mentioned?
– Yes, it comes down to composure in the final stage of attacks. Until the 34th minute we created plenty of chances but couldn’t convert them. The opponent’s goalkeeper played very well — he caught momentum and was saving almost everything. But when you maintain constant pressure on the defense, sooner or later it cracks. In the end our quantity of chances turned into quality.
– Considering the team kept attacking until the final whistle and scored six goals, can we say the players’ physical condition was not affected by the recent trip to Poland for the UEFA Youth League?
– Boys managed to recover. I always tell them that everything depends on their inner state. If you think that a long trip will prevent you from playing at your best, then it definitely will. But if you believe that you still have the desire and strength, the picture on the field will be completely different. Of course we rotated the lineup, gave playing time to those who hadn’t had much of it before. That balance allowed us to maintain high tempo and intensity throughout the match.
– Today different players scored. Does that mean the team doesn’t have a clearly defined main striker and that anyone can score?
– Basically today it was the attacking players who scored — Redushko, Andreiko, Ponomarenko, Liusin and Zadorozhnyi converted a penalty. That shows that in the final third everyone reached the positions they were supposed to — exactly as we had agreed before the match. We hadn’t always managed that in previous games. But today many players got on the scoresheet which means our team is moving in the right direction and that our structure is working properly.
