Dynamo’s youth team continues its preparations for the new season with a summer training camp in Kyiv. Head coach Ihor Kostiuk shared his thoughts on the team’s progress and current work:
- Many of our players joined the first team’s training camp. We already saw some of them in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round against Hamrun Spartans – in particular, Ponomarenko. Osypenko has returned and is currently training with us.
We also have a large group of players born in 2008 joining the squad, along with a few players on trial. We have one more friendly match scheduled after which we’ll start preparing for the opening round of the Ukrainian Championship.
Our training camp will last one month and one week, so I’d say the team is about 90% ready. We have one more microcycle before the first match. It will be more focused on tactical work and we’ll soon kick off the official games.
- How are new players from Academy adapting to the new level?
- Our training process is a bit different here – higher speed, more intensity – but these are our own academy graduates so they’re already well-prepared and partially adapted. This transition happens every year: the players need time to settle into the new training process and understand our expectations.
I believe this adaptation period will last until winter, and after the winter training camp the squad will be more balanced. Perhaps it’ll happen even sooner this time since we have several players who were with us last season and will form the core of the team. The younger players will learn from their example and strengthen the squad as they progress.
