Dynamo acting head coach Macej Kędziorek commented on the match against Shakhtar (0:0) in Matchday 12 of the UPL in an interview with UPL.TV.
– This is already your second “Classico”. Which match did you like your team’s performance in more: the Cup game before the sending-off or today’s match? Which of the two games do you consider more successful in terms of performance?
– Of course, I liked today’s game more. We had more time to train and prepare, whereas Shakhtar had a lot of travelling. I believe we made very good use of this time. It was noticeable on the pitch, even when both teams had eleven players. We controlled the game the way we wanted to. I am very happy about that, because Shakhtar play in the Champions League. This also demonstrates the high level of our performance, both defensively and offensively.
– Today, the team started the match very actively and aggressively. Was the idea to wear down Shakhtar’s players, who may have been feeling tired after the game against Sporting?
– No. I hope that after several weeks of our work, everyone has seen that we always strive to play high up the pitch, with intensity and aggression. This is modern football. If we want to make progress, we have to play with intensity and aggression. I hope that after the next few games, you will no longer ask me such questions, because it will be obvious.
– Today, you had to make a forced substitution at right-back. How risky was it to bring on Sych in place of Tymchyk, given that he had recently been recovering from an injury? Was he fully fit?
– Tymchyk looked very good throughout the week. Today, I can only say the best things about him. He worked very hard and did a lot for us today. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury. I hope it will not keep him out of action for long. The way he has worked over the past few weeks has been simply excellent. He deserved his opportunity. I am also glad that I have another player in this position who can replace him. It is very important for our progress and training process that I have two right-backs of equal quality. Sych also deserved the opportunity to come onto the pitch; he is a very good player. I am very pleased with this competition.
– A sending-off always changes the plans not only of the team that is left with ten men, but also of the team that gains a numerical advantage. What changes did you try to make after the sending-off? Had you perhaps prepared for a different scenario? And what was missing for you to finish off the opponent while playing with a man advantage?
– We had a plan for how to act in such a situation, but because of Tymchyk’s substitution, we lost one substitution window, which changed our plans somewhat. At the same time, I believe we did not need to make any radical tactical changes after that. Our plan was clear; we knew what we had to do. Shakhtar have many players who can beat opponents one-on-one during transition phases. But I believe we did not need to change our game significantly, because our plan was working well both against eleven and against ten opposition players. We were prepared for this kind of scenario. Perhaps next time we will have a little more luck in the opponent’s penalty area.
– The international break is coming up. This is a period when certain ideas can be put into practice. What are the team’s main objectives for this time? What do you plan to work on?
– First of all, recovery, because the last three weeks have been very intense for our team. I hope the players will have enough time to rest and spend time with their families. This is especially true for the guys who live in Kyiv. I want them to spend some time with their families. You know what the situation in our city has been like recently – it has been simply terrible.
So I want the players to focus on resting with their families and recovering. After that, we will conduct some physical tests and focus on that aspect. We have also scheduled a friendly match for the players who have not had that much playing time.
