Head coach of Dynamo Kyiv answered journalists’ questions after the Round 29 Ukrainian Premier League match against Poltava which Dynamo won 2:0.
— Was Vitalii Lobko’s appearance in the starting lineup connected with the desire to rest main strikers ahead of the Ukrainian Cup final?
— As you know Matviy Ponomarenko recently suffered an injury while Eduardo Guerrero received a significant workload in recent matches. Vitalii earned his chance to play for the first team through his attitude toward work and his performances for the youth team. I believe he had a successful debut. In particular he won the penalty that became one of the decisive moments of the match. He helped the team and showed professionalism.
— Viacheslav Surkis made his first official start for Dynamo. Did you like his performance?
— Viacheslav played well — reliably and without mistakes. He organized the defense well and saved the team from conceding near the end of the match. Viacheslav is a young goalkeeper who plays for the U19 team and trains with us. We understand that trusting young players is the path toward the development of our football.
— What are your expectations for the upcoming Ukrainian Cup final against Chernihiv?
— This match is important for the city of Kyiv, for Dynamo and for the entire team. We are preparing for the final with a heightened sense of responsibility.
— Aliou Thiare played his first official match in the spring part of the season today. How would you assess his performance?
— Despite his long absence Aliou did not make costly mistakes that happened during the winter training camp. We will continue to monitor his progress. We hope he will be useful for our team.
