The head coach of Dynamo Kyiv Ihor Kostiuk answered journalists’ questions after the draw in Cherkasy where “White-Blues” played 0:0 against LNZ.
– What was the reason for the absence of Redushko and Ponomarenko? How would you assess Guerrero’s performance?
– Good evening. Bohdan and Matviy both have minor injuries. As for Eduardo Guerrero he was quite useful for the team today: he worked well after losing possession, adjusted defensively and pressed defenders. But against a team like LNZ it is difficult to press consistently because the opponent played long balls whenever possible. Under those circumstances it’s hard to apply effective pressure.
Moments when we managed to press could be seen clearly: in the first half we created several chances and even scored a goal, although we still need to review whether there really was an offside. It was after pressing that we won the ball back and launched a quick attack. In those situations he was active and useful for the team. When the opponent switched to long passes, naturally he could no longer participate in pressing effectively. The main task of a striker is to score goals and create chances near the opponent’s goal.
– Has Dynamo become too dependent on Ponomarenko during the spring part of the season? When he isn’t on the field, goals disappear too.
– Of course, we still created chances. Voloshyn had several good opportunities but we lacked quality in the finishing phase. I also understand that this can be part of the tactics - when the grass on the field is left longer, the ball moves more slowly and gets stuck a bit. That is also a little trick used by LNZ coach Ponomaryov. When the grass is shorter, the ball moves much faster and cleaner. Today the ball slowed down too much and we lacked both quality and energy to score.
– The match against Shakhtar showed that if flanks are closed down, apart from Ponomarenko there is nobody to create danger. Do you think young players like Redushko and Voloshyn can really strengthen the team in the future?
– We are building a new team and both Voloshyn and Redushko are quite powerful in attack. The match against Shakhtar that you mentioned was Redushko’s first derby of that level. He was a little nervous, but he has all qualities needed to progress both in matches against Shakhtar and against other opponents, and to break down defenses.
The same applies to Voloshyn. We do not play through just one footballer. The team operates through support play, creating numerical superiority on the flanks in order to deliver the ball into the penalty area and create chances in the final phase.
– Are you satisfied with the attacking line? And which positions are planned to be strengthened before next season?
– You know, transfers love silence so we will not talk about that for now. Of course, we are satisfied with our strikers but there is no reason to relax. We need reinforcements in every line because we have ambitions for next season. We have a young team so we also need experienced footballers who can play alongside younger players, help them develop, guide them on the field and contribute to their progress.
– Right now in Ukrainian football there is Shakhtar and then everyone else. What does Dynamo need in order to compete with them equally next season?
– You can see that our philosophy, which is supported by the club’s management, is based on our own academy players. Of course, we need quality reinforcements. Shakhtar are following a different path - they buy expensive players. We will compete through our own footballers, organization of play and the quality of our players. I think next season the situation will not be the same as it is this year. But we understand that young players need time to progress.
– What general conclusions and analysis can you make from the season? And what are Dynamo’s future plans considering the concept you described?
– Our task is to build a competitive team, develop our own young players and be competitive not only in the Ukrainian championship but also in European competitions. For that to happen players need to improve and gain experience. We will conduct a full analysis of the season after the final match.
– Why was Shaparenko not always getting back into position in the second half? And how would you evaluate his progress lately?
– He did return to his zone but he was not fully concentrated on the player taking the shot. We already discussed that moment - it was a matter of concentration. And of course Mykola is one of our most experienced players, and we rely on him heavily. You can see yourself that after the winter break he is already a completely different Shaparenko compared to the autumn part of the season.
– In recent matches Bilovar has not always played consistently. Are you planning to strengthen the central defense?
– As I already said we will always welcome quality reinforcements in every area, and we are working on that.
– Can it be said that your main match of the season is still ahead - the Ukrainian Cup final against Chernihiv?
– Every match for us is part of the team’s development and growth. Of course, we want to win every game. We analyze matches, review mistakes and give advice to players because errors we are making right now often become fatal, and opponents take advantage of them very well. If you look at the statistics, considering the number of chances our opponents create near our goal, we concede more than we should according to the xG numbers.
