One of Dynamo Kyiv’s summer signings was a familiar face to the club’s supporters – Tomasz Kędziora. The White-Blues fans had eagerly awaited the Polish defender’s return, and he has been repaying their support with hard work and determination in every inch of the pitch.
In an interview with the club’s press service, the 32-year-old defender spoke in detail about his first few months back at Dynamo, the start of the season and preparations for the match against Kudrivka under Maciej Kędziorek.
– Tomasz, several months have passed since your return to Dynamo. How would you describe this period?
– I am glad to have rejoined the Kyiv club, where I spent many years. Some of the players I played with before are still in the team, so I had no problems adapting.
– How has the squad changed during your absence?
– Of course, many players have left the team during this period. Some graduates of the club’s academy have also joined the first team. They were already involved in first-team training when I was here before. Overall, though, not that much has changed, and everything is going very well.
– In your opinion, how has the level of Ukrainian football changed over the past few years? Has competition in the league become stronger?
– In the past, Shakhtar were our main rivals. Now, however, new teams have emerged that are ready to seriously challenge for the top places. I have not played against all of them yet, but I think the teams competing in the Premier League have generally become more evenly matched.
– There are many young players in the Dynamo squad now. In particular, you play alongside 21-year-old Taras Mykhavko in central defence. How do you feel about being something of a mentor and role model for him?
– I try to help the lads as much as possible. They can always come to me if they need anything. I am now one of the most experienced players in the team, so I am happy to share my advice. As for Taras, I regularly talk to him about football matters and other things as well.
– At the same time, there are players in the squad whom you played with during your first spell at Dynamo. How did they react to your return?
– It was great to see Mykola Shaparenko and Vitalii Buyalskyi again, and later Heorhii Bushchan returned as well. Everyone gave me a warm and friendly welcome, so there was no real adaptation period. I was ready to help the team straight away.
– This season has already brought Dynamo plenty of highs but, unfortunately, also some disappointments. How would you assess the current situation?
– Of course, we wanted to qualify for the league phase of European competitions. It is a shame that we failed to achieve that objective. In our previous league match, we lost to Polissia… It is disappointing, but that is in the past now, and nothing can be changed. We need to focus on the upcoming matches and take things one game at a time.
– Last Sunday's defeat to Polissia was particularly painful. What went wrong for you and your teammates in Zhytomyr?
– I think everyone saw how the game unfolded. Sometimes in football, things do not just go against your plan – they go completely wrong… Unfortunately, Polissia proved to be the stronger side and deserved to win. We need to learn from this and thoroughly analyse our mistakes.
– Maciej Kędziorek is preparing Dynamo for the match against Kudrivka. How would you describe your compatriot as a coach?
– He is a high-quality specialist with a thorough knowledge of football. He loves the game immensely and is completely devoted to it. I am very positive about working with him.
– How important is it to show your quality against Kudrivka and bounce back convincingly from the defeat in Zhytomyr?
– We have matches ahead of us in which we must prove what we are capable of. We want to win every game!
– You have never faced Kudrivka in your career. What do you expect from this opponent and from the match in general?
– That is right, I have never come up against Kudrivka on the pitch, but I have watched their matches. They have their own strengths on which they build their game. We need to prepare properly and do everything we can to win.
Anton HRESKIV
