UPL. Dynamo – Kryvbas – 4:0: post-match press conference with Oleksandr Shovkovskyi

The head coach of Dynamo Kyiv Oleksandr Shovkovskyi answered questions from the media after the 4:0 victory over Kryvbas.

- Finally, the team’s draw streak has ended. What emotions do you feel right now?

- First of all, after the match, I thanked the team for their attitude – the kind of attitude that should always be present when we step onto the pitch. It wasn’t easy for us: we were only able to get proper rest today. After the game with Samsunspor we had a flight, then a train ride and only last night did the players finally get a normal night’s sleep.

Recovery is just as important part of preparation as the physical condition itself. We understood very well what strengths the opponent had and prepared specifically for this match, including through individual talks with players. It’s always pleasant to win. Naturally the mood in the dressing room now is completely different from what it was after the previous games.

- Can we say that today almost every chance went in and if your finishing had been like this in previous matches the results would have been similar?

- We constantly work on improving our play – in attack building, in transitioning from defense, in finishing. Sometimes things go well, sometimes not. In all our recent matches we’ve created far more chances than we’ve converted. Even today we could have scored more but our finishing was much sharper.

We always want every player to become the best version of himself. It doesn’t always happen – for various reasons, under different circumstances – but we keep working on it and continue trying to make the players understand what modern football and our coaching staff demand of them.

- For the second game in a row Mykhavko step on the pitch as a left-back. Is that a temporary decision or are you considering a new position for him?

- You know we currently have quite a few injured players. In particular Dubinchak is out, Tymchyk has just returned and had only two and a half training sessions, one and a half of which were with the U19 team. Bilovar, Shaparenko are injured as well, and Yarmolenko has just come back from illness – he had only one training session yesterday to regain not only fitness but also understanding of team movements.

As for Taras, we will definitely rotate and he will continue to get playing time. Today Vivcharenko asked for a substitution after feeling discomfort, and we had agreed beforehand that players should report that immediately. In the previous match, for example, Voloshyn didn’t tell us about his muscle discomfort and when we had already made our fifth substitution it turned out he had a hamstring issue – so we won’t be able to count on him for about a week.

- How did the idea to play Yarmolenko as a central forward come about today?

- This idea has been on our minds for quite some time but we simply hadn’t been able to put it into practice until now.

- Any final words to the fans?

- Once again I congratulate our fans on this victory. I want to say that we were just as disappointed as they were with the previous results. We accept constructive criticism but there’s no need to hate the team. I can say from personal experience – the players also care deeply. Ahead of today’s match it was crucial to help them recover psychologically.

We must understand that we cannot approach victories and defeats differently – we have to prepare for every match with maximum responsibility and the right mindset. But we are all human and sometimes we go through our own challenges.

I sincerely congratulate our loyal supporters on this win. It was another difficult night for Kyiv – if I’m not mistaken three people were killed and around thirty-three injured, some in serious condition. It’s so important now to stay united and support one another amid this war and everything that’s happening around us.

I wish everyone victories – both small and great ones. And, of course, the one big Victory we all dream of.