The head coach of Dynamo U19 shared his expectations ahead of the European clash with the Swedish side Brommapojkarna.
– How prepared is your team for this tough opponent?
– We had one day for recovery. Today was a travel day. We arrived according to schedule, everything went smoothly as planned.
The pitch quality leaves much to be desired but guys understand the situation. You can see their desire, excitement and the sporting aggression that is necessary for matches like this. They don’t need extra motivation – everyone trains with great enthusiasm. Today we worked on the tactical scheme we plan to use against the Swedish team. Tomorrow we’ll have a pre-match session to fine-tune certain details.
– The squad has changed compared to last season. Only three players born in 2006 can take part… Do you already know who they will be?
– Yes, we do. We joked with guys that we have five of them in the team. We talked to them so they understand that not everyone will play – that’s football and we can’t field all five. The 2006-born players take it professionally and understand the situation. Compared to last year our squad is quite different. There are many new players who haven’t played in matches of this level yet – this is a new challenge for them. We’ll see how they handle it.
– How would you describe your opponent? The team looks physically strong.
– Scandinavian players are traditionally very well developed physically. But besides that they also control the ball well. The team is very well organized and tactically disciplined. Our opponents maintain their structure on the field and command respect. They’re currently leading their league and winning all their matches so they’re full of confidence. This is the largest football academy in Europe with around 260 teams. So they have plenty to choose from – quantity turns into quality.
– How can you play successfully against such an opponent? Your squad includes players with UEFA Youth League experience…
– You can’t rely on two or three players to carry matches like these. Everyone must work for the result and act as one unit on the field. They must follow the game plan we’ve prepared. That’s how we intend to achieve our goal. We have two matches ahead and, based on their results, we must advance further.
