Dynamo Kyiv head coach Ihor Kostiuk spoke to the media after his team’s emphatic 5:0 away victory over Oleksandriya in Matchday 21 of the Ukrainian Premier League.
— Before the match, during warm-up, you mentioned that the ball would “bounce” due to the pitch conditions. In the end first goals came after such moments. Did your instruction work?
— First of all we emphasized that any mistakes caused by the pitch should not lead to losing possession and quick attacks on our goal. We asked players to force the opponent into mistakes and take advantage of them.
— Two questions: what helped you achieve such a convincing result? And out of your six wins in six matches this year which performance was closest to your ideal football?
— Before the match we didn’t know what system Oleksandriya would use. We expected five defenders but - credit to them - they wanted to play football and lined up with four at the back. Their transitions were well organized.
For us it’s good when the opponent doesn’t sit deep - there’s more space, more opportunities to play. We understand in which phases we can dominate and today that brought results.
As for six wins in a row we aim to win every match. Today’s game was very demanding both physically and emotionally. We told players that a break is coming but they had to give everything in this match - all their energy and emotions.
Probably the closest to our ideal was the match against Polissia - especially the second half. After adjustments at halftime we saw how the team positioned itself and created chances through quick transitions. That’s the kind of football we want.
— It’s interesting to watch the interaction between the coaching staff and players during set pieces. In particular Maciej Kędziorek often approaches with notes and instructions…
— Yes, that’s his area of responsibility. He handles set pieces so he comes to the touchline and instructs players on positioning. In certain moments I also step in with instructions.
— Bohdan Redushko scored his debut UPL goal in this match. What can you say about him?
— He’s taking his first steps at the senior level so of course I worry about him. But he’s repaying that trust with hard work. Not everything works out yet but he listens to instructions - and that helped him score today.
He had chances in previous matches but didn’t convert them. Today he scored - it’s a breakthrough. We hope this will give him a boost. Now he goes to the youth national team in a very good mood.
