FC Dynamo Kyiv head coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi answered media questions after the game against FC Shakhtar Donetsk.
- It’s difficult to get ready when you have this kind of logistics. We split the trip into two parts to have at least some training. That’s why after the game against Roma the team went to Lublin. We checked in at the hotel, had lunch and had two and a half hours for rest. Then players who were in the starting lineup the day before had recovery while the rest had a training session.
Then the team had dinner and went home by bus. We came back to the training ground yesterday at around 12:30.
That’s for your understanding of our players’ physical state. Shakhtar had two days more to recondition as they played on Tuesday. This had an impact on today’s game. We knew we wouldn’t be fresh, so we focused on defending and searched for chances in counterattacks.
Besides, Popov got injured and joined Pikhalionok, Yarmolenko, Shepelev and Ceballos. We’re still to find out how bad his injury is.
- Why didn’t Mykola Shaparenko play?
- Unfortunately he got injured this morning. He got three stitches and couldn’t take the field.
- Karavayev became the man of the match as he scored like he usually does. Have you congratulated him?
- Of course I have. I’ve congratulated the whole team as to score one needs to take the ball to the wing, put it into the penalty area, reach the proper spot and hit the target. We work on that. We explain players how to attack, how to defend, how to move. But anyway fatigue mounts.
I wish you saw our players yesterday. You can criticize me, but players all over the world are saying that such number of matches is too much. Internationals don’t have any rest at all. Of course we lacked freshness. As for Karavayev, he scored a very important goal. Considering the circumstances, I think it’s a pretty good result for us.
