Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Vladyslav Kabaiev, who recently returned from injury, came on as a substitute in the 1:1 home draw against Metalist 1925 Kharkiv. After the match he shared his thoughts on the game, his recovery and how the team is coping with pressure.
- What were your thoughts as you came on? Was it difficult to get into the rhythm of the match?
- Every game is difficult in its own way. I understood that at 1:1 we needed to win because it’s not the first time we’ve created plenty of chances but failed to convert them. Football is like that - sooner or later the opponent can score and that’s exactly what happened, not for the first time either. So the emotions are negative. I don’t even know what to say. When I came on, sometimes I lost the ball, sometimes I took shots - I could have scored. I came on eager to help the team; some things worked, others didn’t. That’s football. You always want to play better and with higher quality. Today we faced a strong opponent.
- How do you feel physically after the injury? Are you fully recovered?
- I feel fine now, nothing’s bothering me. I prepared well for this match, got some rest. Of course it’s noticeable that I missed about two weeks of team training - the rhythm fades a bit. But it’s nothing serious; there’s time ahead to get back into form. Unfortunately we’re losing very important points.
- There’s now an international break. Will this be a good time to improve your fitness?
- Yes, I’ll use this time to prepare. As for the game, I’ll say again - we’re not finishing our chances. If we had scored three or four goals, everyone would say everything’s great. But when it’s 1:1, people say that Dynamo isn’t playing well. We’re used to that. But I think it’s a positive sign that we’re creating chances - we just have to convert them and the results will come, along with a much better mood and a different picture in the standings.
- Recently the team has been criticized for disappointing results in the Conference League and the domestic championship. How do you handle that pressure?
- Of course, we notice everything - everyone has the internet, everything’s public. We read it, we see it, sometimes people say unpleasant things in person. What helps? Hard to say. Sometimes I can’t sleep at night or lose my appetite. When I get home, I rewatch my matches, analyze mistakes and think about how to improve.
You know, right now it’s important to move past the negativity and focus only on the positive. It’s not easy but it’s the only way. If you keep dwelling on the bad, you’ll waste all your energy on it - and that’s not right.
People often think that if you lose, you have to walk around with your head down. Of course, it’s unpleasant - very unpleasant. You don’t even want to see the fans because you feel ashamed. But this is our job and, believe me, every player and coach wants the same thing - for Dynamo to become champions. We’ll do everything possible for that. Yes, it’s a tough period but say me the team that doesn’t drop points - even Manchester City, Liverpool and Shakhtar do. It’s disappointing but we shouldn’t turn it into a tragedy.
