We must win every match

– We have difficult matches. As a coach, I would like to feel much calmer while on the bench. During the preparation for the game, I stressed to the lads that we have ideal conditions, which we created for ourselves in previous rounds. We were playing against a team near the bottom of the table, conceding the most and scoring the fewest, while at the same time many Kudrivka U19 players are under contract with Dynamo Kyiv U19. We had every prerequisite to go out fully motivated and give our maximum. I’m slightly dissatisfied with the actions of our attacking line in the final third at the start of the match, as there was a certain lack of focus. We had plenty of chances from which we could have got more and decided the outcome of the clash already in the first half. Instead, Kudrivka U19 had a few forays, but we were more concerned about thoughtless fouls, knowing how often we are forced to go into matches against Dynamo Kyiv U19 without key players. Nevertheless, I thank the lads for making it 3-0, although we could have scored more. I would like to be calmer, but this is football. These are young players: some come out relaxed, while others are extremely motivated, and our job is to bring them to an optimal condition.

– The match against Kudrivka U19 took place at the training base of Shakhtar U19’s closest challengers and in a week you will play at this stadium again – this time against Dynamo Kyiv U19. What will the preparation for the upcoming clash be like?
– It makes no difference to us who we play against, we prepare for all opponents in the same way within the weekly cycle. Tomorrow we will have a recovery session, and the day after, the lads will have a day off. Nothing changes for us, so just as we prepared with the understanding that we must win, we will again prepare to play for the win.

– There are five rounds of the U19 League remaining. How are you preparing your players for this stage of the season?
– I emphasise that we must win every match and that no one will help us. Our key player Viktor Tsukanov is currently with the first team. From previous matches, you can see how important he is for us and how many points he has brought to the team. Today we coped without him, and this is part of youth football, when one player moves up to the first team or goes out on loan to another side – there is a kind of generational change. First and foremost, it is the team that wins, not an individual, even if he scores three goals. In football, teamwork is paramount, while individual actions are secondary.

– Vasyl Bundash has worn the captain’s armband since the start of the season and puts in a huge amount of work in every match. How do you assess his progress?
– Indeed, I would like to highlight him because Bundash is a player who is effectively half the team – you can rely on him in any situation. I can say that, having worked with Shakhtar U19 for four years now and three as head coach, Vasyl has made the greatest progress over this period. If you compare training sessions three years ago and today, I believe the team’s progress is also his personal progress. Of course, his development has also been achieved thanks to the work of assistant coach Maksym Malyshev, as Bundash is a central midfielder and works a lot with him individually. It is precisely this hard work that has led to Vasyl becoming a very important player today, a leader who keeps the team focused and deserves attention, if not from the first team, then from other senior sides. He is truly a very dedicated and hard-working performer.