Viktor Skrypnyk, head coach of Luhansk’s “Zorya,” on the five preseason matches, new signings, and preparations for the start of the championship:
-We’ve already played five matches. We’ve seen that, from game to game, there’s been a trend where the team has struggled. That’s normal, since we’re in training camp. Of course, we’d like to see better results, but we’re satisfied with the guys’ performance.
-There were games where we conceded goals early in each half. What’s missing?
-We need to work on everything. Sometimes it was a lack of concentration, sometimes a lack of skill, and sometimes we created obstacles for ourselves, after which we’d concede a goal and then try to rectify the situation.
Training camp is an opportunity for the coaching staff to look at the team from a different angle. To see how everyone performs under pressure. Our goal is to ensure that everyone is ready, not tired, and able to deliver results in official matches.
Right now, everyone is under pressure and tired, and that’s normal. That’s exactly how it should be at a training camp. The matches we’ve played are an opportunity for everyone to get into shape and build confidence in their abilities. Regardless of the final result, every friendly match provides us with valuable insights.
Sometimes we have the players play out of their usual positions. That’s also very important. Yes, it might sometimes lead to mistakes, but we have to understand that this is training camp—a time for experimentation and testing.
-This summer, we’re playing friendly matches against some pretty good opponents. How much does this affect the team?
-That’s exactly what we planned. If you look at our opening schedule in the UPL, we’re also playing against clubs that were above us in the standings. We don’t want to play against a team we can easily beat and then be left without any real insight, thinking everything is great. We’re satisfied with the level of our opponents. At their level, our young players and newcomers can prove themselves.
-By the way, how are the new signings fitting into the team?
-A big plus is that they’re all Ukrainian. They’re well-known players in the UPL. Everyone knows them, and they know everything about the league and our opponents. Our coaching staff is also very familiar with them. We believe in them and hope they’ll help us.
-In the last match, Bohdan Kushnirenko and Pylyp Budkivsky were substituted. Prior to that, Gabriel Esquina was injured.
-Bogdan and Pylyp are doing fine. Esquina needs a little more time to return to the main squad. We make substitutions during matches to give everyone a chance to play and avoid any imbalance.
-There were also players on trial with the team. They have already left Zorya’s training camp. The transfer window is open until September. Will there be any more new signings?
-We have players we’re keeping an eye on and talking to. We’ll wait and see what happens. I can say for sure that there will definitely be someone else.
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