Speaking to the Match TV, Marcel Licka shared his impressions of winning the BetBoom Brother's Cup and playing the first game at VTB Arena as Dynamo head coach.
— I am glad that we were able to win. It's great that there were a lot of fans at stands – more than 17 thousand came today. For our young players this is a great experience, and it will help them to grow. I am happy with how my team reacted to a tough start – for the first 45 minutes CSKA were better than us. We tried, we fought and we managed to win.
— Dynamo were losing by 1:3 during the match. Thanks to what the team could come back?
— Two excellent attacks helped us, when after ball interceptions we did not play back, but made passes to the free zones, where Grulev opened up. He finished these episodes very calmly, as did Fedya Smolov in the final half.
— Smolov attacked most of the match playing deeply. Are you planning to use him in this position?
— We talked to Fedya about his position on the pitch. He plays very well between the lines, has good technique and controls the ball well. Smolov makes unexpected decisions. So this is one of the options we can use. Today he performed 60 minutes as a playmaker, after which he shifted to the centre-forward position, while Kostya Tyukavin took his place for another 15 minutes.
— What can you say about the game of two legends Kevin Kuranyi and Vladimir Rykov?
— Kevin managed to make a good pass even in a minute. Rykov also came out great in the end and played on experience. I am very glad that they were on the pitch today and showed themselves ahead of the fans.
— Who was the most effective among young players?
— I don't want to single out anyone personally. Our youngsters had good moments, and those where they lacked experience and skills. Experience is surely acquired in such games. It's great that they were able to play against such a strong opponent at a stadium filled with fans.
— Are you planning to celebrate the victory in the Brother's Cup somehow?
— No. Tomorrow we will be training. I told the guys in the dressing room that everything starts for us on July 21. The Russian Premier League is a long tournament. You can't become a champion there by playing 3 or 4 games well, you need to play 30 matches on a necessary level. And then we can think about the celebration.