The head coach of the White-Blues Marcel Licka answered questions after an impressive win over Orenburg (4:1) at the Turkish VTB training camp.
— Why did you decide to field the youth squad in the first half today?
— During the winter break, we have enough time to prepare and test the young guys. And it is very good for them to play against a Premier League side. Where else should they gain experience? It is clear that they are unlikely to have many opportunities to come out from the first minutes in the championship. So it was the perfect time to give them a chance to prove themselves and start getting used to the intensity and aggressiveness that is in the RPL.
— Talking about young footballers, who impressed you especially?
— I don't want to single anyone out. I can only repeat that, as I told them, they all need to improve their physical work and increase intensity on the pitch. But I liked their character, their mental readiness for such a game. Of course, there were mistakes, but it is clear that they are still young and cannot always read the game. They helped us a lot today and showed that they can become first-team regulars in the future.
— The long-awaited return of Milan Majstorovic took place. How do you assess his condition?
— I wanted him to play 10 minutes and feel the game. After such an injury, he trained individually for a very long time and waited for this moment. He has been fully engaged in training with the team for the last three days. The doctor and I decided that he was ready to go on the pitch. It is clear that he is not 100 percent ready yet and will continue to get in shape, but from a psychological point of view, these 10 minutes were very useful for him.