Dynamo head coach Marcel Licka spoke in detail about the last match of the year at Voronezh and summed up the results of the RPL first part.
— Share your emotions from the Fakel match.
— I am very glad that the team showed character and the right attitude to the game. We faced a difficult pitch and harsh weather conditions. It was much harder for us to play skilful football which we got used to. But we didn't give up in fighting and did our best. It's good that no one was injured. Thanks to the draw, we remain third until spring, which gives us a chance to catch up with Zenit and Krasnodar.
— How much did the pitch factor influence the game?
— It is winter outside and there was a lot of snow. Everyone tried to prepare the pitch in Voronezh, but unfortunately, it certainly did not reach the level of the Camp Nou (laughs). When I went out to the fans after the game, I realized how hard it was to play on such a turf, because the ball was bouncing all the time.
— Despite the cold and such a pitch, the team followed its style and often played through short passes. Have you pronounced any motivational words due to the external conditions?
— I told the guys that I didn't want them to abandon our game philosophy. On the other hand, it was necessary to understand in which parts of the pitch it was possible to combine, and where it was worth playing easier. We didn't want to abandon our play and tried to look for opportunities ahead. And we managed to create chances even on such a difficult turf.
— Bitello was hit most often. In addition, he was the only one who played with a short sleeve. Weren't you afraid for his health?
— The opponent always plays aggressively against such skilled footballers as Bitello, Ngamaleu, Carrascal, Chavez. Ngamaleu did not come to Voronezh because he was hit on the ankle in the first minute of the match against Rubin. I asked the referees to guard such players because they do the show and the fans come to watch them. But this is football, we have to live with it.
— Was it your unusual decision to leave the substitutes in the dressing room and not freeze them on the bench?
— It was -7 outside. If you sit on the bench for an hour in such weather, you will definitely get cold and, going out on the pitch, you are unlikely to help the team. Therefore, our substitutes stayed in the dressing room, where they warmed up and prepared. During the break, they went out on the pitch and had an active warm-up to catch their breath and play out, and then they came to the dressing room back because they could freeze their feet.
— What mark on a 5-point scale will you give the team for the first part of the championship?
— The team plays through a short pass, tries to find space between the lines, so we can put a good mark. In the first 8-10 matches of the season, we had poor mentality, but over the past two months we have made progress in this regard. The team can take another big step forward. Money doesn't decide everything in football. Look at Manchester City, who have been waiting for so many years to win the Champions League, and we want everything to be perfect in a few months at Dynamo. It takes time.
— Is a 12-match streak without defeats the best series in your coaching career?
— I can't remember right away, but in the golden season with Dynamo Brest, we suffered only one defeat from Dinamo Minsk in the last minutes in 30 games. If we can improve this achievement, I will be very happy.
— What match was close to be ideal for you?
— I will name the Cup fixture against Zenit, when we won by 1:0, and the first half of the home encounter against Orenburg.
— Do you already have the plan how to prepare the team for the championship restart? Will there be any surprises?
— The first training camp is supposed to be held in Qatar, then two more will be held in Turkey. All the footballers of the first team will fly, because they have to play with each other and improve their combinations on the pitch. Perhaps one or two newcomers will join us.
— Will all the injured players be available for the first winter training camp?
— Diego Laxalt, yes, as well as Moumi, but he will also go to play for Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations. Nicholas Marichal will join the Uruguay Olympic team for the qualifying tournament. Aleksandr Kutitsky and Milan Majstorovic will come with us, but they will work individually.
— How are you going to relax on vacation?
— I will fly home, where I am going to attend a seminar for coaches who receive a UEFA Pro license. Then we are going to France with friends for 4-5 days and I will spend the rest of my vacation at home with the children. So they will draw a vacation plan – whatever they want, dad will do.