Head coach Marcel Licka took part in a match with fans in Turkey on Tuesday afternoon, and in the evening he found time to come to the stream on the Dynamo Twitch channel and answer questions from fans from Moscow.
— The team scores a lot during training camps - do you like it or are you worried that the goals might disappear later?
— Of course, it’s good that the team creates a lot of chances and scores. This is always pleasant and gives optimism. We played two games with Krylia, and I liked both of them. The young players also showed intense football. When we return to Moscow, we will forget about the training camp and start everything from scratch. Because points are given only for matches in the championship.
— Did you like the tradition of playing at training camps with fans? Have you seen something similar in other teams?
— I know that my former team Banik also had fans come to the training camp. But for about 100 people to come, of course, I’ve never seen anything like this. Today we had a great time playing football with them for 30 minutes, joking, taking pictures, and talking. I thanked them very much for coming. We've already spent so much time here, and having such a group of people come and support you is just super.
— Did you feel more comfortable on the field today than in the game against 2DROTS?
— Yes, it was more calm. When we entered the field in the match with 2DROTS, more than 20 thousand people were looking at us, but here it was more relaxed. I performed well, scored a couple of goals, but the main thing was not the result, but communication with the fans.
— In what aspects does the team need to improve so that we can compete for the title?
— In the last two months of the championship, the team became stronger mentally and more confident. When things went wrong on the field, we knew we could correct the mistakes. The balance in the game has also improved, because at the beginning of the season, after losing the ball, not everyone worked back. We must work as one team both in defense and attack, and react faster to losing the ball. And yesterday the team showed it. We try to increase the intensity. We strive to ensure that even in the 80th minute the players can perform sprints.
— Marcel, is there some symbolism for you in the fact that you made Dynamo Brest champion, and now you are striving for this with Dynamo Moscow?
— We want to be successful. When a person comes to a club with such a big history, there is no need to live only by it. We all want to write our chapter in capital letters in the history of the club. Obviously, I would like to win the championship, but I have to give credit to my opponents and keep my feet on the ground. We need to achieve our chances through honest work and go to the end, use them.
— Previously, Dynamo tried not to talk out loud about a possible title, for fear of jinxing it. Now we have stopped being afraid of it. Is the team really striving for the title this year, or will it again be, as they say, “going from match to match”?
— I love pressure. Honestly, in Russia one team stands out - this is Zenit, which is superior in level to others. We can easily compete with CSKA, Spartak, Krasnodar, which is in the first place. I don't want to look down and be afraid that our competitors will overtake us. I look up - to where Zenit and Krasnodar are. I want to win and put pressure on them, expecting them to make mistakes. It is my goal. I don't know what the result will be, but I want to catch up with the two leaders. We have a mentally strong team that can take advantage of our opponents' mistakes.
— You’ve been with the team for more than six months, how pleasant are you to be at Dynamo?
— When I arrived in Orenburg, I had my first game at home with Volgar, and then we played away with Veles. And when we arrived in Moscow and were driving to the hotel, we passed the Dynamo stadium. My friends told me about it, that there are hockey and football arenas there together. And I thought, it would be great to coach here someday. I was in Russia for 4 days then. And this is how fate turned out, and I am very pleased with it. We have an excellent base with all the conditions, so we cannot look for any excuses. You don't always find this in Europe. I am very happy to work here and I want to be successful with the club and win trophies.
— So far it seems that the team needs to improve its play on set pieces. How do you plan to do this?
— If I’m not mistaken, we scored only two goals from set pieces. Yes, this is not our strongest aspect. I can note that our team is not that high. Maybe Fedya, Fabi, Robbie are higher, but the rest are already 1.80 and lower. Therefore, it is more difficult for us when the ball is in the air. We try to play more low through a short pass.
In Orenburg, we also didn’t succeed at first, but then we broke through and scored 7 goals from set pieces at once. Sometimes you need luck, maybe some kind of rebound. Of course, we are working on set pieces, but we don’t want to focus only on them. The main thing is to build a game so that every player feels comfortable and has freedom in attacking actions.
— Now the Champions League matches start late. Do you allow players to watch them?
— Everyone does as they see fit. I know for myself that I will watch the first half, and then I will definitely fall asleep. If a football player watches such games, then I’m all for it. He begins to think about football, about who behaves how on the field. This is a big plus for him.
— How do you assess the team’s readiness to resume the season?
— For me, it’s a big plus that almost no one from the team left in the winter, and they continue to play together. We already have 16-17 players who can take the field tomorrow and play an official game. We see increased competition. Tyukavin probably wouldn’t work like that if he didn’t have Smolov as a competitor, who could take his place at any moment. It is clear that not everyone will play, because there are only 11 seats on the field. We must be one unit and everyone must be ready to come out and help the team at any time.
— One of the tours was postponed to April, and in March there will be a big pause. What will you do during it?
— This is an unpleasant moment. We will play 3 games in 10 days and then rest for 2.5 weeks. This is not good for us. We will try to find some options to play a friendly match. Only training without practice is bad.
— Many young players shone during the training camp. Alexander Chupayev scored the most, what can you say about him?
— Chupa still has a lot of work to do. These were his first such training camps, and it was not easy for him. He can navigate well in the penalty area, but there are many aspects he needs to work on. We will try to help him. He is lucky to have partners like Fedya Smolov and Kostya Tyukavin. Young guys should learn from the older ones and listen to them, it's important. And sometimes they get offended by some words of the older players.
— Can young players count on getting on the field in official matches already?
— Obviously, it's harder for defensive players because I don't like to change the defensive line too much. Attackers have more chances. I don't want to mention names, but a couple of people plus Chupayev might get to play as substitutes in some games.