Oleksandr Petrakov: The lads are fighters. I have no questions for them

Oleksandr Petrakov, head coach of Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, commented on the UPL Round 10 away match against Bukovyna Chernivtsi, which ended in a 0:0 draw.

- You made your debut in charge of Kryvbas today. What are your initial impressions of the team?

- The lads are true fighters; they have a lot of character. As for exactly what happened on the pitch - honestly, it’s all a bit of a blur; I don’t even remember. We’ll analyze everything in detail. But regarding the execution of my requirements - let’s just say I have absolutely no complaints about the team. I sincerely thank the guys for how they welcomed me and for their help.

- Regarding your return to Ukrainian football: making your UPL debut after a break, and jumping straight back in at this level - what was that like?

- To be frank, it was very tough. I’m not even sure myself... It was really difficult for me. Even though I’m an experienced coach, it was genuinely hard. I won’t go into all the details right now, but it was a challenging experience. We’ll keep working.

- There are many foreign players in the squad - English and Portuguese speakers, as well as players from Israel. Has the language barrier been a challenge for you?

- There are no issues at all. The young guys nowadays speak both English and Spanish. The Ukrainian players have been a huge help; two, three, or four of them know the languages - they step right in to translate and offer guidance. I’m very grateful to them for that, so communication is well-established.

- Tell us about the formation of your coaching staff. It was previously reported that Serhii Popov would be joining the staff...

- That matter is currently being resolved. My former assistants aren't available to join right now, so I reached out to Serhiy. Even Yurii Vernydub called me and suggested, "Get in touch with Serhii." I called him, and Serhii replied immediately: "Coach, I’ll go wherever you tell me to." We also brought in Roman Debelko from the youth team; he’s 31 - a young guy - and he’s been a huge help. We also have two specialists working on physical conditioning, as well as goalkeeping coach Oleksandr Kupalnyi, whom I know from my time at the Shakhtar Academy. That’s the staff for now.

- From the very first match, the fans could see Petrakov’s signature style: a formation with three central defenders, and the team kept a clean sheet for the first time since May. How well did the players execute the tactical plan, and are you satisfied with the point earned?

- Right now, every point is worth its weight in gold to me. The lads did a fantastic job. We only had one training session - we went over the tactics and I laid out my requirements - and they took it all in and executed it on the pitch. I have absolutely no complaints; they really helped me out today.

- What are the team’s next steps, considering there’s a cup match in Kyiv in just a few days?

- Right now, we’re heading home to get some sleep. Tomorrow, around 12:00, we’ll hold a training session: it will be a recovery session for those who played today, and a full-fledged workout for the rest. Afterward, I’ll let the guys take a break so they have some time to go for a walk, and we’ll reconvene on Tuesday for training at approximately 17:00. On Wednesday, we’ll train at our club base before heading to Kyiv.

Media of FC "Kryvbas" Kryvyi Rih