- My congrats to Dynamo on the win. The opponents got off to a much better start than we did. We operated slowly, exposing ourselves on multiple occasions and allowing the opponents to launch counterattacks. In fact, in the opening 35 minutes, the Kyivites did much better. After conceding that goal, the team reacted and had three scoring chances, still failing to convert them. In the second half, Dynamo just parked the bus and defended in a quality manner, while we had difficulties with ripping open their defence in the absence of any open spaces. I must admit the deserved victory of the visitors in the match where we didn’t show our level. I also want to note that such clashes are very difficult to referee, and I want to congratulate the referee on his quality job.



- Why didn’t you manage to outperform Dynamo?

- We couldn’t think through our play better. We lacked pace, and some thought early in our attacks not to launch them through midfield, but via the flanks. There wasn’t enough pressure and agility on our part. To win such matches, we must be more attentive – just as the opponents, and even more. As I’ve said, Dynamo were better today.



- What do you make of the centre-back performance? Khocholava’s disappointing mistake affected the outcome ...

- Such mistakes happen in football, that’s part of the game. We shouldn’t judge our defensive performance only by the conceded goal - we should talk about everything together. In no case am I seeking excuses in that regard, and the only one responsible for everything is me. What can I criticize the team for? For being too complacent, especially in the opening 35 minutes.



- From the stand it seemed that Patrick made lots of mistakes.

- To be honest, I think Alan was one of the best in our team. He took the initiative most of all, with the most dangerous chances occurring precisely with his participation.



- And what’s your take on Ferreyra’s performance?

- For him, the match was far from easy, because we didn’t make it to the centre-forward to deploy him. Facundo tried hard, fighting even in view of the complicated game structure when Dynamo lowered all their lines, but the ball reached him rarely and it was hard for him to participate.



- We can’t say that the opponents just played to clear it all the time after the break. Why didn’t you succeed at the final assault? Do the players lack motivation?

- In the second half, Dynamo almost stopped attacking: 10 men nearly dropped down the penalty area, it was difficult to find any open spaces. The visitors performed really well defensively – perhaps, that's why we didn’t have that many dangerous chances.



- Ferreyra was irreplaceable for you, but he’s been suspended for the meeting against Vorskla. Who is the favourite to replace the strikers?

- That’s OK, this kind of thing has happened before, with a few men missing the games. Presently, the main candidate is Kayode.



- Can you say when you’ll decide to extend or not extend your deal with Shakhtar?

- There’s no deadline or a fixed date. Negotiations are underway.



- In the current league campaign, you find the games against Dynamo pretty tough – no single victory. Why is that?

- That’s true, we can’t win yet. The clashes are really tough. Let's talk about the reality: Dynamo are the strongest team defensively this year. When they score, it gets really tough: the White-and-Blues drop deep completely, sealing off absolutely all the spaces, they take next to no initiative and decide to just defend. And they do it well.



- The gap reduced, and another meeting with Dynamo will be just in the last round. How will the title race develop now?

- We’ve always been and remain in the top spot. Now we are going three points ahead of the opponents, and I think we’re facing a fight to the very end. There are not many rounds left. Such a small gap is a kind of pressure for us, but Dynamo are also under pressure, because the Kyiv team can’t lose their other games. Of course, this is not what we wanted, but from the perspective of the tournament as a whole and the fans’ passions, I think everyone could be happy.



- In a few days, Shakhtar will take part in the Cup semi-final. Will the regulars feature in it? Will we see Fomin on the field?

- To tell the truth, I haven’t thought about the line-up for the match against Mariupol yet, but just now I’m starting to do it.

