"Gadzhiyev did what was needed": Bartulovich on the victory over Veres and preparation for Polissya

The first match of Kharkiv after rebranding ended with a victory over Riven's Veres (1:0) in the first round of the UPL. The next day, when the post-match emotions had settled, "UF" spoke with the head coach of the team Mladen Bartulovich.

"We are focusing on improving our finishing."

– Mladen, it's been a day since the start of the new season. What are your feelings about this game?

– It's always nice to start the season with a win because the first match is never easy. Every team strives to show themselves in the best light, demonstrate their mood and readiness for the new season. After the preseason preparation, not everything goes as planned right away. Somewhere there is still a lack of freshness in the legs. Overall, I believe that we played good football. We could have scored earlier and settled the winner long before the final whistle. We created enough goal-scoring opportunities for that. But the most important thing is that the team took their chance, deservedly won, and gained three points. The game left us with pleasant emotions.

– You mentioned that the team had enough chances to score earlier. In your opinion, what was lacking in their execution?

– The final precise pass, the finishing shot, and ultimately, the scored goal were lacking. We are constantly working on finishing chances and placing special emphasis on it. I hope that in the upcoming matches, we will be more effective in utilizing our opportunities.

– When preparing for the match against Veres, did you expect the opponent to play in this style?

– Of course, we understood that Veres would mainly operate in the middle and low block. Therefore, throughout the match, we tried to adjust, often using the 3-1-6 formation, pushing more players into the opponent's penalty area. It was important for us to create a numerical advantage in the final phase of attacks, find free spaces between the lines, and actively use the flanks to constantly put pressure on the opponent's defense. In the end, it was thanks to this that we managed to score the winning goal.

"Ramik knew what we expected from him."

– Ramik Gadzhiev, who came on as a substitute, scored the winning goal. What specific tasks did you set for him when sending him onto the field?

– When you send an attacking player onto the field and the team hasn't scored yet, you always expect him to add sharpness upfront. It could be a goal, an assist, or any other decisive action. Ramik knew what we expected from him. It's good that he took his chance, scored the decisive goal, and brought the team victory.

– Ramik spent about 15 minutes on the field. Did you consider bringing him on a bit earlier?

– He could have been brought on a bit earlier. But the most important thing is that he came on, did what the team needed, and helped secure the victory.

"Arev...

– Ahead, the team faces tough matches against Polissya and Shakhtar. What, in your opinion, can the team rely on for a positive result in these matches?

– For us, every match is equally important, regardless of the opponent. We take it game by game and don't get ahead of ourselves. Right now, all our focus is on the match against Polissya. We have a full week of preparation ahead, so we will carefully prepare for this game and tune in to it.

– When do you start preparing for the match against Polissya?

– On Sunday, we had a friendly match with Livy Bereh. The team will have a day off on Monday, and then we will start the preparation cycle for the match against Polissya.

– What is the situation with the injured players? Who among them can return to training with the main group soon?

– We hope that this week Arev...

"For Croatia, advancing from the group is already a success."

– And finally, about the Croatian national team. You probably closely followed their performances at the World Cup. What impressions did their game leave on you?

– I think the team played quite well. They made it out of the group, and for Croatia, that's already a success. Perhaps the team could have gone further, but overall, I view their performance at the World Cup positively.

– Ivan Perisic is your good friend, and you also know Luka Modric well. Did you keep in touch with them during the World Cup?

– No, we didn't communicate. I didn't even write to them.

– Did you ever think about inviting any of them to visit Ukraine, to come to the location of FC "Kharkiv"?

– If such an idea had come up, unfortunately, it would have been impossible to implement it now.