Ruslan Rotan: "There was a team on the football field that understood the value of the match"

Head coach of "Polissya" Ruslan Rotan commented on the victory over "Kharkiv" in the 2nd round of the UPL. The coach assessed the status of the "new classic" for this confrontation, analyzed the team's tactical decisions, and the condition of Lyndon Ermolahu.

- Many people presented this match as a "new classic." A top confrontation of teams that are supposed to fight for prize places in the UPL, and you are leading 3-0 10 minutes before the end of the match.

- You know, I think it's true. Probably because both "Kharkiv" and us have big ambitions. Television boldly dubbed this match as a new modern classic, and that's cool. I think if there are more such matches in Ukrainian football, the championship will grow and become much more qualitative.

- I really liked your second and third goals. I'm curious, which one did you like more? The first one was from a set piece, which is cool, and the third one was also from pressing...

- You know, I liked what we prepared for today. Indeed, the third goal was exactly what we discussed with the guys. I repeat, we saw a problem in the opponent's transitional phase when they control the ball, where we had to be as compact as possible. Just at the phase when the opponent plays the ball, we had to intercept it and deliver it to our wingers, and then advance through individual qualities. In principle, the third goal showed that we were right.

- Did Bragar apologize to the team with this goal? Because he received a lot of criticism after the match with "Copenhagen" for the second goal.

- You know, the team is a team. The team wins together and loses together. Of course, we always discuss some individual mistakes when analyzing matches. There are also individual conversations that we have. We never want to judge anyone and say that someone is solely to blame. We are all responsible. But this is our experience that we must take, go through it, and come out with maximum concentration and understanding of what needs to be done on the football field in the next match. If we do this, there will be no problems. We are moving towards this, we are building. I think that through such matches, unfortunately, we have to go through.

- Araujo and Babenko played together today, both more defensive. Did you like this option for the future in matches where more defense is needed? How do you rate this pair?

- Look, versatility - yes. Just today we planned to gradually involve Araujo in the game. The understanding of the game at the highest level cannot be there yet because Araujo has only been training for a week. We understood that we would be at a disadvantage in ball possession, but the score allowed us to do so. We reacted to the opponent playing with two forwards, we switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation, but during our attack development, Babenko moved slightly higher.

- What was key in this match that you are really satisfied with?

- I think the key today is that there was a team on the football field that wanted a result, was aggressive, and understood the value of the match. This is probably the most important thing. It was the team's reaction to how we were eliminated from the European competitions and how we pass these tests. I mean the loss to "Copenhagen," not advancing further, the next game with "Chornomorets," where at the beginning of the match we were dissatisfied, but showed quality and emerged as winners in difficult conditions. Today's match was a derby where it was necessary to understand the specifics of the game. We understood that there would be a lot of fighting and tactical actions from the opponent. In such matches, it shows that the team clearly understands what is needed.

- Is Mykhailichenko okay?

- Everything is fine. At the end of the match, the referees appeared due to the weather, it happens.

- Towards the end, it seemed that "Kharkiv" obviously wanted to score something, but it also seemed that "Polissya" just wanted to play second fiddle. How fair is this impression and how satisfied are you with it, as "Polissya" conceded again?

- A correct question. We didn't want that. We understood that we would give the ball to the opponent, this understanding was there, but we expected to take the ball back and have more promising counterattacks. Of course, we need to be more aggressive. We must assess the situation correctly when we have the ball: when to attack and when not. I didn't like that with the ball we didn't feel where to take control, just rolling it and keeping it, and where to play aggressively. The ending was not liked because we misjudged these phases.

- As a personal fan of Lyndon... What do you think is happening with him: mentally, physically? What is the problem with him now?

- I think it's a normal process for a player. Everyone has periods when something doesn't work out, and Lyndon is in such a period now. But we will help. We are here not to suppress him for this. We will go through this together, and I am sure that after some time he will return to the Lyndon we saw at the beginning after the transfer. The most important thing is Lyndon's understanding. I see that it is there in training, he is working well now. This stage will pass in just two weeks, or maybe even faster, if he continues to train and give himself 100%. It all starts from the head and one's own attitude. I think he understands perfectly well what mistake he made. We understand it too and will help him together. Lyndon will later become the player we all saw.