Serhiy Kryvtsov: Those afraid of getting injured opt for playing chess

05-05-15 19:03:33

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Interview with Shakhtar’s defender Serhiy Kryvtsov.

- Serhiy, how has your life intersected with football?
- During my first years as a pupil, some people came to our school to make an announcement that a local district team were recruiting a group of our age. My friend and I talked to each other and decided to try ourselves. That was how I was took up football.

- Love for football has emerged deep in your childhood, hasn’t it?
- I cannot say that. As a child, I played football, but there was not special interest, even though dad and grandfather got me interested in this kind of sport. The funny thing is that this zeal appeared when we moved to a new apartment. It turned out that former owner was a football player. I do not know, maybe some aura of football remained there...

- Really interesting... Did you have any role models?
- Of the players, probably like everyone else at the time - Shevchenko and Rebrov. But I supported all the Ukrainian teams.

- Would you say that the Zaporizhzhya school is one of the best in Ukraine?
- Sure. They rely on their kids. It is easier to play for them than for Dynamo and Shakhtar, where the result is demanded immediately. This approach from Metalurh is very sensible, in my opinion. Statistics shows that... As far as I know, the Zaporizhzhya Academy enters the top thirty best in Europe, which is a great achievement.

- What exactly is a secret of the Academy, in your opinion?
- The approach to the players. Director of the Academy is very good as a person, as a manager, and the coaches are excellent. It's hard to say specifically... I can say that now there are all the best conditions for youngsters. Previously, children played on gravel, on sandy fields. Now there are good pitches, gyms, swimming pools - all the necessary infrastructure. With the right approach, the school works well, its footballers play in Ukraine, Russia, and other countries.

- Do you remember the name of the first coach?
- Yes, Yuriy Vasilyevich, God rest his soul... He was my first coach in the local team called Zvezda. Although the area was disadvantaged, and eventually the team broke up, it was he who invited me to step on a more serious level - the academy of Metalurh Zaporizhzhya.

- What difficulties have you faced from the start?
- There was confusion with the first team. One group trained in the first shift, the other in the second. It was too heavy. Apart from the above, there were virtually no difficulties. I would like to thank my parents; they did not have ultimatums between education and sport. Even my mother reacted well to the fact that I preferred football to school, when she saw how much I liked training sessions.

- You made your debut for the first team of Metalurh at 17, do you think it is a good result?
- Back then – yes. It is now easier to make the debut in this respect at a similar age. Teams are not of such a level, the championship has become weaker. Take Metalurh, at that time the team were fighting for a place in the UEFA Cup, but now - against relegation.

- Do you remember well the debut match?
- Yes of course. There was a game against Arsenal Kyiv, back then Yevhen Seleznyov played for them upfront. The game, in fact, was not decisive, we were unable to climb higher not lower down. I would like to thank the coaches who gave me a chance to prove ourselves and for letting the young guys to make debut in the last four rounds of the championship.

- Did you expect that the coaching staff will take such a decision?
- No, I just did what I had to. I worked, trained, dreamed of the debut, of course. At that time I performed in the youth national team, perhaps it drew the attention of the head coach of Metalurh. He invited me to train with the first team; some things worked out. Since then I have regularly been training with the first team, I tried to cement my place in the team - that was the main thing.

- Last games of the championship saw the team suffering some personnel losses, maybe... What led to calling up young players?
- In my opinion, no. The coaches just decided to give us a chance to get experience, the atmosphere of senior football. Taras Stepanenko was the first to pave the way, a good example to others. He made the the coaching staff think about the young players, give them the same chance. Coaches trusted us, talked to everyone, telling us not to be afraid, as everyone comes from the same background. Someone was more experienced, others less. Even senior footballers approached with words of support: "Do not worry, everything begins with it, you're playing at your stadium, your friends and relatives are here”.

- How should young players behave during their debut against serious known teams?
- They should be focused on the game, understanding that the whole country is watching you. One has to prove himself…

- What mark would you give yourself for your first performance?
- Well... As for me, the first three games were good. The last round of the championship was a bit sloppy. As far as I remember, there was not any criticism towards me. I put on a confident performance, and that was fine.

- In the next season you did not play versus top league teams. Nevertheless, you were featured in almost every match squad. Was it because of lack of experience?
- No, it turns out that before Dynamo I would always be injured! Before games with Shakhtar I would already reach the yellow card limit. Plus Football Federation had a conflict with our club because of the fact that Metalurh did not want to release the young guys to the national teams. The Federation’s stance in the conflict was crucial - some players were suspended for one match of the championship. I would not say that I was a player of the first team, but I would come on as a sub.

- 29 games and 2 goals is a good result for the central defender, isn’t it?
- Yes, it was a good performance, you're right. Then I started to take shape as a skilled football player.

- Could the fact of you playing the maximum number of matches versus Shakhtar in the following season contribute to your move to Shakhtar?
- I do not think so, because we lost both games. I do not know about it, perhaps we should ask the coaches...

- To complete the theme of Metalurh Zaporizhzhya, how do you see the further progress of the club's Academy, despite the fact that the championship is now weakened and no one knows what will happen tomorrow?
- Of course, the coaches will work. I talked to the academy staff, they say they will continue to work, in spite of everything, because you cannot just throw kids into the street. On the contrary, I am convinced that, starting from this situation, kids’ character will be stronger.

- Do you think that the mass outflow of foreign players will be able to give way to young kids?
- You know, there are two sides of the coin. One can take advantage of this opportunity, others can understand that due to the present circumstances there is no competition as such, they will play, because a club doesn’t simply have any other players. Accordingly, many will reduce requirements for themselves, which will have a negative effect. It all depends on each person, one one’s professionalism.

- Today we have touched on a very interesting topic - youth teams of Ukraine. In 2009, Donetsk and Mariupol hosted Euro U-19 where our country won for the first time in its history. You were part of the "gold" team. How important was the trophy for a young player?
- Very important. Immediately after the training camp with Metalurh I arrived at the national team camp. It was exactly a week before the start of the tournament. Yuriy Kalitvintsev watched me during training sessions and then said that he would include me into the tournament squad. I was very happy with his decision. When the championship started, we did not think about what the outcome that would be appropriate for us. We just took to the pitch and played. After the match against Switzerland, we realized that our goal was to win the Euro.

- What was the original goal of the tournament?
- First, we had to advance from the group. We knew that we would give our best, and see the result of work over time.

- Would it be true to say that Ukraine were lucky with a draw (England, Switzerland and Slovakia), as a parallel group was slightly stronger (Serbia, France, Spain, Turkey)? And in the semi-finals you faced Serbs, and England played France...
- Of course, it was not without luck. But I cannot say that that group was much stronger. Based on the names - yes, but boys of the teams from our group were talented and promising. I agree that a game with France would have been harder than that with Serbia, although England beat the French without too many difficulties, and we confidently beat England. This is football!
                                                 
- Before the final battle the mood was absolutely great, but how confident were you in the triumph?
- I will say this: after the final whistle, I did not have any particular emotions such a furor! We won, and it came naturally. My point is that in the final, as you rightly said, our confidence was great. The coaching staff was so convinced in our strength, we were like robots, who had only one goal. And only a couple of days later you sit and think, ‘Yeah, I'm a European champion, incredible!’ Only after some time we truly felt the triumph. (Laughs.)

- Is it a great achievement for the country?
- I think, yes. For the first time in the history of independent Ukraine we won this tournament, a very prestigious trophy.

- Would you say that the rivals worked to the max?
- It was impossible to be in the stadium tunnel. Those foreigners were shouting at each other using all sorts of words (we understood what they were talking about), not paying attention to either the coaching staff or journalists. On the field, it was the same. So, if you can call it an example of "the maximum commitment", then yes. (Laughs.)

- Kryvtsov, Garmash, Rybalka, Partsvaniya, Shakhov, Tchaikovskiy and many others... All these guys are "golden" generation that won this trophy, played at a serious level.
- Yes, it's true. The boys did not reduce turnover, raise the bar just above after winning the tournament, but did not go after the youth national team of Russia, which at one time also dominated the European Championships, though tune summit failed one or two players. Our guys understand that it is only a push to adult football, it's not the achievements that should be prioritized. Almost all were in the youth team and the national team. Though not called regularly, but everyone was in the first camp of the national team at least once. A victory in this tournament could only inspire us, but tomorrow would be a different day. Personally, I am tremendously motivated after the triumph.

- Did Donetsk and Mariupol satisfy your desires in terms of organisation and fan support?
- Indeed! I can say that there was a feeling of us being on holiday. We were talking in the dressing room, remembered that our boys from U-17 went to the European Championship in Belgium. According to the guys, the country almost did not know that they were hosting the football championship of this scale, no atmosphere, no emotion came from those fifty fans who came. They just played, travelled, and that was it! We had stewards, banners, labels (stickers) hanging, people kept standing near the hotel. The atmosphere was really felt. They are right: the fans are the 12th player of the team!

- Donetsk hosted Euro 2009, also participated in the Euro-2012. Were there any obvious similarities in terms of organisation or support?
- Somewhere, yes. But Euro-2012 was, of course, bigger. Euro 2012 saw packed venues, fan zones were singing, it was incredible... It brings nostalgia when remembering it.

- The tournament was held in Donetsk, certainly every major European club sent their scouts. Did the win in tournament contribute to your move to Shakhtar?
- It may have. They may have learned something new about me, but only one victory for such a transfer was not enough. To me no one spoke about it.

- Were you planning to stay at Metalurh or try yourself at a new level?
- No, I was planning to stay in the team for another 3-4 years; I did not want to go anywhere. You know, I am missing Zaporizhzhya, after all this is my hometown, where I lived most of my life, the native stadium, fans, in Zaporizhzhya everyone is a close friend. My desire to reach greater heights came later. At that very moment, I received an offer from Shakhtar - an offer I could do not refuse.

- The youth team have “grown up", the boys got more experience, and we can say that the same squad went to Euro 2011 in Denmark. Do you agree that we were considered the favourites of the tournament before the draw?
- Maybe. But that did not matter, because we did not meet the expectations of our fans, a humiliating defeat for us, I do even not want to recall it. Although ,the group was tough. You know, if you fall into one quartet with England, Spain, the Czech Republic and Ukraine - the team that equally could participate in the final of the tournament, and the other group features Switzerland, Belarus, Iceland and Denmark - the hostess, I think, something is not ‘clear’! Another thing is that we failed big time in this tournament, approached it in the status of stars, we thought that we would beat Czechs, and with Spain and England would fight on equal terms without any problems... We were hit in the head, knocked the crown and brought our feet to the ground.

- Deservedly?
- Deservedly! We must call a spade a spade. We lost the tournament - that's the most disappointing thing! We did not understand what happened when there was a final whistle of the match with the Czech Republic (1:2), we suffered a shock. The match with England, though a draw, but even this result was not good enough for our team, we had to beat Spain, against which we had no chances. Later everyone realized what we had done, with whom we played. We were unable even to win the ball, we would just run and watch a spectacular game from Spain. But we got more international experience. Our opponents regularly play in the semi-finals, the finals of international competitions, and for us, getting there is already an achievement. These stereotypes have to be removed.

- Would you call that youth team as one of the strongest in the history of Ukraine?
- Maybe. I want it to be even stronger in the future.

- The current national youth team will begin their Euro qualifying campaign, and the U-20 side will go to the World Cup in New Zealand. Do you think these teams can look forward to great achievements?
- Of course, I have talked to our Bogdan Sarnavskiy recently, the captain of this team, which is going to the World Cup. He said that the team are incredibly promising, it can hope for something. However, the World Cup is much more difficult than European championship, so, maybe even a little harder...

- Are planning to fly to root for your friends?
- To New Zealand?

- Yes, the World Cup.
- No, thank you! (Laughs.) I'll be rooting for them here. I cannot do it even if I wanted it a lot, as we will hold training camps this time. Plus I do not really wish to fly to New Zealand...

- Do you like to travel?
- No, my wife and I love a quiet holiday. We have little kids, my daughter Alisa was born on the eve of the match with Dynamo. So we prefer to relax, lie on the beach, by the swimming pool. Other guys like Taras Stepanenko like a more active holiday - climbing in the mountains, museums, various excursions.

- In the 2010-11 season you received an offer from Shakhtar Donetsk, which, as you said, you couldn’t refuse. Was the offer from Shakhtar the only one?
- There were other options, I will not name them, it does not matter. I was leaning towards Shakhtar and I do not regret it. Even if it had not happened here, I stick to the idea that everything that is done is for the better.

- When making this decision, did you have a lot of patience, because you understood that it was not easy to win competition against Rakitskiy, Kucher and Chygrynskiy?
- Yes of course. I came at a time when the team already had four central defenders. At that time, Dmytro Chygrynskiy returned from Barcelona, I did realize that I had little chance. Experienced players, masters in its own way. When I was first submitted for the Champions League squad, I almost fainted! And for the kids, it was more than usual; they had already played 20-30 games in the tournament. But I knew that by working with them, I can grow two and even three times. Besides these injuries... At the first training camp, I was out with an injury for a month. But I did not lay down arms, trying to prove that I was still promising and worthy. It meant that my time had not come yet.

- Have you ever thought about the same as other young players of Shakhtar – moving on loan?
- The first year, I did not even care. I wanted to get used to the team, did not see the point in moving every six months from one place to the other. I clearly understood the difference: at Metalurh, I did not fight for medals, we would challenge for top six ...  We would sit somewhere midtable. Shakhtar always fight for gold, play in the Champions League. I have been working for a long time to reach this level.

- That is, you were not upset by the lack of match practice?
- No, I was training and waiting for my time to come. Every year, I  would play more and more often, so...

- Among the three matches you played for Shakhtar in the season, you played with your former team – Metalurh Zaporizhzhya, what emotions did you feel in that game?
- Back then I was deployed at right-back. Mister called me, saying I was going to play in this position, so to say, to have fewer chances to commit an error, it was possible to join the attack. Frankly, I do not care with whom to play: Metalurh Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk... There were not many matches with me, so I did not think that much about the opponent.

- Interesting fact: you have been part of the Shakhtar Champions League squad, but failed to make your debut in the tournament until the fourth season...
- I'm not resentful, I'm not a little girl, our relationships with Mister are not such that could lead to me taking offence at him for every game. (Laughs.)

- With each year, you were getting into the Shakhtar match squad more frequently, as a result you were called up for the Ukraine national team...
- I think they called me up to give stimulus for future. That season I played 4-5 games for the Pitmen, more or less successful, Fomenko noticed, called up to the national team for the matches against Uruguay and the Czech Republic, against which I debuted. I remember that disappointing game, we conceded two early goals... Anyway, I got experience playing with legends of football, whom I watched as a child, or when was a ball boy.

- Why was the game with Uruguay unsuccessful?
- The coaching staff said that they would field one number of players for one match, and the other for the second game. I played against the Czechs, it is also a very good achievement.

- Is the motivation superfluous in the matches for the national team?
- Of course, there cannot be extra motivation, when you make your debut for the national team of your country. It is the main team, the result was humiliating...

- A crushing defeat spoiled the picture, didn’t it?
- Of course, I was disappointed like everyone else. We took to the pitch with one mood, and it was different after conceding an early goal. Then we lowered our hands, it was already difficult to cope with this problem.

- This season has become momentous for you, you are more involved with the first team, playing 20 matches and even scoring two goals, and you also played in the Champions League. Do you feel the new role in the team?
- You see, I missed the most part of the first half of the championship, I was seriously injured. Honestly, I did not expect that I would be entrusted to play in the second round. If I had a little more luck... Suspensions, injuries...

- Yeah, in an interview you said that you are ‘lucky’ when getting, breaking a collarbone for four times, and this is not a complete list. Do you feel that these injuries have played a cruel joke with you in terms of development?
- There's no getting around it, football is such a sport. Those afraid of getting injured opt for playing chess or other non-contact sport, but I'm not one of those. Now, if I get injured, it is serious, it is rarely some kind of strains. Now I understand that a child I did not have enough of calcium, any fall leads to bruises, at least.

- Do you feel pain in previously damaged areas now?
- Residual effects are present, not as much as before, but they are felt.

- The Pitmen easily advanced from the group stage of the Champions League, where they were drawn against Bayern in the last 16. No luck with the draw?
- This is a question of luck, too. Playing versus Bayern is, of course, very cool... Porto more or less showed that one can play with them, maybe we have not proved ourselves up to the end, maybe we were a little afraid. I'm talking about the first game now. As for the second match, I do not even want to talk about... To be reduced to ten men in the beginning of the match at the Allianz Arena without one defender...

- The Donetsk side conceded 7 goals in the second match. Do you think the result was fair?
- The loss was fair. The result - no. It is history, but the scoreline should not have been so big.

- If you drop the stereotype that Bayern are one of the strongest teams in the world, in what components did Shakhtar look weaker?
- In the first game we looked on par with them. In the second match the referee made a mistake, which morally destroyed us. There was a penalty-kick, I agree with that! But sending off a player from a visiting team in the third minute in the away match with Bayern is too cruel. In any case, we are to blame. We extremely disappointed. This is football, it happens.

- How do you plan to make up for that result for your own fans in the future?
- We will fight for the Cup, we have all the chances to win it, as for the league title, it will be difficult to win it... We will try, we cannot be reproached in this regard.

- For the first time in recent years Shakhtar Donetsk concede the top of the podium to their eternal rival Dynamo Kyiv. Are you strongly affected by the fact that the team have played every game on the road?
- It is impossible to use it as the only excuse. Of course, it is hard to play on the road all the time, but play football, then, we were weaker in some components. That fact of us playing only away games do not justify us fully, but we have to win in those matches in which we participate.

- Did the fact that at the beginning of the season many foreign players ran away from the team spoiled the atmosphere in the team?
- At first it was unpleasant. Why one works, and the others do not? Some inequality is observed. In addition, Shakhtar have done everything to them, led them to the Champions League, paid salaries timely and guaranteed safety in Lviv and Kyiv, but that they were not convinced... Of course, psychology played its role. One agent, who promised them mountains of gold in Donetsk, as it turns out, led the players and brought them to the war zone. In terms of atmosphere, thank God, everything remained as it was. We are really missing some of our foreign players Tomas Hyubshman and Razvan Raz - the guys who made this team international, played in Donetsk for 8-10 years. They were the soul of the company, the collective was more cheerful.

- Do you think that Shakhtar are still in the race for the championship title?
- Let's see, theoretically, there is a chance. In any case, we do not give up, we must go on and fight in every match.

- In your opinion, Shakhtar are now as strong as in previous years, or a little less?
- I do not know... Maybe because it is more concentrated because of its youthfulness. Similarly, it is not weaker, and in terms of potential, it may be even stronger!

- This season Mircea Lucescu often appeals to referees, saying that despite of Shakhtar playing every game on the road, it is affected by referee decisions as well. Do you agree with the coach's thoughts?
- I would not like to believe that because of these conditions we are experiencing pressure even from referees. I do not want to talk about the refereeing, I do not like to complain. Let them officiate as they wish, our job is to play football.

- The Portuguese language is almost the main language in the team, do you not feel like playing for a foreign club?
- No, Mister understands Russian, despite the fact that he doesn’t speak it. The coaching staff employs enough Russian-speaking people - such as Alexandru Spiridon. And any theory session is always translated in a proper manner.
                           
- Well, if you come up to Mister and ask him something in Russian, will he answer you in the same language?
-Yes, of course! Maybe he may use the wrong ending of the word or there may be something wrong with grammar, but he understands and can answer easily.

- You are only 24 years old, but you already have a wealth of experience of playing at different levels. After working with a minimum of eight coaches (including national team). Which one was a prime example for you, one who taught you most and with whom it was pleasant to work with?
- I learned most of all from my coach at the academy. I was lucky in the sense that all the coaches I have worked with were quite good enough, it was pleasant to work with everyone, I cannot even single out anyone. There were not unbalanced ones, who could hit, throw a boot, or something like that. I am grateful to everyone, each of them taught me a lot.

Ua-football.com
05.05.2015