The head coach of Dynamo Moscow Marcel Licka answered journalists' questions after the game with Dynamo Makhachkala (4:0).
— It's very nice to talk when a team wins with such a score. I was very pleased with the clean sheet. My individual goal for this game was not only to win, but also to return our good combination football, which could not be shown in Rostov. I am pleased that all the players showed a good level, tried and improved after the first game of this year.
— How did the team survive the moment with Tyukavin's injury?
— Tyuka is a very important person for us, who always brings a positive mood to the team. We wish him to recover quickly and come back even stronger. In life, you can't influence all things, and you need to be able to accept them. This is a difficult moment in his career, but I am sure that he will cope and come back stronger.
We have Mehdi and Gladyshev, who played the last 15-20 minutes in the center of the attack, as well as young Bokov. Of course, it is possible to sign a free agent, but there is a question of readiness, and we have two and a half months left before the end of the season.
— The team looked much better in the second half than in the first. What did you point out to your players during the break?
— I asked them to turn the game around more and play through the pass in the middle zone. There were situations when Smelov or Carrascal received the ball with the defender on their backs and tried to turn around, although there were partners close to them. As I say – give the pass and run. If there is an opportunity to run at full speed, then there is no problem, but if you move left and right with the ball, then you slow down the game, and the opponent rests. That was the problem in the first half.
— Today Dynamo scored the eighth goal in the first 15 minutes. Is this already your team identity?
— I am always happy when the team enters the game well. You remember the previous round, when we could have missed several times in the first five minutes. If you score a quick goal, it helps to put mental pressure on the opponent. But now a lot of games are decided in the last half hour, because all the teams are well prepared and play well tactically. But after the 60-70 minute, the teams can already get tired, and those who turn on and score at this time are at the top of the table.
It's great that we scored our eighth quick goal, but I also try to analyze why we concede at one moment or another. Now the outcome of many matches is decided by the players coming off the bench, and if you come out with a negative mood, you won't do anything. So you have to go out fully charged and solve episodes on fresh legs.
— Next week there will be two important matches with CSKA and Lokomotiv. A large group of football players was absent today. Which of them will be ready to play in them?
— We are counting on Lunev 100 percent, because he trained individually this morning. Unfortunately, Makarov got sick, picked up some kind of virus - the same thing that Gladyshev and Leshchuk had before Rostov. Nico, Luis and Diego need more time to recover. It is unlikely that they will play next week. Milan has groin problems – I think he will go to Serbia, where he underwent surgery.
— You criticized the players after the match with Rostov. Have you dealt with this moment?
— At the training camp we lost to Rostov 0:4, in the rest of the games we looked good. Before the flight, we played 10 on 10, there was a good intensity, a fight, everything was great. Then we came to Rostov, and in the game only two players were mentally confident in themselves, and the rest seemed to doubt their abilities. Everything was much better today.
— Football players are often superstitious. You didn't come in pink today, but in white. For luck?
— No, I just chose this hoodie today. When I was a player, I never paid attention to such things. Nothing has changed now.
