Sandro Schwarz: "Our style of play will be intense and energetic"

– First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the club for the dialogues that have been going on for several weeks. Dynamo is a special club, and the emotions I experienced are the top of what can be. I would especially like to highlight the day of my arrival, when a large number of people met me at the airport, which I was very surprised by. It really hit me. I am grateful to all those people. I would also like to thank the Board of Directors and the management of FC Dynamo for the trust that was given to me – both as a person and as a coach. The two days that I have already been at the club's base are proof of that.

– How much have you personally changed as a coach in these four years? Will Dynamo play the same football as it was before you left?

– Of course, over the past four years, many events have taken place not just in life, but also in football. If we talk about the decision to lead Dynamo, it has nothing to do with what happened. It is very important for us to look forward.

We must go forward and develop. I also consider it quite important to create a good atmosphere. It will be a new story, and in this case we must strive to be better, we must improve our style of play and our performance. I can definitely say that our style of play will be just as intense and energetic.

– Not all the players of the main squad are present at training. Tell us about those who are missing.

– Anton Miranchuk, Konstantin Tyukavin and Ivan Sergeev played for the Russian national team, so they have extra vacation days. We agreed with Bitello that he would arrive a week later and join the team soon. David Ricardo has personal reasons, he will join us as soon as possible. Marichal, who was absent from training today, was also ill.

– The draw for the Russian Cup has just taken place, and Dynamo is back in the same group with Krasnodar. How do you like the draw?

– It's great that we will play against Krasnodar. But we are not talking exclusively about these opponents, with whom we have to play in the group stage.

– Who will be the captain of the team in the new season?

– There are a lot of decent players in the team who can be the captain. But we'll talk about this a little later. I will definitely tell about my decision in the media. Speaking now, both Fomin and Tyukavin are serious team leaders, but the final decision will be made a little later.

– What tasks have the club's management set for the team?

– I know that many people have been waiting for trophies from us for a long time. I understand all this. But there is no point in talking about it now. It will be more appropriate to talk about this in May. I told the guys that we should focus on the work that we have to do. We have to create an atmosphere and a style of play that will be instilled in our team. Closer to the end of the championship, we will be able to sit down with you and see how it will all look.

– You can write your name in the history of Dynamo and win the title. What are you going to do for this?

– I do not want to say that I am exclusively the person on whom all attention will be directed. I'm here to work for the team. I know that many people write about trophies, about inscribing their name in history as a legend. I can feel it all. But we have to pay attention to our actions on and off the pitch. This is the vision of our entire coaching staff.

At the head is the style of play that we want everyone to understand. These are different phases of the game: when we play with the ball in attack, when we defend, when we talk about transitional phases of attack. It is necessary that everyone knows exactly the style that Dynamo will preach.

– During your first stay at Dynamo, Andrei Voronin played a big role in the coaching staff. Who will perform these functions now? Will it be Sergey Parshivlyuk?

– Each of the members of the coaching staff is very important. These are not only assistant coaches, but also physical fitness coaches. When I first saw Sergei Parshivlyuk, I already understood that this is not only a wonderful person, but also a very smart player who understands football and can become a trainer in the future.

Sergei Parshivlyuk will have his own area of responsibility, like any other member of the coaching staff. Sergey will probably build a bridge between the players and the coaching staff to a greater extent. As you know, he was a great right-back, so his area of responsibility will include not only creating an atmosphere in the locker room, but also analyzing the game in defense.

– What has changed globally compared to the time when you left the club?

– When I left, at that time the situation was new for everyone. It was not easy for me as a foreigner, I had an open dialogue with the club's management, but the situation turned out that way. All these four years we have been in touch, we have discussed many things: sports, life, and those clubs that I headed. I would not like to return to that situation, but if we talk about the current situation, we need to work hard to succeed. Now our focus is exclusively on hard everyday work.

– What do the friendly matches at the training camp mean to you, in particular the meeting with the Brazilian club Botafogo at the Fraternal Cup tournament?

– It is very important that we will have the opportunity to hold such matches. We need to pick up the rhythm of the game, and these matches will give us food for thought. As for Botafogo, I would like to note the great work of the club that invited the Brazilian club. I think it will be a great opportunity for the fans to see a wonderful match at our stadium.

– Will your favorite song "Bella Ciao" be played in the locker room?

– Let's see. "Bella Ciao" was a great song after the matches. But it wasn't my idea to include this song, it was invented by the players.

– Do you have an understanding of transfers? Which positions do you want to strengthen and which players do you want to see?

– This question interests everyone. But while the World Cup is underway, it is quite difficult to have such conversations. We keep our finger on the pulse and will definitely make a decision. Now, I repeat, we are focused on day-to-day work with those players who are at our disposal.

– Have you followed the careers of your players, in particular Konstantin Tyukavin? How do you see him now?

– Of course, I've seen a lot of Dynamo matches. If we talk about the development of Konstantin Tyukavin, then during this time there have been tremendous changes. First of all, his status has changed – he became a father, matured. I've seen quite a lot of his goals and assists, he sent them to me. I am looking forward to his return, and only then we will see how much he has changed.

– In 2022, at a press conference in Germany, you said that your departure from Dynamo had nothing to do with football, finances and the fight for titles. What is the significance of the current contract with Dynamo for you?

– There were conversations not only with Dynamo. Believe me, this decision is not spontaneous, it came after numerous conversations with family, friends and those people from Dynamo who are now surrounding me.

– How has the Russian Premier League changed in four years? How much harder will it be to win?

– We understand that it will be very difficult to win matches in the Russian Premier League. I will also tell you about the accumulative qualities of all the teams. In this case, I mean both technical and tactical data, and speed, and in general the skill that the players of the leading clubs have.

There are quite a large number of players from South America in the RPL who are showing themselves well. In this regard, we must be well prepared physically to confront them. We also need to be well-trained tactically. An important factor is the consistency of the quality of the game that we will show, given the number of matches that we have to play in the championship, namely 30.

– How quickly did you make the decision to lead Dynamo?

– I talked to my family, and the decision to head Dynamo was made quickly enough. Then we decided to work with this coaching staff.

– Have you followed the career of Arsen Zakharyan?

– I know him very well, and we keep in touch with him, but not only with Zakharyan, but with all the players I worked with at Dynamo. He was a little unlucky in Spain, which can be attributed to injuries, but Arsene is a wonderful person and a wonderful player.

– Will you count on Ngamaleu? Will his contract be extended?

– He has been an important player for the team in recent years, and as soon as our sports director Zeljko Buvac arrives, we will talk to him about those players who will be in our squad.

– A year ago, in your place, Valery Karpin said that he was on excellent terms with you. Did you communicate with him before your arrival?

– Yes, Valery Georgievich and I are in contact. I know that he holds the post of head coach of the Russian national team, which is important for me in terms of the loads that the players have.

– Who can you mention from the Dynamo Academy players?

– Over the course of two days, I saw how well the young players are technically and tactically savvy. The Dynamo Academy is doing a tremendous amount of work in terms of training personnel for the core team. And I, as the head coach, of course, will give the opportunity to young players, young talents to prove themselves already in the main team.

– Previously, the Russian Cup format was much shorter. Krasnodar, for example, played with a very modest roster. What's the optimal number of players for you?

– I'm confident we'll find enough competent players to win matches. At the same time, we must give everyone the opportunity to prove themselves, so everyone can play. We will also discuss all these issues, including with the board of directors, paying attention to the players' contracts.

– Set pieces play an important role. During your first stint, Volkan Bulut worked on set pieces, and now Andrey Panov is part of the team. How will the responsibilities be divided? Who will be in charge of set pieces?

– Andrey Panov did a pretty good job last season in Rolan Gusev's team. This is evident in the statistics. Andrey was deeply involved in this work and did it well. Regarding the responsibilities he will have within the team, he will also be involved and involved in set pieces.

– What's the difference between football in the US and Russia?

– We won the conference and played in the final, but the MLS and RPL formats are different. In the US, they pay a lot of attention to the individual qualities of the players, but in terms of intensity, it's different there. Football in Russia is more intense.