The head coach of the blue and whites Sandro Schwarz answered journalists' questions after the match with Akron (1:3).
– Congratulations to Akron on the win. As for our performance, it was a game of two halves. In the first, we were too slow — both with and without the ball — and we were also unlucky when a deflection led to their goal. At halftime, we adjusted our tactical setup, and we played much better in the second half. We created plenty of chances and had some good spells both inside and outside their penalty area. We didn’t convert many of them, but that’s football; Akron, on the other hand, took their opportunities.
– What was the main reason for the poor performance in the first half? Was it the early kickoff, or perhaps issues with the flight?
– It would be too simple to blame our performance on things like that. The real issue was that we lacked aggression, and there were gaps that were too large between our lines. It’s a mental thing — the players were simply too slow in their actions.
– Could this defeat help the team reset and start a new winning streak?
– First and foremost, we’re not upset because our winning streak has ended; we’re upset because of how we played in the first half. Akron was very bold in possession, while we weren’t aggressive or compact enough. If we had played the entire match the way we played the second half, we would have had a great chance of winning. We need to analyze this game and prepare for our next big match in Krasnodar.
– What was the reason for substituting Nicolás Marichal so early?
– He suffered a muscle injury. We’ll carry out an assessment now to see if he’ll be available for the upcoming matches.
– At halftime, Ivan Sergeev replaced Daniil Fomin. What were you hoping to change with that substitution?
– We switched to playing with two forwards. We regained the energy we had been lacking, and the second half went much better.
– Today marks exactly six years since your first match for Dynamo. How disappointing is it to lose on such a date?
– I don’t think about things like that. We’ve been playing very well over the last couple of weeks. Today, we’re disappointed with the result and our performance in the first half, but we need to look ahead and prepare for the match on Tuesday.
