Thoughts of our team’s head coach Mirko Jelicic after the match against Kyzylkum.
– The match was very difficult. We controlled the game for 65-70 minutes. After the goal, we tried to maintain the result. We knew that Kyzylkum would fight until the end, because the team’s physical condition is very good. I am happy with the 3 points. We got three difficult points and three important points. When we watched Kyzylkum’s previous matches, we knew that they fought until the end. We achieved victory through quality play.
– The game in the first half and the game in the second half. Can you evaluate the games in the halves separately?
– After we scored the goal, something had to change. It was better for us to control the game. We just lost ourselves when there were situations. But we are improving from game to game. Because the players of the team are used to such pressure. Just kicking the ball and fighting is not our style of play. Today we fought until the end and won the points.
– For 2 months, all teams played 11 games. What are your final thoughts on these games? Are you satisfied with the team?
– Yes, I am satisfied. We did not have a bad game. I liked the quality of our game in 11 matches. We lack consistency. But this is a new team, everyone understands that. The players feel confident in themselves. They know what we need to improve. We need to improve some points of the squad in the summer. We will work seriously on this after the cup games.
– What is the task in the cup?
– We are taking the Cup seriously. Everyone understands that there is a ticket to the international stage through the Cup. This would be a good gift. Because it has been a long time since Lokomotiv has played in the ACL. That is why we are taking the Cup seriously. But on the one hand, we can play players who have not played much this season in this tournament. We are looking for balance and stability in this regard. We will give others a chance and create a platform for them to show themselves.