Mladen Bartulovich: "We are moving in the right direction"

Head coach of "Metalist 1925" Mladen Bartulovich - about the first part of the season, changes in the team's game, atmosphere in the team, different motivational approaches, and transfer plans:

— The first part of the season is behind us. How do you evaluate it? What were the positives and negatives, and what do you remember the most?

— Undoubtedly, we could have performed better. First and foremost - to earn more points. There were matches where we lost points where it could have been avoided. Partly this is due to objective reasons - a series of unexpected injuries. At a certain point, we were left without Ari Moura, Ramik Gadzhiev, later Kalitvintsev, Mba, Itodo, Martinyuk were ruled out. It was during this period that we lost points in matches against "Kudrivka" and "Epicenter". At the same time, I believe that the team has great potential and room for growth. We are moving in the right direction. Speaking of the matches that stood out the most, the game against "Shakhtar". Although we didn't win, we showed quality football. We also had good matches against "Dynamo" and "Polissya". For a team that was practically built from scratch at the beginning of the season, this is a quite decent result.

— When you agreed to lead "Metalist 1925", did you have certain expectations and plans? How do they align with reality after half a year of work?

— I believe they align completely. Both I and the club set maximum tasks for ourselves. Perhaps not everything succeeded immediately, but the main thing is the direction of movement. Perhaps not everything works out right away, but we are moving in the right direction. The ambitions of the club and the team are entirely justified, and we are all working towards a common goal.

— How has the team changed in these six months under your leadership, and does it correspond to what can be called Mladen Bartulovich's style of football?

— The team has changed drastically. It's a new team, with seven to eight new players joining in the summer. We practically started from scratch. I believe that the club and the coaching staff have done a great job. But at the same time, we still have significant potential for growth, as we can achieve even better results. Ahead is important winter preparation, targeted reinforcement, and the right attitude for the second part of the season.

— Has Mladen Bartulovich as a coach changed during this time?

— Definitely. The team also changes the coach, which adds to my experience. I consider myself a young coach, although I already have some experience working with "Zorya". "Metalist 1925" is a new stage and a new challenge for me. Together with the team, I grow and evolve. It's a hundred percent.

— After the match with "Obolon", there was a lot of talk about an emotional moment during the break when the dressing room door was damaged. Is this also a way to bring about changes, trying to find different ways to motivate the team?

— My main task is to be fully focused on the game to see what needs to be changed in time. Emotions need to be controlled. Sometimes a calm conversation is enough, and sometimes a tougher motivation is needed. It comes with experience and situations. In the match against "Obolon", the result was not satisfactory, so I had to raise my voice a bit, everyone wanted to win, and the team needed to be awakened.

— Judging from the second half, it worked.

— Yes, sometimes it works. But not always. There are no universal recipes in football; you need to consider the specific situation.

— You mentioned the matches you liked. Can you highlight the worst match or period of the team in the first part of the season?

— In terms of results, we had three losses. We lost to "Kryvbas" but looked decent in the game. The worst was the match against "Zorya" - everything negative came together in that confrontation. Such matches need to be forgotten as soon as possible. Also disappointing was the defeat to "LNZ". I will separately mention the draws with "Kudrivka" and "Epicenter", where we were just unlucky - there were crossbars, and the ball was cleared off the goal line. We need to draw conclusions from such matches to have fewer of them in the future. Overall, we went through the championship quite evenly, considering the difficult situation with injuries.

— "Metalist 1925" is one of the leaders in the number of draws. Is this more of a plus or a minus?

— There are both positives and negatives. The positive is the draws with the championship leaders: "Shakhtar", "Dynamo", "Polissya". In these matches, we showed quality football. However, in the matches against "Epicenter", "Kudrivka", "Obolon" in the first round, we lacked aggression and creativity in attack to press the opponent and win.

— Have you identified which positions need strengthening?

— Competition is needed in every line. At least one player in each position to create healthy competition for a place in the lineup.