Ivan Lytvynenko: "Now we are gearing up to start well"

The midfielder of "Metalist 1925" Ivan Lytvynenko talked about winter training camps, adaptation of newcomers in the team, and preparation for the opponent:

– Ivan, we finally returned to Ukraine after a long training camp in Spain. How is the adaptation to the new weather conditions going?

– We returned, yes, happy to see our families as we missed them. Overall, we are glad to be back in our country. But the weather conditions are tough for training. We are training on artificial turf, while all our camps were on natural grass, so it's challenging. We don't know how it will be going forward, but we have no choice. We are preparing for the game in the conditions we have. I believe the conditions are equal for everyone now. I don't think the opponent has better conditions than us. So we focus on ourselves, give our all where we are now, and prepare for the upcoming match.

– How was the overall preparation, how do you feel after the training camp, and how ready are you for the continuation of the season?

– The training camp was as usual, tough. The conditions were good, but the weather conditions were not always favorable. This led to changes in the fields, but we had good friendly matches with very strong and interesting opponents. I believe we have done everything we needed to. We will show it in the championship because the start is very important. The beginning of the championship after the break was unsuccessful, so now we are gearing up to start well.

– Four newcomers joined us during the winter break. How successful has it been to establish interaction with them?

– Not all of them speak English. But they are all good guys, and we try to find a connection through jokes, through various activities. I think it's a process of adaptation, so it takes a month or two for everything to settle. Now the championship will start, there will be bus trips, visits to Zhytomyr. In a month or two, they will be fully adapted. And how they will perform in football depends on them.

– Many players have returned to the main group after injuries. How much do you think this will help during a crucial period in the second half of the season? Because we had some squad problems in the first half of the season.

– Yes, we have strengthened now, our strong players are also returning. We are looking forward to them. Ari has already returned, and Ramik will be with us soon. We will only get stronger because we all have one common goal that we will try to achieve. I think this is very important for us, both emotionally and in terms of team level returning to what it was before these injuries.

– The first opponent is not easy - the team "Kryvbas". Have you already started targeted preparation specifically for them?

– Yes, of course, this week, as always, is dedicated to preparing for the opponent. So this week we are preparing for "Kryvbas". There hasn't been a tactical session yet, I understand that tomorrow there will be a session on the opponent. But we have already worked on what we want to show in the game against them during training.

– Many are underestimating the team from Kryvyi Rih due to the departure of Tverdokhlib and Mykytyshyn. Do you agree with this, or do you think there will be someone to replace them?

– No, I definitely disagree because there will be replacements. They had performers, they have a coaching staff and a head coach who can motivate with principles. I think the first game showed that. When they won, their emotions and joy showed that this match was extraordinary for them. And every match is important for us. It will be a great motivation for us to take back what they took from us - those three points. So we are gearing up only for victory, there can be no other result for us here.

– Since you mentioned the factor of Patrick van Leeuwen. This match will be an additional motivation for them. And for you, for the players who also experienced him here at "Metalist 1925," does this match have any special significance?

– No, for us, the special significance is where we want to be, what we want to achieve. Each of these games, whether it's Patrick as a coach or not, is like a brick on the path to our goal. So the game is important for everyone, moreover, it's the start of the championship that everyone missed. I think the significance is only related to our goals, not to the coach or the team.