Football. ua presents to your attention a translation of an interview with a Romanian specialist for GSP. ro after winning the championship at the head of Dynamo.

Dynamo Kiev became the champion of Ukraine ahead of schedule at the end of the 2020/21 season, breaking the hegemony of Donetsk Shakhtar, which lasted for four years. Back in the summer of last year, many fans of the “white-blue” reacted very ambiguously to the appointment of Mircea Lucescu as head coach of the team..

Still, the name of the most experienced Romanian in Ukrainian football is primarily associated with many years of work in the camp of a principled rival, however, despite this, Mister managed to inscribe his name in the history of Dynamo Kiev, forcing all even the most ardent skeptics to postpone past troubles into the background.

After winning an early championship thanks to a crushing victory over Ingulets, the president of the capital club Igor Surkis hastened to tell about the future of 75-year-old Lucescu in Dynamo and set ambitious goals: “I am sure that he will remain the head coach of Dynamo, since he has a valid contract. I have no doubt about him. He created this team. I think it's time to take aim at something in Europe "

It sounds quite loud, but there is hardly any doubt about the confidence of the Dynamo leadership in Lucescu. However, what exactly did Mister say after the triumph in the Ukrainian Premier League After failures in Zenith and the Turkish national team, many managed to put a "

- Mister Lucescu, describe your feelings when the team started tossing you in the locker room.

- At that moment, I prayed to stay alive and return to earth as soon as possible (laughs). These are unique emotions! Unforgettable! At the end of your career, you only remember such moments. Memories of setbacks and difficulties just fade away.

- What does this season mean for you at Dynamo?

- Confrontation with yourself. With my thoughts, my ideas, my methods. I was always worried and thought that I could do more to become better and add in some aspect.

- It was not easy in Kiev?

- It was a difficult eight months, especially at the very beginning. I remember wanting to leave because of the fans. The call of my son Razvan changed everything.

- What did Razvan say?

- He told me: \! Whatever happens, you gotta move on! And I continued. Nobody knows that I didn't ask for transfers. I wanted the money to be invested in the infrastructure of the club. In winter, we sometimes trained in impossible conditions.. It's a thing of the past. Now we will have three fields with a hybrid surface, a gym, and new coaches for both the main team and the juniors.. First of all, I want the players to have better conditions.

- Why did you live for eight months at the Dynamo training base?

- I heard suggestions that I am afraid of someone or something. Never! The club and the team needed me there. Players must learn to live under stress and pressure. I take pressure and turn it into competitive sports energy.

- It rained on Sunday during the match and you covered yourself with a towel. Just like during the match for the Ukrainian Super Cup against Shakhtar, following which you won your first trophy in Kiev. Why not just sit on the bench?

- Because I don't like watching the game from the bench. I'm always on my feet. Ioan Chirila (the most famous Romanian sports TV presenter and sports commentator - approx. ed. ) once after the qualifying match for Euro 84 with Czechoslovakia, which took place in Bratislava, he wrote about me "

- Now some Ukrainian journalists who negatively perceived your appointment to Dynamo admit their mistake.

- Nobody thought that at my age I would have the same enthusiasm. At the first press conference in Kiev, I said that my big fans will be those who are over 70 years old.. My victory is also their victory. I have shown that you can be successful at any age..

- While waiting for the trophy in the stands, Carlos De Pena took you aside. What did he say?

- He congratulated me and asked to let him and his wife go for two days. I didn't mind.

- De Pena was going to Uruguay?

- nooo! There are three more rounds ahead and, most importantly, the final of the Ukrainian Cup! Everybody wants to play. Buyalsky was supposed to undergo surgery, but he wanted to help the team at the end of the season. Otherwise, he would be out for three months.. Here's what I managed to change in the players. Everyone wants to participate in the process. Now everyone understands that anyone else can take their place at any time.. They weren't trusted last year. Hearing that everyone around was talking about how good Shakhtar is, they even came to the conclusion that second place is their maximum.. I transformed their thinking, regained faith in themselves and convinced them to always strive for new heights..

- What has changed in the team with your arrival?

- Intensity of teaching, teaching methods, one-to-one conversations. It was only through numerous discussions that we managed to build a solid foundation together and make them believe in themselves again.. Football is a game of improvisation, it all starts with this solid foundation, with great organization.

- You always seem to be in an agitated or anxious state..

- I could avoid unnecessary pressure, but I cannot live like this. That is the kind of person I am. I could train in Romania, but I needed a higher level opposition. Some already consider me a legend, but I disagree.. I don't want to be a legend. I just want to live!

- Josep Guardiola won the English League Cup with Manchester City on Sunday. This trophy became his 30th. You have 34, and in case of victory in the Ukrainian Cup you will have 35. Will Josep be able to catch up with you?

- Firstly, now I have not 34, but 36 trophies. The Institute for Football Statistics also accounts for the two promotions to the top divisions I was able to do with Corvinulus and Brescia.. There are still won national championships. And to be more precise, I have 37 trophies!

- Which one else?

- Romanian Cup vs Steaua. We won, the opposing team left the field. They still have to give me back this trophy!

- What about Guardiola?

- Pep will overtake us all. And me and Ferguson. He is only 50 years old, and given the regularity with which he wins trophies, this will not be a problem. He is smart and always goes where he will have the opportunity to build his team, where he will have the necessary resources. Both in terms of the game and the number of trophies won, Josep was very successful. His career has always remained at the highest level. Barcelona, \u200b\u200bBayern Munich, Manchester City. It will be so until the very end.

- Anthony Hopkins at 83 became the oldest actor to receive an Oscar. When will Mircea Lucescu stop?

- I really like Hopkins. This is not just a good actor, but also a man of rare mind.. He is very smart.

- You did not answer my question. When do you plan to quit coaching?

- If the excitement and enthusiasm are the same, then never.

" To regain the title in seven years and bring the team to 13 points advantage over Shakhtar, although it was 23 points behind the first place earlier this season.

I have now demonstrated that talent is not the only thing that matters..

The mood that gives football players life is very important! Winner mentality. Same players, but different training, different philosophy, different spirit and a lot of work.

I am glad that many people appreciate my work at Dynamo Kiev. From the outside it is better to see how the team has grown, how the players have grown. The cost of some during this period has doubled or even tripled. "

Mircea Lucescu, head coach of Dynamo Kiev Source: GSP. ro.