Igor Kostiuk, head coach of Kyiv’s Dynamo, shared his thoughts with the club’s press service following his team’s 2-0 victory in a friendly against Slovak side Žilina, also providing insights into the players’ current fitness levels.
“With the return of our internationals, the way we played changed significantly — tactically, the spacing between lines improved, and our defensive work became more reliable. Tomasz Kędziora has joined us, and he will add quality and confidence to the squad. Alongside him, our players will continue to develop. Competition within the team has increased. Today’s performance was much higher in quality. Although we played 60 minutes each, everyone managed the workload well despite the daily training demands. We played two intense halves, but the key was organization. That was something we emphasized before the match.”
When asked about the competitive nature of the friendlies and the emotions involved, Kostiuk responded, “Certainly, when you face an opponent of Europa League qualification level, the team’s mindset shifts. Such opponents bring out different emotions.”
Regarding the new signings, Kostiuk elaborated, “I’ve already spoken about Tomasz — his arrival was a deliberate choice. The president and I discussed it thoroughly. The advantage is that he’s already adapted, familiar with the players and the team. We communicated before signing, agreeing that he should act as the coach’s right hand, a player who embodies the manager’s ideas and communicates effectively. We had some communication issues previously, and I believe he will help resolve those.”
“About Mungenge — he’s definitely a quality player. He captained Paris Saint-Germain’s youth team and has experience in the UEFA Youth League. He possesses all the qualities needed to challenge Matviy Ponomarenko, ensuring we have equally capable players in attack.”
On the topic of Lonwijk’s return from loan, Kostiuk said, “We’ve spoken with him, and you’ve probably heard from his interviews that he feels the coach trusts him and wants to justify that trust. We’re currently observing his work in training and how he meets our requirements. Like Mungenge, he will provide competition and quality in his position.”
Looking ahead to three upcoming friendlies against strong opponents, Kostiuk outlined his objectives: “We definitely need to improve our game. In the match against Žilina, we noticed mistakes during quick transitions — something we’re focusing on. We have to refine our actions after losing possession: how we prepare for these moments and how we transition to attack. You saw today how we scored the second goal and how many times Redushko exploited the flank — that’s the fast-paced football the team is aiming for.”
When asked about the impact of the current heatwave across Europe and Ukraine on training, he replied, “We will be playing qualification matches in similar heat, so having the opportunity to hold training games under these conditions is beneficial for the players’ adaptation and getting used to the heat.”
It’s worth noting that Dynamo will host Romanian side Universitatea Cluj in the first round of the Europa League on July 9.
