Patrick van Leeuwen, the head coach of Kryvbas, shared his thoughts following the 0-1 defeat to Polissya in the seventh round of the Ukrainian Premier League.
“I think our performance in the first half was below par, especially regarding our pressing. Our two wingers, Rivas and Sek, didn’t provide the energy or level of play we expected from them based on our training sessions. We conceded very early, which set the tone. Polissya had further chances after that, but in the second half, we should have equalized and scored. Kamenskyi had a very good opportunity. We created other chances too, but it wasn’t enough. We lacked the energy and perhaps the fighting spirit needed to achieve more in this game.”
When asked about the impact of conceding so early, van Leeuwen responded, “I expected us to start the match better. Letting in a goal so quickly seemed to unsettle some players; maybe they got nervous or even scared. Also, we didn’t get the maximum effort from them that we were counting on. That’s why I made substitutions at halftime, hoping to change the dynamics.”
Reflecting on the more active second half, the coach explained, “After the break, we showed more energy and created chances. We played better football—closer to the style we want. That’s the positive takeaway from the second half. Of course, I wish Kamenskyi had converted his chance instead of hitting the post.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming international break, van Leeuwen outlined his plans: “Some of our players will join their national teams. With the rest, we will continue working and developing over the next few days because there’s still a lot of work to do.”
On the ongoing process of team building, he added, “We are still not a fully formed team. We have many different nationalities and young players. So, it’s not just about teaching them football but also helping them understand what it means to live as professional footballers. That requires time. Now they will rest for a few days, then we will resume our work.”
