M. Čepas: "We came to hang out in this battle between two teams"

2024-07-18 14:22 © „Šiauliai“

The "Šiauliai" Football Academy is facing a serious challenge in the fight against "Levadia" from Tallinn. Tomorrow, return matches will take place in Tallinn, where the players from Šiauliai will try to overturn the deficit they acquired at home.

The head coach of the team Mindaugas Čepas and forward Davis Ikaunieks shared their thoughts on the preparation for the upcoming event, the mistakes that led to the defeat at home, and the injuries and losses within the team.

The head coach M. Čepas began the press conference by stating that after the first matches, conclusions were made and the team is ready for a serious fight: "So far, everything is going according to our planned course, the preparation is going according to the predetermined plan, we are happy to be here and we came to the wonderful city of Tallinn, but that doesn't mean we came to admire the city, we came to compete in the duel between two teams."

Speaking about what could have been done differently, the coach admitted that they showed too much respect to the opponents, lacked firmness and anger: "The first matches were not our best, we showed too much respect to the opponents while playing at home. To achieve a positive result, we need to improve all components, starting from the offensive game, defensive game, and the same mindset. We gave too much space and freedom to the opponents' midfielders, we worked on it and will try to change those things and fix them."

When asked how he plans to fix all this, the Estonian journalist did not receive a clear answer, as the coach did not want to reveal secrets: "Come to the stadium tomorrow and you will see," the head strategist smiled.

Regarding the injured players, the coach informed that there is only one change since the last match: "After the match at home, there are not many changes in the lineup, unfortunately, Simonas Paulius felt unwell and stayed at home. Also, L. Paukštė, Y. Yefremov, K. Keršys, and E. Jankauskas, who is still feeling the effects of injuries, will not be able to help in the match."

The team's forward D. Ikaunieks has appeared in this stadium not for the first time, representing the Latvian national team, the striker managed to score in the Baltic League final against Estonia. This did not escape the attention of journalists, who allowed the player to compare the Estonian national team with Tallinn's "Levadia": "I think the game is very similar, both the Estonian national team and Tallinn's "Levadia" like to play with the ball, like to control it, and play back passes with defenders and the goalkeeper."

Regarding missed opportunities in the first matches, the forward did not hide his frustration: "We had chances to score, I had opportunities to score as well, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. It's a pity, but it's very difficult to take advantage of all the created opportunities, whether created by ourselves or by teammates," - D. Ikaunieks added - "Everything happened last week, tomorrow is a new day. Of course, there is pressure, but the result is not in our favor, however, everything is possible and everything is in our hands" - talking about the existing pressure, the forward concluded the press conference.