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Vilnius will play their first official season match on Tuesday. In the Baltic League, the capital city club will meet with Tallinn's "Flora" away. Before the first official appearance, "Vėtra's" head coach Alexandras Tarchanovas shared his thoughts on the team's lineup, player preparation, and the changed tactical game plan on the official club website.
- Before this season, "Vėtra" underwent many changes, with some new players strengthening the team. Are you satisfied with these changes?
- When I arrived at "Vėtra" last year, the team had many veterans. It would have been very difficult to achieve the set goals and compete with the strongest A League clubs. I closely analyzed three matches with the leaders last year. The first of them – away against "Kaunas", we played well, but we managed to win due to well-organized team actions. The next two matches with "Ekranas" and "Kaunas", where the fate of the silver medals was decided, left a certain impression. I saw that some players were not aiming for the level that the Kaunas and Panevėžys players were. Therefore, the team needed strengthening. We made quite a few changes, but the core of the team remained – Žutautas, Raliukonis, Jankauskas, Sasnauskas, Milošeskis, Božinovskis, most of the main lineup. The new additions to the team included Panka, Stankevičius, Budimir, Severino, Pedro, and Butrimavičius who returned to "Vėtra."
- Was there enough time to coordinate the actions of veterans and newcomers and play as a team?
- We have been working in that direction for two months now, during the camps we tried to play as many friendly matches as possible. With each meeting, mutual understanding grows. We will continue to emphasize that players get to know each other as well as possible, creating better relationships both in defense and in attack. Skerla joined just before the season started, but he has had no problems adapting to the team. We will let him play as much as possible because it is in the interests of the Lithuanian national team. Coach Liubinskas is interested in Skerla playing as much as possible because important matches await the national team. We will play three matches before then, I think during that time Skerla will gain optimal fitness and be ready.
- How did you prepare for this season – did you choose players based on a predetermined tactical scheme, or did you choose a game plan for them based on the available players?
- I have my own system of work. The most important things for me are the player's thinking on the field and technique. We have problems with technique in all former Soviet Union countries, so I try to change it. Games are not interesting when players think for too long, the ball is passed slowly, then attacks become overly stretched, and there is a lack of dynamics. I demand from my players not only fast legs but also fast minds – they need to make decisions quickly, regroup on the field, and keep the ball moving. It is very important that the team's actions are coordinated, then you can see that the team has its own style of play.
- "Vėtra's" tactical game plan has changed – you now play with a 3-5-2 formation, what led to this choice?
- Such a system is widely used. We tried several variants. With Skerla's arrival, I hope three defenders will be enough. Last season, Raliukonis and Jankauskas played perfectly in midfield. Sasnauskas and Pedro, who play in the wings, will have to perform not only safe but also defensive functions. Sasnauskas joins the attacks powerfully but does not always choose the right time. I think he will have no problems adapting to this style of play, it just takes a little time. The issue of the goalkeeper in defense is still unresolved. Žutautas is getting used to the coach's work. Together, we agreed that it will be very difficult for him alone to pull through the whole season, so we are actively looking for another reliable goalkeeper.
- How do you evaluate the safe preparation for the season?
- Panka integrated into the game perfectly from the very beginning. At first, we tried to position him "behind the attackers," but he performs better in a defensive midfielder position. He has qualities of a good defender – mobile, "reads the game", makes decisions quickly, excellent organizational skills. If he works sincerely in training, Panka should become a high-level player. Butrimavičius needs more time. After the first camp, I had doubts about him. But I see that he is an intelligent player who accurately follows the coach's requirements. He is already regaining his physical conditions, now it is most important to recover emotionally. He is a very responsible guy, he tries to do everything very well, and sometimes this effort causes tension. We let him play in the main lineup, let him calmly get used to the team and get rid of tension. I am satisfied with Milošeskis' game, I hope he will be one of the leaders this season, just like last year. Božinovskis recovered from a serious injury, but now he got injured again and will not be able to play the first few matches.
- In the attacking line, there is a clear leader – Vitalis Stankevičius, but other attackers do not score goals, why?
- The biggest problem in the attack is finishing chances. Azizi and Severino are still young guys, they lack stability. Severino plays actively, tries very hard. But his strong desire to score often hinders him, he lacks composure. We also have Juška in attack; I have planned to give him a lot of time on the field. These three attackers will compete for a place in the main lineup. Stankevičius is assigned the role of the main striker, I hope he will remain as productive during the official season.
- Is the team lineup finalized, or can "Vėtra" add more newcomers?
- I already mentioned that we are looking for a goalkeeper, we do not plan on adding more newcomers. However, you never know... You cannot compete for top spots with just eleven players. You need a core of eighteen players. Currently, we have fifteen players we can trust, from whom we expect good performances. There are also several young players who can help if needed, but only episodically. I am pleased that the team is finding its style of play and demonstrating it not only by the main lineup players. We played two lineups against "Atlantas." Both teams played in the same style. It is important that the game remains the same. The team's style and overall game cannot depend on one player. If he gets injured, the loss should not affect the team. Last year we had problems due to injuries – when Preikšaitis got injured, he was replaced by Božinovskis; when Božinovskis got injured, Milošeskis took on the leadership role. Our game did not suffer from this.
- The first official match with Tallinn's "Flora", who is the favorite in this meeting?
- It is difficult to say who is stronger now – all clubs have gone through preparation camps. I do not make predictions. We will try to impose our game, "Vėtra" promotes attacking football, no matter where and with whom we play. We need to win, and whether we succeed or not will be shown in the match.
