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After the 3rd round of the A League, the coach of the "Vilnius" team gave an interview to the official club website, where he shared his thoughts on the championship start.
- Did you expect the offer to become the head coach of "Vilnius" after Ivan Švabovičius resigned from this position?
- No, I did not expect it, it was really surprising to me.
- You became the coach of "Vilnius" with only two weeks left until the start of the A League championship. Did you have enough time to implement your ideas? What changes did you make in the team's game?
- Working with the club's youth team, I observed the main "Vilnius" team, communicated with its coaches, but I didn't delve too much into the internal affairs. Therefore, there simply couldn't have been enough time. I try to convey my thoughts to the players now, but to do that in two weeks or two months is impossible. It requires much more time and focused work. Breaking everything or making changes would have been unreasonable because there was too little time left until the start of the championship. I just tried to talk to all the players, show them their strengths and weaknesses, and gradually correct the game in the desired direction. My main demand was faster football.
- "Vilnius" started the A League season with three draws against teams that were champions last year. It seems that "Vilnius" is really prepared to fight for the top positions this year?
- I think so. Of course, football has its surprises, and a lot depends on luck. But in principle, "Vilnius" is really prepared to compete for the top positions.
- After the departure of T. Ražanauskas, M. Pankai, and A. Mrowiec, it started talking about the team weakening. However, the legionnaires from Brazil, apparently, more than compensate for the losses and become the leaders of "Vilnius"?
- The new legionnaires are of a very high level. They have shown that they are not weaker than the departed players and have certainly strengthened the team. But to demonstrate good play, newcomers need time to adapt, adjust to the new style of play and characteristics. They themselves say that Lithuanian football is very different from Brazilian. There are many nuances that are new to legionnaires. And any of our footballers can become a leader on the field. I can list almost all the players, any of whom can "lead" the team in any game. I think that is the main strength of our team. It is very encouraging that we are a true team, not a group of individual players. It felt that way in matches against "Vėtra" and "Ekranas," but it was most pronounced in the last match against "Kaunas." Legionnaires and local players get along great. They have a lot of respect for each other on and off the field. There are no communication problems. Everything is fine.
- After the goalless draws in the matches against "Vėtra" and "Ekranas," you talked about problems attacking. However, the team scored two great goals against "Kaunas." Have the attacking problems been solved?
- As I mentioned, nothing is solved in two days or one match. What is most pleasing is that we scored goals against "Kaunas" from the game. We scored beautiful goals specifically from the game, not from set pieces or individual actions of one player. There are still problems, but over time, there will be fewer of them in the team's attack.
- Which components of "Vilnius" gameplay would you like to improve further?
- We only found the optimal composition just before the championship, so it takes time to fix something. The players need to play together longer, feel each other. Football is a team game, a game of combinations. Everything takes time. Vytautas Lukša, who is not in his best form due to illness, has not yet been able to fully utilize his potential. I hope he will play better soon. However, I don't want to single out any one player. There are no limits to improvement for everyone.
- The upcoming A League championship promises a lot of intrigue. Has any team already surprised you?
- I do not see any major surprises yet. The outsiders are starting to show – "Šilutė" and Visaginas "Inter." As for the championship favorites, I would not like to name them yet, we need to wait a bit. All teams are very serious. Of course, those who were leaders last year will try not to give up their positions this year. However, there are certainly teams that will want and will be able to push the leaders. "Vilnius" is among those teams.
