Vishnyak: Letting Volynets go to Dnepr-1 and giving Fesyun a chance, he trusted Kolos goalkeeper coach Vyacheslav Kernozenko

Head coach of Kolos from Kovalevka Yaroslav Vishnyak spoke about how his team spent the first part of the season in the Ukrainian Premier League. Also in an exclusive interview, we learned how the team is being updated and why Kolos still needs fresh blood.

— After 17 rounds, Kolos occupies a place in the middle of the standings – ninth place. How can you evaluate the interim results of the team’s performance?

— Impressions are twofold. Of course, I, like any coach, would like a better result based on the results of the first part of the Ukrainian Championship. However, given the fact that many guys left Kolos in the summer, and many new players also came, new players often got used to being in our team. Let’s not forget that in the fall several important players were lost due to injuries. All this affected our performance – we didn’t have enough teamwork at the start of the season.

— Judging by the statistics, Kolos began to play better on the road, where they lost only once. What is the reason for such confident play in other people’s stadiums?

— Basically, my players demonstrated their character. Yes, we ended many matches in a draw, we lacked skill somewhere. We understand what we need to work on in the future.

— Kolos players scored only 11 goals. Only Obolon and Minaj scored less. Have you figured out the reasons for your team’s ineffective play?

— According to statistics, our players create many chances to score against the opponent. We lack the implementation of these points. We need to make the right decisions in someone else’s penalty area, perhaps the guys lack composure. We see that similar questions arise for the guys during training. I will say that in our attack we have experienced players who have played in good teams. We see how we deliver the ball into the opponent’s penalty area, but we would like to see luck turn around for our guys in the spring.

– But in terms of goals conceded, it’s a different story – Kolos conceded only 10 goals and this is the best result in the UPL. How did this happen?

— To be honest, we are not blameless in defense – the opponent creates chances at our goal. And Fesyun helped us out, and the defenders acted selflessly. Here I will give credit to all the field players – they meet the opponent already in the middle block. Let’s not forget that Kolos is being renewed. Young guys come to us because we need fresh blood. After all, we remember that until recently the average age of our players was quite high. This issue is being resolved, but it cannot be resolved in one transfer window.

— Kirill Fesyun, 21-year-old goalkeeper of Kolos is one of the main discoveries of this season. He missed only 10 goals in 16 games and is already being recruited to the Ukrainian youth team. Weren’t you afraid to sell Evgeniy Volynets to Dnepr-1 in the summer?

— Here I completely trusted our goalkeeper coach Vyacheslav Kernozenko. Our goalkeeper coach is a professional. Let’s be honest – Volynets went for a promotion, let me remind you that Dnepr-1 then played in the Champions League qualifications. Volynets was one of the leaders of Kolos, he grew up with our team. We gave the young and talented Kirill Fesyun a chance. I think he took his chance.

I will say this, at the moment Fesyun is coping with his responsibilities. But such a stable performance by the goalkeeper is also due to the merit of our defenders. But we see that Fesyun has room to improve. If we praise our goalkeeper, then do it carefully. Kirill has the right approach to the matter. The first half of the year in the UPL ended well for him, but what’s more important is how he will play next.

—Who are the leaders of today’s Kolos?

— This is not the first year that these are Vadim Milko and Andrey Bogdanov. These guys have been on our team for a long time and have done a lot for Kolos. I would also like to mention those guys who came to us in the summer – Burda, Luchkevich, Bondarenko and Tsurikov and Demchenko. They added solidity to us, and the competition for a place in the lineup increased significantly. Let’s not forget that due to injuries and injuries, not all players were able to perform at their maximum.

— What would you like to see performed by Kolos in the spring?

— Of course, the tournament position is very important for any team. First of all, we need to build a new team. We want to strengthen our team. In these times of war, it is unrealistic to buy 10 new players. Legionnaires very carefully decide whether to go to Ukraine or not. And if they agree, then for a lot of money. And this is not entirely correct now. I can say that we are undergoing a reboot in all lines. But with such a renewal of the team, it is not easy to solve the problem of being among the leaders. Now we cannot invite even 5-7 experienced craftsmen. Let’s not forget that we need to educate our youth.

— Who left the team in the offseason, and who will join the ranks of Kolos?

— Zolotov and Myakushko left us. We terminated the agreement with the first by agreement of the parties, and the second’s contract expired. As for the new players, we are now discussing and agreeing on all the components for the transition.

— When does the team return from vacation?

— We are going on January 10th. The guys will undergo a medical examination within three days. Then we planned a two-week training camp in Kovalevka, where the players will conduct two training sessions a day. Perhaps we will have one sparring session at home. And on January 27th we will fly to Turkey, where we will conduct the main stage of preparation for the second part of the Ukrainian Championship. We planned to hold six sparring sessions in Turkey.