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At the Sofia press conference, V. Dambrauskas introduced himself, congratulating everyone on the New Year and wishing them health.
“I believe that this year we will get up, we will have fans in the stadium again and we will see football as we saw it in the good times,” said the coach who turned 44 yesterday.
V. Dambrauskas smiled when his long monologue had to be interrupted by a translator who barely guessed marking Lithuanian thoughts.
photo HNK Gorica / Valdas Dambrauskas
“I can’t speak Bulgarian yet, but I hope it happens soon,” said the new Ludogorec manager.
The Lithuanian, who left the excellent team HNK Gorica in Croatia mid-season, shook the skies of Lithuanian and Bulgarian football on Sunday, moving to the champions team nine times in a row.
With 39 points in the Bulgarian championship, Ludogorec takes first place, but not the victory on the home front, the Lithuanian’s main task, ambiguously fulfilled by demanding fans.
Every soldier wants to be a general
“We want not only good results, but also to play great, to dominate, to play offensive football.” We will try to do that, “promised the Lithuanian.
Already in the first question, journalists recalled that the title of champion of the “eagles” of Razgrad is a requirement, not a request. But V. Dambrauskas understands.
“Yes, I understand it very well, I know why I came here. Every soldier wants to be a general – said the Lithuanian coach. – I’m not afraid of challenges, I think I have the skills and I can give a lot to this club, to the players. I look forward to the challenge of winning the title for the tenth time in a row. “
V. Dambrauskas was a bit tense at the beginning of the press conference, but soon, as with the whistle of the first referee in the match, the excitement disappeared at the press conference.
The Lithuanian also received an interesting question. The journalist asked what is more difficult: play in the game “Who is going to win a million?”, Where the coach won 4000 litas, or face a challenge at the Ludogorec club.
“It’s a very good question,” praised V. Dambrauskas. – It was a slightly different game, with more complicated rules, but it was a long time ago. It happened 19 years ago, I don’t even really remember how I felt then. I feel good here. I think the pressure on the coaches and the players is overestimated. We have the privilege of working under pressure. The more you think it means, the higher level you are. If you play a big game in Europe, you will feel the pressure in the last minute anyway.
What we are trying to do is feel good about that pressure. I’ve tried to do that my whole life. To be honest, I am not afraid of any pressure when the results are not what I would like. I try to stay calm and find ways to make the best decisions for my team.
V. Dambrauskas, who invited Marius Skinderis to the coaching staff, has already met his teammates.
Photo by Riga RFS Club / Marius Skinder (left)
“I will see the players today and tomorrow. The footballers arrived in Sofia to prepare for a trip to Turkey. We will start training on Monday, and then I will get to know each of the players as best and as quickly as possible,” said the strategist, that he will soon go to training camp in Turkey with the new team.
V. Dambrauskas doesn’t even want to hear about fear or fear.
“Those things about fears … I don’t know what can scare a coach who works in a football club. Sure, the pressure is there, but I think that if you work in a big club, you have big goals, you don’t pressure yourself from inside. I don’t like the fear of the word, there is nothing to fear. You have to be afraid of your health, you have to be viral, you have to enjoy football, “the coach is convinced.
The Lithuanian said he had been following the performances and play of Ludogorec’s team since 2017, when he fought with this team while still in charge of Vilnius Žalgiris.
I do not like the fear of the word, there is nothing to fear
Then the Lithuanian champions won at home 2: 1, but fell painfully 1: 4 at Razgrade.
Ludogorec is a champion team and V. Dambrauskas recalled it more than once during his first meeting with the media. According to the Lithuanian, this fact also dictates the style of play.
“It is a huge team, nine times national champion who plays in Europe every year. The team is good, with good players, strong characters. Those players want to play football well, dominate, attack, score goals. My coach is just that. My teams try to dominate, play offensive football and score goals. If we talk about changing style, no, we will do what Ludogorec’s DNA is, but, like every coach, I have ideas of how to achieve it, “said V. Dambrauskas with ambition and detail.
Photo by Scanpix / Gareth Bale in the match against Ludogorec on November 26
Lithuanians do not know if they would like to bring their former students to Razgrad in Croatia.
“It’s not about me, it’s about the club. We need to see which positions need to be strengthened. Ludogorec is not a one-man club, it’s a complex organization with a good scouting department. We will work as a team, I don’t care where the players come from, if they can be better than the ones we have ”, the coach is convinced.
V. Dambrauskas received several questions about the Bulgarian championship, other teams and the level of preferences.
“The championship is not bad, it may not get the respect it deserves. The teams that fight for the first places have a lot of quality. I followed Ludogorec more. When I worked in Latvia, Sofia CSKA played with Latvian champions, I watched both games. I have good vision, I have seen many Bulgarian championship games in the last two weeks, ”said the Lithuanian strategist.
However, V. Dambrauskas would like to focus on what he sees in his new team, not the competitors.
HNK Gorica nuotr./Valdas Dambrauskas
“I cannot say that I am an expert in the Bulgarian championship. But it should be noted that I am Ludogorec coach and I focus on this team, – said the 44-year-old specialist. – It is a great team that wants to dominate, so all the time my idea will be: how to improve the game of my team and how to play better, not look at the opponents and target them. The confidence of the players comes when they show their best qualities on the field. “
V. Dambrauskas did not want to name any player who leaves him with the best impression of the videos seen.
“I am satisfied with the players who are in the team at the moment. I don’t want to name names because it would be unfair to other players. I think the team has great potential, the individual capabilities of the players are not in doubt.
The form of the footballers fluctuates and that is normal. I’ve never seen a player whose curve for the rest of his career just went up and never came down. Curves fluctuate, but the character of the players determines how they react to their inferior performances. I am sure that the Ludogorec team will be prepared for the biggest challenges. Now it will be up to me how I will use my knowledge to unite these players into a cohesive team, ”said V. Dambrauskas, who faces a new challenge.
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