“It would be better if the game with Barcelona was postponed”

Dynamo Kiev coach Mircea Lucescu placeholder image shared his expectations before the match of the third day of the group stage of the Champions League against the Catalan “Barcelona”:

– Given that the Dynamo are experiencing personnel issues in relation to the coronavirus, what will your tactic be for tomorrow’s game?

– Our tactic is to play soccer. I can not say anything more. Yes, we don’t have many players, let’s see what happens tomorrow.

– Was waiting for the coronavirus test results the most difficult today?

– Yes, it was not easy to wait five hours to know if the game will take place or not. But fortunately everything is fine, everyone is healthy and tomorrow we will play.

– You have met Barcelona often during your career. How well do you know Koeman’s new team?

– Kuman was difficult, he needed to make a lot of changes. Naturally, Barcelona decided to follow the path of change. The players on the team are very talented, but you have to solve problems with technique and speed, as well as working with the traditional mechanisms of this team, and this will take time. For now, everything depends on what Messi does in all situations, in all games. You need to play the entire field. Despite this, it shows that he plays an outstanding football in Europe. It is easier to play in the Champions League than in the Spanish Championship, where teams like Real, Valencia, Seville play. It is complicated, but in Europe Barcelona is showing a very high level.

– How did you feel about the uncertainty about the fact that the match could be canceled?

– We expected the negative results of the tests we received in Kiev to be repeated, so this is not a problem. There may be problems tomorrow during the game.

– You said it will be difficult for you to play tomorrow under the circumstances. Would you like to see the match held or postponed for later?

– Yes, as a coach, it would be better for me to play this fight later, but I need to play tomorrow and we will play.

– You will have the last training session before the game. Since you have a very limited number of players, are you going to change anything to avoid injury?

– We only have 13 players to participate in tomorrow’s game and nothing can be changed here.

– You have a lot of experience as a coach, do you think current Barcelona is capable of winning the Champions League?

– Honestly not. Barcelona is doing a great job in dealing with youth. Need time. Bayern, PSG, Manchester City are currently at a higher professional level, they have a lot of experience. But nobody knows what it will be like. Each game is played in its own way, everything is done to the maximum. Barcelona will have 12-13 games before winter break, and in the spring it will be a completely different team. It takes a footballer six months to skate at a professional level.

– Does Kuman have a young player whom you consider especially talented?

– Dembélé, Fati, although the first and not the youngest. In a word, they are all of a very high level, they have high technical qualities and good speed. But, I repeat, they need time to optimally use their qualities, take risks, use instinct, creativity. Messi is creative and you have to watch him closely.

– At one point, you suffered a lot for Messi …

– Yes, I remember how Shakhtar played against him, it seems that it was the first match of the Champions League. There was a penalty and an offside goal. We won the UEFA Cup that season.

– Recently, you have been criticized a lot for not scoring. In your opinion, will Messi play football at the highest level for a long time or is his career already in decline?

– Messi does incredible things, he does not think about himself, but only about the team, about things that others should have thought about. You fight all over the field, passes and much more than before. He wants to help young players who need results, because without them they will remain just talents. For now, Messi is sacrificing himself. I’ve seen games where he does great things for the team, not for himself.

Let’s remember, the “Barcelona” – “Dynamo” match will take place on Wednesday November 4 in the capital of Catalonia, starting at 10 pm.