This morning, the president of Lokomotiv Kuban PBC Andrey Vedischev came out to the main team for the first time in a new status – as head coach. We asked Andrey Vladimirovich to tell us about his feelings from the first training session, about the players’ readiness and about the plans for preparation for the season.
- What are your first impressions of being in the team as head coach?
- I am happy to see the players' eyes glowing. That's why I think everything will be very, very good for us. There is a lot of work to do, but we know what needs to be done, and we have a detailed plan. The main thing is that we must show pressure, intelligence, and quality in those moments when the game is not going well. Because when everything is okay, we can beat any opponent in the league. The main difficulties arise when something stops working out. So our main task is to learn to rebuild in difficult moments in order to turn in our favour the games that are not going well. This will be especially important in the playoffs.
- How would you rate the guys' form?
- I am happy. Unlike last summer, when, I will tell you a secret, some players arrived with excess weight, now it is clear from the first tests that everyone is in good shape. Nice to see that everyone took the recommendations of the medical staff seriously during the vacation – and this makes me happy.
- How will the pre-season preparation go?
- Until August 26, we will train in Krasnodar, then we move to Turkey for the Gloria Cup tournament, play several friendly games there, and from there we will go to Moscow for the Supercup, after which there will be a week left before the start of the VTB United League championship. The season will be tough. All the opponents in the league are strong, before the start of the season everyone is on the same page, determined to fight and win. Therefore, the first matches are especially important. We need to immediately get into this marathon race – compared to last season, several matches have been added to the regular championship, and Lokomotiv has the greatest load due to logistical difficulties. But our logistics are nothing new. Therefore, we are counting on the length of our bench – this factor will be the most important. We have experienced players, we have talented young players – so we must build the game the way that everyone clearly understands their role and feels confident on the court.
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