Mikhail Marhel: “We will rely more on our own game”

Before the first training in Dubai, Belarus national team coach Mikhail Markhel spoke with Pressball correspondent about conditions of the national team and at what price the February training camp happened.

- During the flight, you and your brother studied something in a laptop for a long time. What?

- We were preparing for training. We have a drawn up plan, we  were just clarifiying some details. Beyond these work, time in an airplane flew by unnoticed.

- Did you manage to assess the mood of the team?

- So far, not much time has passed. For now they just got together, they even don't look like a team yet - at least in terms of equipment. All players arrived in their club uniform. So this is a matter of the nearest future - we will train, we will communicate. It seems to me that all the guys with whom I managed to talk have a good mood. The most important thing is that everyone is healthy, because this question is now really relevant. Due to injuries, we suffered losses, some players that we would like to see are not present. But what can you do?.. In football, you always need to be prepared for this. We hope that the guys who have not arrived now will help us in future.

- How hard were the past seven days for you?

- Honestly, there was a strong psychological stress. I am glad that this period has ended. Probably, this happens with every coach. The pressure on someone is a little more, on someone - a little less. I will not hide it, it took away a lot of nervous energy from me. I was restless due to the fact that all plans could be cancelled.

- At what moment did you relax?

- After the meeting in the Ministry of Sports - not. Probably only when all the players boarded the plane in Antalya, I got a little more calm. I understood that everything is fine, we are going to the camp the way we planned.

- Representatives of the Uzbek team this week expressed their concerns about sparring?

- No, there was nothing like that.

- Do you have a feeling that tensions with clubs made the team weaker?

- Such a conflict in any case did not positively affect the guys. After all, they did not know until the last whether they would fly or not. We had the same feeling of uncertainty. But I'm glad that everything ended successfully: the clubs went towards the team, and we will conduct a full-fledged camp. And we’ll still be talking to the players to understand what kind of sediment remains from this story. I think everything should be fine. We have a goal, we must unite and go towards it together. It is very important.

- Even with such a backstory the camp is useful?

- Of course. It will give us something to think about and help to prepare for the March games for a ticket to EURO.

- Injuries confused you plans?

- The goalkeeper question appeared unexpectedly. We immediately lost three goalkeepers, on whom we count. As for Gordeychuk, who fell at the last moment, of course, I wanted to see him. But this is life. Injuries will always happen. You need to relate to this, always have backup options. In this regard, the next two sparring are also useful - we can view a wide range of candidates. To know in case of force majeure whom we can rely on. When the season begins, there will be some losses. I hope not, of course. But you should be ready for them.

- How many times have you changed the squad for this camp?

- Lots. Sometimes, the formation changed three times a day. I had to work in a tense rhythm. There were visa problems, problems with clubs, some agreements had to be redrawn - there was a large number of difficult negotiations.

- Is there any time left to think directly about the game with the Uzbeks, to study the opponent?

- Right now we’ll concentrate on preparing for the match as best as possible.

- You noted that the national team of Uzbekistan resembles Georgians in style, but some leaders of their team will not take part in the sparring. Is this a problem?

- No. We will rely mostly on our own game. On how we want to build it. In any case, I think the championship of Uzbekistan is strong enough to compensate the shortage of legionnaires in national team. It is clear that the squad will be slightly different. But we do not have football players from other championships as well. The main thing is that this match is very useful for us. We will practice together, the guys will feel each other on the field, communicate.

- An invitation of newcomers Poznyak, Stepanov - is an emergency measure?

- These guys were in our list. And the situation is that we had to rely on their service. Plus there are positive reviews about them. We talked with their coaches, now both players are in good conditions. Moreover, our coaching staff believes that new players need to be given a chance in the team. So taht they feel the atmosphere. And understand: they are being watched. And know: they have something to strive for. They are our future, because we want to see a younger team in future. Young players need to be invited and motivated.

- Then the last: players often read what is written about them on the Internet. Are you looking for a similar feedback from fans?

- No. At some point I stopped reading what they write on the forums. It doesn’t add anything to me. There is constructive criticism sometimes, sometimes curses. It is not good, reading it is useless. All that is needed will always be conveyed to me by my assistants - they will study and tell in general terms. (Laughs.) This should be treated as a given, an indispensable attribute of the public profession. Therefore, if someone thinks that by commenting something they will change something - they are mistaken.