The goalkeeper coach at the CSKA headquarters - Todor Kiuchukov, gave an interview to Gong.bg during the winter break and the preparation of the “reds” in the Turkish resort of Belek. The former CSKA goalkeeper is constantly in the staff of Alexander Tomas in his coaching career and develops the goalkeepers in his teams.
Kiuchukov admitted that the new coaching staff of the “reds” is accustomed to the characters of the players, just as the players themselves become accustomed to the demands of the coaches over time. He commented on the number of goalkeepers in CSKA at that time and highlighted how the club fought for the signature of Fyodor Lapukhov. In front of our media, Kyuchukov admitted that until the last moment the Russian Spartak Moscow had pushed extremely hard for the player from Belarus, but in the end the "reds" prevailed in this winter battle.
The former CSKA guard emphasized that the club has appetites for winning the Bulgarian Cup, but also emphasized the line of development that the club from "Borisova Garden" has ahead of it.
“We are very satisfied with the conditions here and the training that we are conducting in Turkey. The only downside is when the weather is bad, but it is not under our control and partly spoils our plans, but overall we needed such a camp. Since we have been coaches at CSKA, we have not had such time to get to know the players better, to spend more time with them. We are satisfied with all the conditions provided by the club”, the former CSKA goalkeeper started in front of our media.
“After almost four months, the players have already gotten used to our requirements and we are adjusting to their characters. We are getting to know each other better and better and I think it is now easier for us to work with them, as they are with us”.
“The winter selection is delayed because it does not entirely depend on the CSKA club. We all know that Bulgaria is currently not an attractive destination for top players. Until the markets in the top leagues close, we will be in a waiting position. I think that CSKA has already developed a way of working in which we all try, with the scouting unit, the coaching team, the sports director, to minimize the mistakes that could possibly be made by hastily attracting players. And it would be easier for us as coaches to work with all the players we have identified. If they were here at the camp so they could get used to the requirements of the head coach, but unfortunately, this is the reality”, continued Kyuchukov.
“As for the goalkeepers, I dare say that CSKA has gathered quite good goalkeepers and I am happy from this point of view to work with these guys. Fyodor Lapukhov is probably one of the best young goalkeepers of this age. He has enormous potential, but let's not forget that he has not reached the peak of his career. That is my task. I have shown over time that I can model goalkeepers who meet European standards. I am happy that I will have the opportunity to contribute to his development. We as a club and coaches must make his adaptation as quick as possible and shorten it in time so that he shows the best he is capable of. I have analyzed and followed him for a long time and I am glad that we managed to attract him, because there was really a lot of interest from very strong teams in him. We are talking about top championships such as Spain and the Netherlands. Until the last day before we signed Lapukhov, Spartak Moscow did not stop looking for ways to attract him to their ranks, so I am happy that we fought off this competition and Fyodor is now in our club”, commented Kyuchukov, the latest new addition to the CSKA team.
“If there is no tension in CSKA, then something is not right. I have experienced this as a player, and now as a coach. We were prepared for this pressure. Unfortunately, we have a lot of players who are in such a giant club with such a fan base for the first time. We are trying to introduce them to the requirements, the expectations when you are in such a club. With how they should behave on the field and off it. That they should know that they always have to give their best to justify the expectations, because they are monitored every meter of their movement. It is not easy to manage the pressure, but in the end, whoever cannot withstand this pressure is simply not for CSKA”, continued the goalkeeper coach of the capital's grand.
“Yes, to this day I maintain contact with Dinko Horkas. We have a great respect for each other after working at Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Just as I am satisfied with my work with him and what we did together, he has also told me in personal conversations that I have helped him a lot in his growth to take this step in La Liga. At the moment he is still looking for his place in the Las Palmas team, but considering his contract years, I think the future is still ahead of him - to be the main goalkeeper of Las Palmas. He is lucky to currently learn from the good Dutch goalkeepers Jasper Cillessen. He constantly says that their communication there is very good, Cillessen constantly gives him advice and prepares him for his future career. He is privileged in this regard. We maintain contact with Horkas to this day. With his commitments now, he became a father, we hear less often, but we congratulated each other on the holidays, so Dinko really showed in Bulgaria that with proper work, with the adoption of the ideas I gave him, he came to be of interest in such a strong championship as La Liga, because few people appreciated what a step it is to make a transfer from the Bulgarian championship to a team from the Top 5 leagues in the world”, Kyuchukov further analyzed.
“In the last few years, the goalkeeper position is the most developing in the entire football game. During the time I was an active player, the working methodology has probably changed by 60-70%. The modern goalkeeper must not only be someone who only saves situations. He must be an athlete, a goalkeeper who can “read” the game. A goalkeeper who participates in the construction of the game. A goalkeeper who must meet and help the defense when the team is high and presses the opponent, so much so that one of the doyens in my profession - a Dutch coach Frank Hook, who once worked with Johan Cruyff, Rinus Mikel and Van Gaal in top clubs - his opinion is even such that we should not call goalkeepers simply goalkeepers, but goalplayer” (white-red: field goalkeeper).
“According to the philosophy and development of each club, we must determine the profile of our goalkeeper. If the club tries to play offensively with permanent possession of the ball, with a positional game that starts with the goalkeeper building, then we must have the complete goalkeeper. He must play both skillfully with his hands on the goal line and in the construction of attacks. I think that with the example of Horkas we had done exactly that as a coaching staff. We had a goalkeeper who “read” the game very well. We watch European football, we watch the top leagues - both City and Liverpool, and all the top teams inevitably make mistakes and are caught on the counterattack. That's exactly what we're trying to impose on CSKA goalkeepers. Such as this goalkeeper who helps the defense, stands forward, and when we allow counterattacks, he prevents them and not just saves the shots at his goal”, Todor Kyuchukov further analyzes.
“Dimitar Berbatov is a great help and an honor to be among the young players. Dimitar to be here with them and to show and tell them how a person who was born in Bulgaria, who even started at a small club in the province, came to CSKA and achieved his dreams of playing at the highest level in football. Young footballers, if they want to succeed in football, these examples should be an inspiration for them. He gives them valuable advice, helps them with his presence, shows them how they should behave on and off the pitch. Currently, he is "returning" to CSKA with his contribution, and also helps us as a coaching staff for young players. He started from CSKA, and then conquered the whole world. He is a great authority, I have seen him firsthand. People listen to him and I know how they behave with him when he speaks. I have been to "Old Trafford", to "Etihad", to Monaco with him and to many other stadiums. I see what the attitude of football people towards him is."
“At CSKA, we have taken a path that we have drawn and are acting step by step. Drastic changes are not sustainable for me. We have a vision in our heads of what and how CSKA should look. The thing is that we should not rely on luck. With our work, we must make CSKA look good. I think that in the last matches we have shown with our play that we are on the right track. Yes, we have made many mistakes, but it is quite normal in the process of building a style of work. We all want CSKA to do everything with a magic wand, to be dominant and to score 5 goals in every match, but the reality is that all this takes time. We are grateful to the fans that this is something that most of them understand. They see that we are on the right track, and we feel their support. Personally, I hope that the minimum that we have to achieve in the spring is participation in Europe. Of course we will fight for the Cup, we want to win it. It will not be easy, because many teams show appetites for it, but in the end, each team follows its own goals. I believe that we are on the right track and the camp we needed now, to work even more on the physical condition of the team. I believe that we will have many positives and good results in the second part of the championship”, he continued.
“I want to call on CSKA fans not to have division among them. I want them to support their team, to trust the people who want to restore this giant to its former glory. In the coming years, the fans must know that CSKA will be where every one of our fans wants to be. I call on them to support us, to love their club regardless of who the player and coach are. Only in this way will we be successful”, Todor Kyuchukov concluded in front of Gong.bg.