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New challenges

New coach of the juniors Kristijan Polovanec: I will continue where Ivica Banović left off

Photo by: Toni Nikolić/GNK Dinamo

In addition to the change at the helm of the first team, there was also a change on the bench of the outgoing selection of the club's academy at Dinamo this winter. Ivica Banović returned to his "second home" and became a member of the coaching staff of the German Bundesliga club Freiburg, and in his place, Kristijan Polovanec took over.

Polovanec himself used to play for Dinamo and had a certain role in the club's academy on two previous occasions. In the 2019/20 campaign, he led the U-18 team, and the following season, he was an assistant on the bench of Dinamo II. However, even this third term of his did not start smoothly after taking over the role of head coach of the juniors. Namely, Polovanec has been with the academy since last summer, or since the beginning of the current season.

- Yes, I have been here since the summer. I had two conversations with the sports director and the director of our academy. Initially, it was planned for me to take over a younger selection, but I said that I prefer an older selection. We met halfway, they presented me with the idea of working individually with defenders from our pioneers, cadets, and juniors. It was a proposal that I liked since I used to be a defensive player, and I think we have achieved a lot in six months. We have created some automatisms, and it could be seen in the matches. Personally, I am very satisfied with the progress, and the academy was also satisfied, as well as the coaches of the selections whose players I worked with, so for me, it was an ideal preparation for what awaits me.

You have been a coach for more than 10 years, working with both senior and junior teams, but taking over Dinamo's outgoing category from the academy surely presents a special challenge?

- Of course it does. Every team and every club have their own characteristics, but Dinamo is special first and foremost from an emotional aspect. I am a kid who was born in Zagreb, went to school here, went through Dinamo's academy, and played for the first team. This is my second term as head coach in the club's academy, but as you said, coaching the outgoing selection, the oldest team in the academy, is a certain honor and a great privilege. Of course, with that comes a certain amount of stress, but also great satisfaction, which is stronger than anything else.

As we have already mentioned, you have collaborated with coach Banović, you have been at junior matches this season - Have you spoken to him after he left, did he have any advice for you?

- We haven't been in touch since his departure, but we talked for a long time at his last match. We have known each other for many years, we are the same generation, we played together in the youth national team, and we share a great friendship. As you said, I was quite involved with the juniors through cooperation with the coaching staff at the Mladen Ramljak Memorial Tournament, in the UEFA Youth League, and at our domestic matches, so I can say that I am familiar with everything. He didn't have to give me any special advice. We always called him "the German" because he spent a large part of his life in Germany, while they used to say about me as a player that I was German because of my work habits, so I believe I will continue where Ivica left off. I hope that in the near future we will hear from each other and that he will have some more useful advice considering the new experience he will gain in Freiburg.

In the championship, unfortunately, we have a considerable lag behind Lokomotiva, but in Europe, we advanced in a dramatic style. How did you see that whole period and what do you think are the biggest advantages of the junior team, and what are the things that still need to be worked on?

- I agree that we dramatically advanced in the Champions League, but we had serious opponents, we played really well. Unfortunately, we did not win one game in Bratislava that should have ended in nothing but our victory, so maybe that came back to haunt us in the final stages of the first round, we passed sweetly, after anticipation. The gap in the championship is big, but Lokomotiva, led by coach Nikica Jelavić, certainly deserves all the praise. They still have no losses, but we will give our all, focus solely on ourselves and fight until the last minute, try to catch up if possible. If not, we will congratulate the opponent on a better season, that's how it is in football and in sports in general.

We have already mentioned that you have coached both senior and youth teams. From a coaching perspective, what is the difference between leading younger football players and leading a first team?

- I would say it like this: in the juniors, you have players aged 18-19, and in the seniors mostly players aged 18-35, so the experience of senior football cannot be compared to anything from youth academies. Football in school is just that - football, while football in senior categories is "athletic football." There is an extreme difference in terms of physicality, duels, but mostly in terms of thinking and decision-making. There is always a need for a certain period of adjustment, that's why all of us would like the return of the B team, or the former Dinamo II. I went through it and I know how much it means. A center-back aged 18 when playing for the B team, has to face opponents who may be nearing the end of their careers, who have been through everything. A duel with a 30 or 35-year-old striker is not the same as with an 18-year-old player, no matter how fast he is, and I think that's where the biggest difference lies - in experience, reading the game, and recognizing situations. All of us are hoping that we will have a B team again from summer or at least some satellite club where we could send our young players and prepare them for the first team.

Let's talk a bit about coaching role models - do you have any names that you would single out?

- Well, everyone always highlights Pep Guardiola and I absolutely agree that he is a brilliant coach, but personally, I might prefer Jürgen Klopp and his style of football, aggressive, vertical, and with high pressing. During his tenure, he brought Liverpool from mediocrity to the very top and I believe that everything Arne Slot is doing now is partially thanks to Jürgen Klopp, so if I have to single out someone, let it be him.

Does this mean that we can expect such football, aggressive and vertical, from your team in the continuation of the championship?

- Look, we have certain principles of the game in the academy that we adhere to in these older categories, from pioneers to juniors, and I think that is very important. Yes, aggressiveness and verticality are some of those items, but I would emphasize above all competitiveness and determination. We need to get back to the level where opposing teams when they come here don't have in their heads "Let's play with Dinamo!", but come with fear of how many goals they will concede and would prefer not to even play that match.

The transition from juniors to seniors is also very important in terms of psychological aspect. These are individuals who are in sensitive years, transitioning from childhood to adulthood, and it is certainly not easy to keep all that under control - how do you see that challenge?

- When it comes to that question, I will work the most with my experience in mind. I was a captain of the cadets and juniors at Dinamo, then I came to the first team and then everything turns upside down. You are no longer the main one, you become just "one of", you have a lot of things to prove and that can psychologically affect a player. Also, we cannot know if a player has problems in the family or with a girlfriend and they find it difficult to open up about it. But, if you, so to speak, lower yourself to their level, introduce a bit of joking around, but also show that you are ready to talk about anything, provide support, hug the player and reach out to them, then you start to instill trust in them and then the story changes.

You are taking over the team in the middle of the season, how demanding is that compared to the situation where the coach leads the team from the summer?

- It's always nice when you start the season with the team, when you work according to your principles, when you go through preparations together. But as I said, I spent a lot of time with them in the autumn part of the championship. They know how I function, they know what I want and expect from them, and most importantly, I know them and they know me. It would have been, of course, ideal if I had led them from the beginning of the season, but I was given the opportunity now and of course I accepted it in whatever form it came.

You won't have an easy start on the bench. First the Cup, and then during February and the UEFA Youth League - opponent Barcelona - one away game. How did your juniors look in the first round of competition and how do you view that big challenge ahead of you?

- Well, they looked great! No, not great but fantastic! Look, it's a great reward for them - to travel with the first team, play in the Youth Champions League and then watch the senior team play, it's everyone's dream one day. I say, there is nothing nicer than playing in the Champions League, with your home club or another because that is the pinnacle of football and it is forever remembered.

How will you motivate the players? 

- You don't need to motivate the players too much - you are playing against Borussia Dortmund, Monaco. That is a feather in your cap that you can one day say "I played in the Champions League". I honestly even wished for Real Madrid in the Youth League. There is our Luka Modrić, Real is at the top of world football, but Barcelona is also a phenomenal opponent and I am glad that we drew such a demanding rival. Why? Because we are playing one game. We will analyze all the strengths and weaknesses of Barcelona, we are playing one game and if you need to be motivated against Barcelona, then it's ridiculous. I am 45 years old so I remember some matches that I played in Europe, which left a mark, which stayed in my nice memories and I say, we will prepare to be the best and try to pass because it is not Barcelona's first team, they are juniors, the same age as our players and I believe in Dinamo, especially in our team because Dinamo has one of the best academies in Europe, we don't need to fear anyone. But, before that, as you also said, the Cup follows which needs to be played as best as possible and try to pass. We play against Sesvete, also an excellent team and we need to go step by step.

Well, let's take a look at another change. We had two changes at the same time - the first team coach changed, and the junior coach changed as well. You played against Fabio Cannavaro in the 2000 UEFA Cup. Dinamo played against Parma, and Cannavaro played for Parma at that time. Do you remember that match, do you have any interesting anecdotes, and what do you think of Fabio Cannavaro, first as a player, and now as a coach?

- How could I forget! Before that, we played against Milan, and Milan was one of the top three teams in Europe at that time with Shevchenko, Maldini... no need to say more. Then we played against Slovan Bratislava and went to Parma. We lost 2:0 away. Buffon was in goal, in the backline Cannavaro, Thuram... something terrifying. We took the lead 1:0, Tomo Šokota scored and it was shining from all sides, we were very close to the second. Unfortunately, we didn't succeed, but the next day we were very proud that we played such a good game against an excellent team. About Fabio Cannavaro... watch - a defensive player who won the Golden Ball, who was one of the best defenders in history and who played for Juventus, Real Madrid - every word is superfluous. Fantastic player without equal, now, I don't know what kind of coach he is, but I wish him all the best of course for our club, to lead us to new victories and to try to push through this part of the season as it should be and win the title of champions.

As a player, you have surely encountered having a coach who does not speak your language. How do you view this, will the language barrier be a big obstacle for Mr. Cannavaro or can it be overcome?

- No! You know what, the language of football is universal. I played in France and I didn't know French. The coach told me "you have three months to learn French, until then we speak English", but generally, it quickly halves. The football vocabulary is not difficult. It is very simple, more or less the same for everyone, gesturing with hands. The coach will surely learn some Croatian words to make it easier for him and the players, but I say, I don't think that's a problem. And when he starts yelling in any language, you know what the coach means, coach Polovanec concluded with a smile.

We wish coach Polovanec good luck and good results on the junior team bench!

 

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