Coach Kovačević: I'm pleased with how we looked against Rijeka, and we want to win every match until the end
Pre-match
The double crown is already "in the bag", the celebratory echoes have yet to settle, but there are still two matches remaining until the end of the competitive year. Dinamo will on Sunday, in their final away fixture of the season, visit Koprivnica where they will face Slaven Belupo at 4 PM in the penultimate, 35th round of the SuperSport HNL.
The team of coach Marijo Kovačević has already mathematically secured the championship title, has meanwhile lifted the Cup winner's trophy, and will now seek additional motivation for the best possible performance in the final two league matches. Besides the natural desire to win every match, regardless of the already secured championship, an additional impulse will be the hunt for the goalscoring record: Dion Drena Beljo has scored 30 goals in the current championship and needs just four more to equal the record holder Eduardo da Silva who scored 34 goals in the 2006/07 season. Furthermore, Dinamo currently holds the HNL record for average goals scored in the spring half-season. The current average is 3.19 goals per match, but to maintain this record until the end of the competition, the Blues would need to score at least five goals in the final two matches.
– Celebration after winning the Cup? Well, yes, we celebrated, it was very nice. This double crown is a reward for all of us, for the players, coaches, Management... – highlighted coach Kovačević.
What impressed the Maksimir strategist most in this season? Perhaps that meteoric rise in the spring part of the competition?
– Yes, we had long preparations, and the real takeoff happened just as we had announced, everything somehow fell into place, we played well... I'm also pleased with our performance in the last match against Rijeka in the Cup final, we were really good, showed that even in such a situation, when one match decides everything, we can be at our best. In the championship, this difference is visible in the continuity of our good games. I say, I'm pleased with that victory, and even more with our good play.
If we were looking for additional motivation in the final two matches, we could highlight Beljo's hunt for Eduardo's record, but also Dinamo's record average for goals in the spring part of the season, for which you need five more goals in these last two appearances.
– I hope we'll succeed, somehow we've managed to achieve everything we planned, so why not this too. It won't be easy. Here, now the first match is against Slaven Belupo, we'll put together a good team, we'll rest some players. Yes, we'll chase records too, but regardless of them, we want to win every match anyway, that's how we'll approach it now.
What's the situation with the squad, you mentioned you'll rest some players?
– Josip Mišić, Scott McKenna and Miha Zajc won't be in contention, we've given them time off to rest. We'll see how it will be for the last match against Lokomotiva. All others are available. We'll give opportunities to those who have played less so far and have additional motivation to show themselves because they want to stay at Dinamo. From that perspective, there shouldn't be any problems. There are also some younger players, juniors, we know how important it is for them to show themselves in the first team.
Slaven Belupo is led from the bench by coach Mario Gregurina, your former assistant. They've had difficulties with injuries, barely managed to assemble a team for the last championship match, but still won.
– I must praise Gregurina's work, in autumn you could see how good they were. Then followed the sale of some players, primarily thinking of Adrian Jagušić, injuries followed as well, but they pulled themselves together and in this last match beat Gorica. I'm happy for them that they're sailing calmly through the season. I know how good and quality coach Gregurina is and I didn't doubt him. But it's normal that we'll also give everything on Sunday to win.
The additional desire for victory is also fueled by the fact that Sunday is – the coach's birthday.
– Yes, ha ha ha, the years are piling up, I've already passed fifty. I hope the players will reward me with a victory – concluded coach Kovačević.
