Jerko Leko took charge of the first team at a delicate moment, created good energy and restored the right spirit, and the club will give him its absolute support with great care and love. This was the key message that Dinamo president Zvonimir Boban delivered at the formal presentation of Jerko Leko as head coach of the first team.

– Together with the players, Jerko did a superb job in these two matches. He arrived at a delicate moment and handled that challenge exceptionally well. We are very happy about that. Good energy has been created and the right spirit has been restored, and that is what we must insist on. We are convinced that Jerko and the players can meet every demand. A year and a half has passed since I invited Jerko to the club. The idea was for him to take over Dinamo B straight away, but as the B team did not materialize for administrative reasons, Jerko led the junior side and won the league. Taking over the B team was then a logical next step, and he did that job solidly as well. He is coming into the first team at a difficult moment, but one comes out of that even stronger. Jerko, on behalf of everyone at the club and personally, I wish you a great deal of success, and we will follow everything with great care and love and give you our absolute support – said President Boban.

Coach Leko thanked the president for his words of support and shared his first impressions:

– Thank you to President Boban for the trust he has shown. A year and a half ago I came at his invitation to take over the B team, and I have come into this position absolutely motivated and ready. Perhaps this situation came sooner than we had planned, but opportunity doesn't choose its time. I think we did a good job in these two matches, in the six days I have been with the team. We have awakened an energy that we will certainly not let slip. We will work on that, of course. There is a lot of work ahead of us. During the break in the league, some players will join their national teams, but many will stay. It will be a chance to sort out some details, to talk, and for me to get a feel for the dressing room. We don't have much time, as the match against Istra 1961 will come very soon.

How much does the support of the players and fans mean to you?

– It certainly means a lot to me, it is great recognition. I have been an independent coach for nine years, which is not a short time. Fine, perhaps those clubs weren't on the level of Dinamo, or even close in terms of name, but my career has developed gradually. It was the same during my playing days: I gradually worked my way up to the Dinamo first team, then to the national team, and now my coaching path is going the same gradual way. I am happy and grateful for the opportunity. We will do everything so that I stay as long as possible.

Who will be with you on the coaching staff?

– Tomislav Marić will continue working with the forwards, Ivan Kelava and Gojko Mrčela are there as goalkeeping coaches, then Tomislav Žitković, who was with me with the juniors and the B team, and fitness coach Mateo Matić, with whom I also worked before... The new name is Kristijan Polovanec, who was with me at the start of my coaching career.

What will your next moves be, and does the upcoming break in the league for national team duty suit you?

– First and foremost, I am focused on keeping the team in this mode and with this energy. In that context, it might be better if there were no break and we played again in a week, but as I say, now is a chance to see the players in certain training situations and find out what we may need to improve so that we can all be better together.

How did you work with the director of football, Albert Capellas?

– Capellas came as an expert who has been through a lot, and we worked together quite well while I was in charge of the juniors and then the B team. I wouldn't call it oversight; he was a person who gave advice in certain situations and offered his opinions after matches. I don't know how it was with the first team, but four eyes see better than two, just as six eyes see better than four. I have to accept the things that are good, because that is how the team gets better too. The decisions are mine.

What do you want to change compared to your colleague Mario Kovačević?

– Coach Kovačević did an excellent job, especially last season. Perhaps, as captain Josip Mišić said recently, a certain saturation set in. If a separation develops between the players and the coaching staff, which I'm not saying happened, performances drop. Training sessions hold the atmosphere together. If the lads are sharp in training, it will be reflected in the results too. Energy and atmosphere must not be lacking. I have never allowed the atmosphere to sink. We will work on making sure discipline and energy are at the right level.

How much does it mean to you that you might be the first Dinamo coach at the new stadium on Kranjčevićeva?

– It's hard to say whether I'm more motivated by the possibility of being the last coach to lead Dinamo at Maksimir as it is now, or the first to lead it at the new stadium on Kranjčevićeva. But we will deal with that when the time comes.

You were known as a tough and aggressive midfielder. Do you recognize anyone like that in Dinamo's squad now?

– We have gotten to know each other a little in training now. I also coached several players earlier in the Lokomotiva juniors, such as Lukas Kačavenda and Luka Stojković. As a player, I also welcomed Luka Ivanušec to the team there. They are such players, especially Kačavenda, who is full of energy, "a hundred miles an hour." Bruno Goda pleasantly surprised me with his cheekiness and energy. It's nice to see Josip Mišić going in with tackles... We just need to awaken that side in them. We saw it at Sunderland, four of our players were throwing themselves at the ball, and that pleases me. One aggressive player is of no use to me if the others are not like that – concluded Coach Leko.