Patrick van Leeuwen has shared his thoughts on "Kryvbas'" final pre-season friendly match against the multiple-time Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, as the team wraps up their summer training camp.
"I believe the final score doesn't fully reflect the game. The main lessons from this friendly are about playing with maximum precision, ball control, and accurate passing. These elements will help us create more goal-scoring opportunities," – explained the Dutch specialist.
Van Leeuwen particularly noted the performance of the team's recent acquisition, Carlos Rojas, who joined the squad just days before the match. "I think Rojas made a good impression, despite being with us for only a few days. I believe he's also impressed by European football," the coach remarked.
The same could be said about other players who experienced the speed and strength of their opponents while playing in front of a sizeable crowd. Despite the challenging opposition, "Kryvbas" attempted to maintain their playing style.
By the way, the team has already received video footage from the match for analysis. "In Kryvyi Rih, we'll discuss both the match itself and the entire training camp, examining both positive and negative aspects," van Leeuwen added. "There were actually many positives, as we created opportunities and played combinational football. However, we still have much to learn from our opponent in terms of speed and physical strength."
After completing their summer preparations, the "red and whites" will now return home to recover and prepare for the upcoming season. Can they implement the lessons learned during pre-season? We'll find out soon enough.
"Kryvbas" will open their UPL-2025/26 campaign with an away match against "Kolos" on Friday, August 1.
