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EXCLUSIVE: Being At Barcelona Is Just Fantastic – Dmytro Chygrynskiy
With his long hair flowing beyond his shoulders and his slender frame, Dmytro Chygrynskiy looks more like a lead guitarist for a 1970s rock band as opposed to the most expensive defender in the history of Barcelona. In this exclusive interview, Chygrynskiy talks to Goal.com's Ashish Sharma about life in the fast lane...
| Bet: | Returns: | Leverkusen £70.00 | Draw £42.00 | Barcelona £14.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Leverkusen £65.00 | Draw £43.30 | Barcelona £14.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Leverkusen £85.00 | Draw £45.00 | Barcelona £14.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Leverkusen £75.00 | Draw £42.00 | Barcelona £13.70 |
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Oct 30, 2009 7:12:34 PM
Like a lot of people from Ukraine, Dmytro Chygrynskiy speaks good English but in a deliberate non-intoned way. He sticks to the words he is familiar with and expresses them as he knows best. It's not a bad description for the way he plays his football too.
There is a comfortable simplicity in the way the lanky central defender deals with the ball in danger areas. There are no illusions of grandeur. It's simple, safe and effective football.
Though he is not blessed with burning pace, he has a sense of positional awareness that you feel can compensate for a genuine lack of speed.
Looking ahead to the game away at Osasuna this weekend, Chygrynskiy says that the comprehensive defeat inflicted on Real Zaragoza last Sunday was building up after some recent indifferent performances.
"After the last few games, with a draw against Valencia and losing to Rubin [Kazan], it was very important to win," he told Goal.com. "And we did it in a very good style. Six goals are very important to us, and now our confidence is growing and I feel we are at a good mental level."
Barcelona came under intense criticism for their inferior performances against Valencia and Rubin, but the Ukrainian says the players didn't feel they had anything to prove before taking the field against Zaragoza.
"To be honest we just did our job," he explained. "We are trying to have good training sessions. We are preparing like we usually do and we are not doing anything special."
It's ironic that it was against Barcelona that he made his senior debut in the Champions League in 2005. Now it's only been two months since he made his switch to the European champions and Chygrynskiy admits there have been added disruptions that have stopped him settling in at a quicker pace.
"It's never easy when you lose time because of injury," he lamented. "So it's not easy, but I was happy to play in the win against Zaragoza. With every game I will try get better and better.
"Everything is different here, and everything is new to me. For example the training sessions, the preparation period, the rehabilitation, even the way the coach speaks with the players, everything is new for me."
It's an interesting insight into the life of a player who comes from such a different background. But it seems that if there is a person capable of making the adjustment then it's likely to be Chygrynskiy.
He also bears the cross of becoming one of the most expensive defenders in the club's history after his €25 million transfer in August. But then he can handle pressure. At the age of 20 he captained his side in the Ukrainian Cup final, in which Donetsk beat Dynamo Kiev 2-0. And last season he helped the team to recover from the disappointment of being knocked out of the Champions League by going on to win the UEFA Cup against Werder Bremen.
At this stage, the Ukrainian says overcoming the language barrier is the most important thing.
"I am trying to integrate into the team as fast as possible," he stated. "I am learning Spanish and everyday I have one hour classes. So it's just a question of time before it becomes better and better. But I also have a lot of people around who help me if I don't understand something."
The effort and the adjustment is clearly worth it, as Chygrynskiy admits he is realising a dream come true.
"What can I say, I mean being here is just fantastic," he smiled. "But I understand that I have to work much more than I ever did before, If I want to grow with this team and to play at this level."
It is hard to say at this stage how much Chygrynskiy can expect to be in the starting XI. However, he has already shown the composure that Pep Guardiola admires in players. And Barcelona at last have a very competitive central defensive quartet comprising of the talents of Chygrynskiy, Gerard Pique, Rafael Marquez and Carles Puyol.
Ashish Sharma, Goal.com
There is a comfortable simplicity in the way the lanky central defender deals with the ball in danger areas. There are no illusions of grandeur. It's simple, safe and effective football.
Though he is not blessed with burning pace, he has a sense of positional awareness that you feel can compensate for a genuine lack of speed.
Looking ahead to the game away at Osasuna this weekend, Chygrynskiy says that the comprehensive defeat inflicted on Real Zaragoza last Sunday was building up after some recent indifferent performances.
"After the last few games, with a draw against Valencia and losing to Rubin [Kazan], it was very important to win," he told Goal.com. "And we did it in a very good style. Six goals are very important to us, and now our confidence is growing and I feel we are at a good mental level."
Barcelona came under intense criticism for their inferior performances against Valencia and Rubin, but the Ukrainian says the players didn't feel they had anything to prove before taking the field against Zaragoza.
"To be honest we just did our job," he explained. "We are trying to have good training sessions. We are preparing like we usually do and we are not doing anything special."
It's ironic that it was against Barcelona that he made his senior debut in the Champions League in 2005. Now it's only been two months since he made his switch to the European champions and Chygrynskiy admits there have been added disruptions that have stopped him settling in at a quicker pace.
"It's never easy when you lose time because of injury," he lamented. "So it's not easy, but I was happy to play in the win against Zaragoza. With every game I will try get better and better.
"Everything is different here, and everything is new to me. For example the training sessions, the preparation period, the rehabilitation, even the way the coach speaks with the players, everything is new for me."
It's an interesting insight into the life of a player who comes from such a different background. But it seems that if there is a person capable of making the adjustment then it's likely to be Chygrynskiy.
He also bears the cross of becoming one of the most expensive defenders in the club's history after his €25 million transfer in August. But then he can handle pressure. At the age of 20 he captained his side in the Ukrainian Cup final, in which Donetsk beat Dynamo Kiev 2-0. And last season he helped the team to recover from the disappointment of being knocked out of the Champions League by going on to win the UEFA Cup against Werder Bremen.
At this stage, the Ukrainian says overcoming the language barrier is the most important thing.
"I am trying to integrate into the team as fast as possible," he stated. "I am learning Spanish and everyday I have one hour classes. So it's just a question of time before it becomes better and better. But I also have a lot of people around who help me if I don't understand something."
The effort and the adjustment is clearly worth it, as Chygrynskiy admits he is realising a dream come true.
"What can I say, I mean being here is just fantastic," he smiled. "But I understand that I have to work much more than I ever did before, If I want to grow with this team and to play at this level."
It is hard to say at this stage how much Chygrynskiy can expect to be in the starting XI. However, he has already shown the composure that Pep Guardiola admires in players. And Barcelona at last have a very competitive central defensive quartet comprising of the talents of Chygrynskiy, Gerard Pique, Rafael Marquez and Carles Puyol.
Ashish Sharma, Goal.com
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