Oleg Gusev: "At Dynamo we are working for the future"

— Oleg Viktorovich, tell us more about the Dynamo U-18 team.

— The Dynamo U-18 team appeared at the end of last season, approximately in November 2023. At the same time I was appointed head coach. The team was formed from girls of different ages of our Academy, but this is a completely new team, we collected it bit by bit.

Previously, Lyubov Sergeevna Komarova worked with these players, who did a great and high-quality job, for which I would like to thank her. Girls from other clubs were also invited – Lokomotiv, CSKA. In the upcoming 2024 season, we will play in the SFL tournament-girls under 18.

— How do you see the SFL-girls tournament in the new season?

— 10 teams will take part in the tournament. Rivals are both known to us and not so well – there are new clubs. If we take the well-known ones, then these are teams representing the Moscow region, for example, UOR No. 5 "Master-Saturn", "Lokomotiv", "Chertanovo", "Strogino". From non–Moscow - "Ufa", "Kuban", "Volgar", "Pari NN", "Novosibirsk".

We recently played with the capital's teams in the Moscow Winter Championship, all the opponents are interesting and well-equipped. The first round will be held in Nizhny Novgorod on May 2.

— Tell us about the players of the team.

— Three ages train with us – 2007, 2008 and 2009 years of birth. The composition is pretty even, I can't say that someone stands out and someone falls out. Compared to November 2023, the team has changed a little, new girls have come, we have added quality. If we talk about the players born in 2009, they are not just not lost, but are one of the leaders of the team.

— How do the teams interact within the Academy?

— Basically, we look at the Junior Academy teams, as the youth team solves its tasks to a greater extent, participates in the U-21 Youth League, and older players perform there. The U-16 team has a pool of interesting girls with whom you can work in the future.

However, according to the regulations, we can only declare three players born in 2009, and this limit has already been exhausted. To a greater extent, this work is for the future. At the same time, on a systematic basis, we are greatly supported by the leadership of the Dynamo Housing and Communal Complex, and the leadership of the Academy in the person of Dmitry Borisov, who shares his experience and introduces new ideas into the training process.

— Ahead of the match of the U-18 team with the base. What goals and objectives do you set for this game?

— We had the honor to play with the main women's team of Dynamo. Despite the fact that this is more of an internal story, we are very happy and ready to prove ourselves, the girls are waiting for this meeting.

As a coach, I am curious to see who and how will take advantage of this chance, because for girls it is a great opportunity to show themselves and test their strength in a match with a strong opponent. It's also a good way to draw attention to yourself, because it's best to do it against a good team.