Van Leeuwen: Kryvbas Waiting for Reinforcements, U-19 Not at Required Level

Kryvbas head coach Patrick van Leeuwen shared his thoughts after a 1-2 friendly defeat to Chornomorets, outlining the club's current situation and preseason plans. The Dutch manager stated that the first friendlies were meant to build fitness and give minutes, but without new signings, the team has had to rely heavily on U-19 players who are not yet up to the required standard. As a result, several senior players have taken on extra workload—the original plan was for everyone to play 45 minutes each. Van Leeuwen praised the first stage of preparation in Ukraine despite the intense heat and travel to Odesa for the match. He believes the squad has reached the physical level he wanted and expects the hard work from the first two weeks to pay off during the second stage in the Netherlands, where cooler conditions will help. During the upcoming training camp in the Netherlands, Kryvbas will face several European clubs in friendlies. More importantly, the coach hopes to welcome new arrivals to the camp. Van Leeuwen described this period as a key step forward both in terms of performance and squad quality.