Fernandez: Happy with Kryvbas win and Karpaty's start, but a different striker profile is still needed

Francisco Fernandez was pleased with how Karpaty opened their Ukrainian Premier League campaign, but the coach is keeping expectations grounded. His side beat Kryvbas 4:1 in the first round, though the result flattered them at times. "We didn't enter the game very well. That is normal for the first official match. Even with good preparation and strong friendlies behind us, we felt uncomfortable in the first half. We were too open, and the opponent took advantage of that in transition. We knew their strength was quick counterattacks. After we conceded, we played better. There were two clear penalties, but VAR intervened and sorted everything out. Once we equalized, we felt much more comfortable. We were calmer on the ball and used the spaces the opponent left us," Fernandez said, as quoted by the club's press service. The coach also made it clear that the squad is not complete yet, so no long-term targets are being set. "We have to prepare properly for the next games and use the confidence this win gives us. Right now I am focused on going match by match. Once the squad is fully assembled, we can talk about other goals," he added. Fernandez also discussed Yan Kostenko, who can occasionally play up front in certain situations. "He is fast and looks for free space, so he can appear as a striker in some moments. But if we want higher goals, we need a forward with a different profile. We definitely intend to strengthen that position and a few others," the coach concluded.