Mladen Bartulovic: The match against Zorya was the hardest in my coaching career
Kharkiv head coach Mladen Bartulovic discussed the psychological challenges during the UPL match against Zorya, which was interrupted by air raid alerts.
Младен Бартулович, ФК Харків
Head coach of the Kharkiv side Mladen Bartulovic has commented on his team's convincing 3-0 victory over Zorya Luhansk. Despite the decisive result, the coach described the fixture as the most demanding of his managerial career to date.
Yes, this is probably the hardest match I have had as a coach. It was very emotional and stressful because you have to think about football, but you think more about the air raid alerts, the drones, and our enemy. Mladen Bartulovic
The match was marred by multiple interruptions due to air raid warnings, forcing both players and staff to retreat to the dressing room repeatedly. Bartulovic admitted that maintaining the team's concentration under such circumstances proved incredibly difficult.
He specifically praised his players for their resilience and professionalism. According to the coach, after each forced break, the players found the strength to return to the pitch and deliver high-quality football, which was key to securing all three points.
After the second break, we went into the dressing room, we talked, but the emotions were already gone. Maybe it is good that we did not finish yesterday because everyone was emotionally drained. Mladen Bartulovic
Bartulovic emphasized the significance of this victory for the team's development and the players' morale. The manager also highlighted the individual performance of Baton, who he believes proved his readiness to contribute to the team after two weeks of persistent training.