Nikolas Vitorović, the new coach of FK Riteriai, gave an interview to the club media, where he reflected on his initial experience of working in Lithuania, as well as on the ambitions of the newly promoted club from Vilnius.
Nikolas Vitorović (34) joined FK Riteriai earlier this month, following a sudden departure of the previous coach Sławomir Cisakowski, who made a move north to Estonian second tier club Nõmme United. Vitorović, himself part of this Baltic managerial shuffle, was under contract as assistant manager with the newly promoted SK Super Nova in Latvia. Having received an offer from Vilnius, he managed to come to an agreement to terminate his contract there and move to take charge of Riteriai only a few weeks before the start of their 2025 A Lyga campaign.
Speaking to official club media in a mini-interview, the new coach reflected on the team and on how he perceived their chances in A Lyga this season:
The team is young and my philosophy fits these players perfectly. We work every day to be competitive in the league. We want to be a hard-working team that always fights on the pitch. […] Lithuanian football has its ups and downs, but many players from this league leave for higher-level clubs, so it’s a good platform for them to show their skills. […] Personally, I want to achieve the club’s goal of improving the team. For the team, I want to achieve stability and to display the same good level every week. […] Riteriai is a big club, and we must consistently achieve the highest goals.
Riteriai, who are known for their academy system and have managed to return to the A Lyga with a team that emphasised home-grown talent and local players. Whilst the club has not been especially active during the transfer window thus far, Vitorović acknowledged that he does not see lack of experience as an insurmountable obstacle:
When the team is young, as a coach I am satisfied because I know that in 3, 6 or 9 months these guys will improve, and with it the whole team will become stronger. […] I joined the team at the end of the pre-season, so we will try to get everything in order before the start of the season. Currently, we still have two positions to fill, which we will complete in the coming days.
Indeed, the day before this interview, the club announced the signing of Meinardas Mikulėnas (22), who was on trial with the team. Mikulėnas, who is a product of FK Žalgiris academy, already has 68 A Lyga appearances under his belt. Despite this, he has only played 767 minutes last season, so will be looking to increase his playing time with the new club.
Source: https://fkriteriai.lt/2025/02/naujasis-riteriu-vyr-treneris-n-vitorovicius-komanda-yra-jauna-ir-mano-filosofija-puikiai-tinka-siems-zaidejams/
