BFC Daugavpils survived a tense evening to beat FK Grobiņa 3–2 in the Virslīga, but both benches were left reflecting on mistakes rather than celebrating football.
Sokolovs: “We keep losing concentration”
Daugavpils assistant coach Jurijs Sokolovs thanked supporters who braved the autumn cold, but admitted his side’s performance was far from convincing.
“We took three points, but we’re not satisfied with the display,” Sokolovs said. “In the first ten minutes and after we scored it looked good, but then we lost concentration and responsibility. Grobiņa deservedly equalised. The same happened in the second half — we start well, then lose rhythm. As coaches we need to find answers.”
With no tall target man in the squad following departures, Daugavpils are having to adapt their attacking approach. “Of course it changes things. Before we had more options. Now we need to adjust the style and combinations,” Sokolovs explained. He praised striker Promise David for his contribution, noting that he and Valerijs Lizunovs will be expected to share the workload up front.
There was also concern over Mihaļcovs, who picked up a serious injury in Tukums, just prior to going away on international duty with the U-21 team, which further exacerbated the situation. “It doesn’t look good. He couldn’t even walk after the match in Tukums. We’ll do an MRI soon. They attempted to aid his recovery with the national team but he came back and can’t even train with us now.” Sokolovs confirmed.
On the positive side, Sokolovs hailed the club’s transfer policy after two players earned moves to the Czech Republic this autumn. “Every year the club develops, and these transfers prove it. It’s a step forward for the players and for the club’s leadership,” he said.
Dobrecovs: “Dumb penalties are killing us”
Grobiņa head coach Viktors Dobrecovs was visibly frustrated after another narrow defeat.
“It’s a shame we couldn’t even take a point, but we only have ourselves to blame,” he admitted. “You can’t concede such stupid penalties in your own box. The first was soft, the second completely unnecessary. If you give away five penalties in four games, of course it’s hard to win.”
Dobrecovs felt his team otherwise contained Daugavpils well. “Apart from those moments, we dealt with them. In open play they didn’t create too much. But the second penalty crushed us like a scythe. There were still 60 minutes to play, but the pressure is heavy on the players and right now we can’t handle it,” he said.
Looking ahead, Grobiņa must quickly regroup before the Liepāja derby against city rivals. Dobrecovs insisted the focus remains the same: “It doesn’t matter if it’s a derby or not. We have to fight for points against everyone, whether it’s RFS, Riga or Liepāja. The table is tight and we have to find results.”
