The excellent debutant of the Elite Ludogorets U15 Svetlin Ivanov: For me, it is a success to promote a football player to the first team!

“There are no gifts here, there is work!”, said the head coach, scattered over the pitch under the night sky…

Autumn has replaced summer, the sultry heat has given way to cold winter training. But the descending frost and darkness do not shake the stoicism of the growing Elite Eagles of Ludogorets under 15 years of age on their path to self-improvement.

Under the evening lights of the floodlights at the base of the Ludogorets Children’s and Youth School, the talents trained by coach Svetlin Ivanov sparkle. In the past months, he made his debut in the U15 Elite Championship, and the final result after the set point of the autumn madness is 12 achieved victories in 15 matches played. The team family will welcome the New Year at the top of the standings with only one mistake made on the difficult championship path. The young Eagles demonstrate a consistently strong game with visible results and a convincing goal difference with 37 goals scored and only 7 conceded, which is the least in the group.

How did he manage to climb his Eagles from a debutant in the Elite to the top of the contested championship in just half a season? And what emotions enrich the emotional palette of the athlete half a season later? The answers to these and other questions are given in the following lines by the "head" of the Ludogorets U15 football family, Svetlin Ivanov.

How do you feel as an excellent debutant in the Elite with only one loss in 15 games?

I am satisfied with the results, but purely in terms of play there is a lot to improve. We have set higher goals for ourselves with the boys and we hope to achieve them. Not purely in terms of results, because at this age the most important thing is the game appearance and the development of young players.

What specifically will you work on to improve?

In preparation for the next half-season, we will focus on working on ball control, reaction when losing the ball.

Is there anything that you as a team regret so far?

Only about the last championship match with Levski (Sofia), in which we lost 1:2. We could have performed at a much better level and entered the match with much clearer heads. I think that only then we performed below our level, in other moments we stood well on the field.

And the result shows it...

Yes, as a result we are satisfied, it could have been more. There were matches in which we could have won the full points. In the home match of the IX round against Septemvri (Sofia), which ended 1:1, we completely outplayed our opponents, but we were unable to turn the result around. Earlier, in the match of the IV round against Lokomotiv in Plovdiv, the initial phase of our mutual work with the boys affected. I believe that in the second half of the season we will get even and achieve stronger results.

You lead two teams in the Ludogorets Academy – U12 and U15. How do you manage to defend the remarkable successes on both fronts?

I have a lot of help from colleagues. Iliyan Petrov constantly helps me both in decision-making and in the training process. The individual preparation he conducts, especially in the final phase, gives results. At the beginning of the championship in the Elite U15 we got into situations, but it was quite difficult to score goals. As a result of Emilian's work, the ratio of goals scored from situations is much higher. Goalkeeping coach Dobrin Dobrev is also with me, he has changed the look of our goalkeeper, who had problems with exits and crosses. As you can see, we have the fewest goals conceded in the Elite Group thanks to Dobrin Dobrev. Krasimir Chomakov and Branimir Kostadinov also provide me with valuable help. My colleague Christos Dokov assists me with the training process for children under 12, when I cannot combine my work with both teams. The results are a result of collective work, not just mine.

Does success have a price, what is it costing you?

I don't think that what we have achieved so far is success, because we are still in the middle of the season. My opinion about success is different, because in my eyes winning a cup or a medal is not the most important thing for us. We can say that we have achieved success when we develop a player to the point where he is promoted to the first team, to play successfully for our national team. This is success! I think that for us success this season is four of our players called up to the youth national team, while at the beginning they only called up two, this is an upgrade. I don't think that results are exactly the most important thing that we should focus on if we really want to develop as a club.

What is your assessment of the past autumn half-season?

Positive, because we started to look much better in terms of play. There were moments when it wasn't like that, but in many of them I liked how we stood on the field. Many of the players are showing growth and this is the assessment that I think is important.

And about your personal development at the helm of the Elite Eagles?

For me, it is a great experience because the Elite group is difficult, equal. Every week you are put to the test of how well you have prepared with the boys. I think we passed the exam successfully as a result. Having the opportunity to participate in such a difficult championship and to be first at half-season is a step forward in your career.

Are you satisfied with your own performance, for the first time at the top of the Elite tournament?

If we had finished without a loss, I would most likely have been satisfied. Of course, I have a lot to learn, there are many experienced coaches in the Ludogorets school, from whom I draw experience. I, like the children, have to build up my abilities a lot. So – we are learning together with the boys.

At the beginning of the season, you described your new role as an “interesting experience”. How has your palette of emotions been enriched after half a season?

It's really interesting! It's fun, it's certainly difficult. We deprive ourselves of a lot of our personal free time in order to prepare in the best way and be successful on the field. We have created a good team with the boys. Of course, we have something to build on.

Would you like to share a memorable incident or a bright moment from the past months?

We had a very difficult start to our joint work with the boys. Until my ideas fit with the players, we had a lot of problems in terms of results and how we were playing in the controls and during the International Youth Football Tournament "VIVACOM CUP". Things were not working out, it was a very difficult moment for me personally, I faced a lot of difficulties in order to break through as a coach and with the players to find the right balance to be successful during the season. My mistake was that I wanted to change a lot of things in the team very abruptly, and the transition should have been smoother. I am very glad that we overcame this stage and found a common language before the first championship match. At the moment we have a good team between coaches and children.

Do rituals for luck and victory find application in the Ludogorets U15 team?

We do not rely on special rituals before a match, we only rely on work throughout the week to achieve high results. I am not superstitious, I do not think that you will be successful if you wear a certain shirt or sign. The results come if you have been serious in your preparation for the given match.

What is ahead for your team in the future?

Until December 13, we will train at the Children's and Youth Academy in Razgrad, we are waiting for our players in the youth national team to return. In early January, we will begin our winter training. We want to start early in order to prepare in the best way for the championship starting in mid-February. We are also planning to hold a camp.

How is the issue of attracting new additions to the squad?

We are interested in three or four players, but we will specify when it becomes a fact. We will fill in with one player at each position – goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and striker.

How do you see yourself as a team at the end of the season?

Now there is a slight disappointment from our last match with Levski (Sofia), but this is not such a big problem because we have high goals. One of the tasks we had set ourselves was to finish the season without a loss. We were unable to fulfill it and therefore we will have to improve in the second half of the season and make sure that we do not have a defeat then.

What would success mean to you after the last championship match in the Elite under 15?

To have outplayed all the teams in the second half of the season, regardless of the result. To be better than the other teams in terms of pure play. This would mean that we have developed individually and as a group. This is success for me – to play attractive and successful football against other rivals.

What message would you send to the young Eagles?

To be even more serious in the work they do. To enjoy playing football. To be dedicated to their development, to improve themselves with a great desire and for that to be the driving force for it to happen. But most of all, to do what they love with all their heart!