Emiliyan Petrov on individual training in Ludogorets: The goal is for the players to reach the first team

Emiliyan Petrov knows success and definitely knows what it takes to achieve it. At the end of last season, he lifted the cup at the head of Ludogorets' third team in the Northeast Third League. And since the autumn half-season, he has been working with the Eagles' rising talents, helping them with individual training.

The experienced coach joined the Eagles in 2019 as an assistant coach of the U15 Elite Group. He then took over the U14 team, with whom he trained until the summer of 2023. Their joint journey was crowned with first place in the U17 Elite Championship. In half a season at the head of Ludogorets' third team, he also won the title with his players. In recent months, Emiliyan Petrov has been preparing the champions of the club's various age groups.

What is the role of the coach at Ludogorets' Children's and Youth School, who builds up the level of the players with individual work?

I am responsible for the individual training of the players at the Ludogorets Academy. The work is much more specific, it is related to improving the players in the individual elements and components necessary for the game. In a large part of the time for individual work, the efforts are focused on clearing up shortcomings and improving the most prominent qualities of the players.

In which age groups do you support the training?

Mainly in the Elite ages U15, U16 and U17, as well as in Ludogorets III.

Why is it important in a team sport like football to work with each Academy player individually?

It is necessary, because in team training very often details remain unworked or insufficiently improved. In individual work, more detailed attention can be paid to certain elements and therefore it is extremely important to have this type of work.

What do you rely on in the individual training of the talents of the Eagles, what is the leading one?

It is important for the players to understand that they must work on the development of their qualities every day. Also, the time they spend in training is not enough to reach the highest level. Much more effort is needed to reach professional football.

What goals have you set for yourself with the Ludogorets players?

The main short-term goals are to see certain elements that we have worked on in the upcoming matches. The longer-term goals are to improve the players to such a level that they will be able to reach the first team.

What are the results after half a season in which you have been working with the different age groups of Ludogorets?

The time in which we started more targeted individual training is still not enough to give the expected result. More time is needed for the players to improve and for this to start showing in their performance in the matches. Despite the short time, a very positive change has been observed in many of the players with whom additional individual work is being carried out.

What is the biggest challenge when you do not work with just one team and how do you manage to cope with your work?

So far, we are doing quite well in terms of synchronizing the work with the individual coaches and determining the time for carrying out additional individual work. The bigger challenge is for the players themselves to understand what the idea of ​​individual work is and to be able to take the most important thing from it, to relate it to the team goal and, accordingly, in the match.

Although it is individual work, your tasks are tied to the team ones. How do you manage to work together with the other coaches, what is the basis of your successful mutual work?

At this stage, we are working in quite good synchrony with all the coaches and the teams' teams. The good work is due to the fact that we have been working with almost everyone for quite a long time, respectively, we are aware of the tasks we have, and we try to do our job as professionally as possible.

What is the satisfaction of a job well done for you personally?

When we see that the players are starting to do better and better in their performance during the matches.

What path awaits you in the new year together with your players from the Ludogorets Youth School?

Our main task is to continue to improve the individual level of the players. To improve the way individual training is conducted in order to derive the most effective benefit from each of them.