Kuchuk keeps Sheriff in command

FC Sheriff claimed their ninth successive Divizia Nationale title on 25 April, and their sixth with Leonid Kuchuk at the helm. Here the 49-year-old Belarussian coach tells uefa.com the secret behind the Tiraspol club's success, and sets his sights on a place in the UEFA Champions League.

uefa.com: How do you manage to sustain such high quality in the Moldovan league?

Leonid Kuchuk: The main secret of our success is our stability. We worked out a certain line for the club to follow and have tried to keep to it. All our teams, from the kids to the senior squad, work under the same principles, and train and play the same way. Of course, we had some doubts that we had chosen the right way, but now those principles have proven to be right. The main thing is that all the coaches and players of all our teams follow a simple rule: a draw in any match is a defeat for us while a defeat is a calamity. The players are taught to give their all against any opponents and that might be why we're able to avoid big disappointments. In addition, a good club infrastructure and stable governance helps explain why we are better than all the others in Moldova.

uefa.com: Your team rarely loses in Moldova, only twice in the league this season. How do you keep motivation high?

Kuchuk: I realised a truth for myself a long time ago. If a coach cannot find motivation for himself then the team will not have it either. Every working day is a joy for me, an opportunity to do my best. A coach has to be a psychologist and I try to pass my mental approach to the players in every training session. That way they strive to win every match until the very last second.

uefa.com: You have multi-national squad with a dozen foreign players from different countries and continents. How hard is it to work with all those different nationalities?

Kuchuk: Of course there are some difficulties. Every newcomer needs time, perhaps half a year or a year, to adapt, to rub shoulders with the rest of the squad, to learn our principles. It isn't an easy process. There are also language problems, but I'm OK with that and always give the lads time to get the feel. Eventually most of them settle in the squad and grasp our principles and goals.

uefa.com: The fans want the club to succeed in Europe as well. Can Sheriff match the achievement of FC BATE Borisov and reach the UEFA Champions League group stage?

Kuchuk: BATE were working towards last year's success for more than one year. I know their system quite well and I can say we have many things in common. But a simple wish is too little to bring success in Europe. You also need hard work and a bit of luck. We have been close to qualifying for the Champions League third qualifying round but every time we just lacked something. We wanted to win our previous matches against Partizan, Rosenborg, Spartak Moskva, Beşiktaş very much but every time something went wrong, be it an awkward dismissal, a deflection or a stupid mistake. But that's football and many factors affect the result. I believe we will be able to overcome that barrier at some point.

uefa.com: Like every successful coach, you have probably had offers from bigger clubs...

Kuchuk: I tie my near-future to Sheriff. I am thankful to this club for an opportunity to put my ideas into practice. I have come through a difficult and thorny path here. I always said it was this club that made me a coach and I am very thankful to the board that they have believed in me.