Akhmetov: Fans will be proud of the team
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
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President of Shakhtar speaks of the head coach and personnel policy in his interview to Futbol 1 channel
- The team that Paulo Fonseca used to manage showcase some beautiful attacking football, - said Rinat Akhmetov. - We played against them. We know that they are a strong team, especially in terms of their game organization. Shakhtar found playing Braga very difficult. I want to say one simple thing: the team of the football club Shakhtar very well considered various specialists, and we have made Paulo our choice. And I am convinced that we will be proud of this choice.
- What will be the new coach’s objectives?
- Winning and showcasing some spectacular attacking football, as well as holding the trophies in our hands. There is a lot of work behind every trophy! And I am convinced that we will cover that way with our chins up and that our fans will be proud of our team.
- How will the transfer policy change with the arrival of the new coach? Has anything changed in the philosophy of the club? How will Shakhtar move forward?
- Many times I have heard the statement that Shakhtar has changed its transfer market policy. I think that you, many of you, are mistaken. Why mistaken? Let me tell you why. Who did we sell last year? Fernando. Why did we sell Fernando? Because Malyshev appeared at his position – he is our Academy graduate having Shakhtar in his heart. He is a very strong player to have replaced Fernando. And I want to say that he replaced Fernando very decently! When we speak of Douglas Costa... Two years ago we bought Marlos. We had Marlos, Wellington Nem and Douglas Costa playing in that role. Three players having the same role – that’s a lot. So when we were selling Douglas Costa two years ago, we already had bought Marlos! Now about Teixeira. You know, we've seen that Kovalenko should be given a chance. Had we sold Teixeira and bought another for that role, we wouldn’t have given a chance to Kovalenko. Making a huge, huge mistake. These days, we have nine Brazilians, but just four, maximum five of them took to the pitch. The rest must have sat either on the bench or in the stand. And when they are on the bench or in the stand, that means a bad climate. Therefore, we must look after our climate very carefully. It seems to me, we need a very sensible approach. And I think we are following the path of that sensible approach.
- The team has many Brazilians. Does that mean that during the summer break, some of them will leave Shakhtar?
- Today, I do not want to sell anyone. Today we want to retain the team squad, for the squad to please our fans. We’ve already had a word with Paulo today. He should get familiar with the team, and then he will say who Shakhtar needs to win new trophies.
Besides, Rinat Akhmetov told us about the work of the Academy and the progress of Shakhtar Academy boys:
- This is not a new way. We have put a lot of effort and money into it. Still, our Academy has been operating for many years. And if you look today at the Ukraine squad list, you will see ten graduates of Shakhtar Academy. Right? And another five are our Shakhtar players familiar to everyone. Therefore, fifteen players related to Shakhtar Donetsk. That's a lot. And there is very much work behind it. If we see that our Academy has brought up a quality player, we should give him that chance. Isn’t it logical? We have put a lot of money and work in our Academy. So, we want it to bear fruit. And I want to say that all those guys win a place among the first XI! They have not just come and opened the door, but they are our graduates and we need to give them a chance. I mean, they are ready to compete and win a place among the first XI.
- What will be the new coach’s objectives?
- Winning and showcasing some spectacular attacking football, as well as holding the trophies in our hands. There is a lot of work behind every trophy! And I am convinced that we will cover that way with our chins up and that our fans will be proud of our team.
- How will the transfer policy change with the arrival of the new coach? Has anything changed in the philosophy of the club? How will Shakhtar move forward?
- Many times I have heard the statement that Shakhtar has changed its transfer market policy. I think that you, many of you, are mistaken. Why mistaken? Let me tell you why. Who did we sell last year? Fernando. Why did we sell Fernando? Because Malyshev appeared at his position – he is our Academy graduate having Shakhtar in his heart. He is a very strong player to have replaced Fernando. And I want to say that he replaced Fernando very decently! When we speak of Douglas Costa... Two years ago we bought Marlos. We had Marlos, Wellington Nem and Douglas Costa playing in that role. Three players having the same role – that’s a lot. So when we were selling Douglas Costa two years ago, we already had bought Marlos! Now about Teixeira. You know, we've seen that Kovalenko should be given a chance. Had we sold Teixeira and bought another for that role, we wouldn’t have given a chance to Kovalenko. Making a huge, huge mistake. These days, we have nine Brazilians, but just four, maximum five of them took to the pitch. The rest must have sat either on the bench or in the stand. And when they are on the bench or in the stand, that means a bad climate. Therefore, we must look after our climate very carefully. It seems to me, we need a very sensible approach. And I think we are following the path of that sensible approach.
- The team has many Brazilians. Does that mean that during the summer break, some of them will leave Shakhtar?
- Today, I do not want to sell anyone. Today we want to retain the team squad, for the squad to please our fans. We’ve already had a word with Paulo today. He should get familiar with the team, and then he will say who Shakhtar needs to win new trophies.
Besides, Rinat Akhmetov told us about the work of the Academy and the progress of Shakhtar Academy boys:
- This is not a new way. We have put a lot of effort and money into it. Still, our Academy has been operating for many years. And if you look today at the Ukraine squad list, you will see ten graduates of Shakhtar Academy. Right? And another five are our Shakhtar players familiar to everyone. Therefore, fifteen players related to Shakhtar Donetsk. That's a lot. And there is very much work behind it. If we see that our Academy has brought up a quality player, we should give him that chance. Isn’t it logical? We have put a lot of money and work in our Academy. So, we want it to bear fruit. And I want to say that all those guys win a place among the first XI! They have not just come and opened the door, but they are our graduates and we need to give them a chance. I mean, they are ready to compete and win a place among the first XI.