Bernard: The first leg was difficult
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
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Shakhtar midfielder answered the reporters’ questions on the eve of the match against Gent
- Can we say that your convincing win in Lviv implies not just Shakhtar’s successful performance, but also Gent’s poor one?
- In fact, only the one on the pitch can fully grasp the play. Even after scoring the opener, we found it difficult. It’s not easy at all to counteract the opponents with that kind of formation. Therefore, we experienced some difficulties from the first to the last minute. Of course, the outcome does not diminish our achievements, but let’s see how the return leg pans out and what kind of performance will the teams display tomorrow.
- Can we consider the first leg against Gent to be one of your best games this season, according to you?
- Taking into account all the difficulties we encountered on the pitch, it was one of the toughest. The coaching staff prepared us for that meeting, they said that they were expecting a difficult game, so our motivation was sky-high. And if we take into account the outcome of that meeting, then yes - it is one of our best games this season.
- What particular challenges did you face in the first leg, given that the opponents had deployed the formation featuring three defenders?
- Each team has its strengths and weaknesses. We tried to scrutinise them to the best of our ability. We faced an enormous number of difficulties: both man-marking and our having to control their transitions from defence to attack... But we really tried to deal with all those things. Judging by the game and the result, we have succeeded.
- In fact, only the one on the pitch can fully grasp the play. Even after scoring the opener, we found it difficult. It’s not easy at all to counteract the opponents with that kind of formation. Therefore, we experienced some difficulties from the first to the last minute. Of course, the outcome does not diminish our achievements, but let’s see how the return leg pans out and what kind of performance will the teams display tomorrow.
- Can we consider the first leg against Gent to be one of your best games this season, according to you?
- Taking into account all the difficulties we encountered on the pitch, it was one of the toughest. The coaching staff prepared us for that meeting, they said that they were expecting a difficult game, so our motivation was sky-high. And if we take into account the outcome of that meeting, then yes - it is one of our best games this season.
- What particular challenges did you face in the first leg, given that the opponents had deployed the formation featuring three defenders?
- Each team has its strengths and weaknesses. We tried to scrutinise them to the best of our ability. We faced an enormous number of difficulties: both man-marking and our having to control their transitions from defence to attack... But we really tried to deal with all those things. Judging by the game and the result, we have succeeded.
