Kovalenko: We’ll try not to concede a goal
Friday, April 7, 2017
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Shakhtar midfielder talked to reporters in an open training session
- Did cancelling the cup meeting affect the team’s preparation for the match against Chornomorets?
- We all wanted to play that game, we wanted the fans to come and watch football. But, as you can see, it didn’t work. Why this happened is not up to us to explain, but up to the FFU. The cancellation did not affect our preparation in any way: everyone’s training, so everything is fine.
- You’ve just had a theory session. What did Paulo Fonseca highlight ahead of the upcoming meeting?
- We don’t know what kind of tactics Chornomorets will choose, whether they’ll play using five defenders or four. We’ll see in the course of it.
- Sure enough, the Sailors will defend in large numbers. In this regard, do the coaching staff choose a more attacking formation?
- It's hard for me to say yet. But I know that everyone who take to the pitch, will do their all to achieve a victorious result.
- In the spring part of the season, Shakhtar are often the first to concede goals, after which they come back. Do you discuss this with the team?
- We don’t. The main thing is that we win. And in the match against Chornomorets we will try not to concede any goals and score at least three times – we haven’t scored that many for ages.
- Do you already discuss the early championship in the team?
- The league season is still going on, with many games ahead. In all the remaining ones, we want to claim victories in order to become the unbeaten champions.
- Where do Shakhtar players get their motivation, because the gap from the second place is quite big and, basically, it will be very hard for Dynamo to get back into the race?
- We have the team who always want to win. We appear in every meeting with the maximum motivation, because everyone understands that they play for Shakhtar Donetsk.
- After the game between Ukraine national team and the Croats, there was a criticism addressed to you, alleging that you didn’t play confidently. How do you feel about such remarks and do you draw any conclusions?
- Criticism is always welcome. If it is treated negatively, it has a bad effect on the football field then. But like this, it’s OK for me. Of course, I have much to strive for and there is still room for growth.
- We all wanted to play that game, we wanted the fans to come and watch football. But, as you can see, it didn’t work. Why this happened is not up to us to explain, but up to the FFU. The cancellation did not affect our preparation in any way: everyone’s training, so everything is fine.
- You’ve just had a theory session. What did Paulo Fonseca highlight ahead of the upcoming meeting?
- We don’t know what kind of tactics Chornomorets will choose, whether they’ll play using five defenders or four. We’ll see in the course of it.
- Sure enough, the Sailors will defend in large numbers. In this regard, do the coaching staff choose a more attacking formation?
- It's hard for me to say yet. But I know that everyone who take to the pitch, will do their all to achieve a victorious result.
- In the spring part of the season, Shakhtar are often the first to concede goals, after which they come back. Do you discuss this with the team?
- We don’t. The main thing is that we win. And in the match against Chornomorets we will try not to concede any goals and score at least three times – we haven’t scored that many for ages.
- Do you already discuss the early championship in the team?
- The league season is still going on, with many games ahead. In all the remaining ones, we want to claim victories in order to become the unbeaten champions.
- Where do Shakhtar players get their motivation, because the gap from the second place is quite big and, basically, it will be very hard for Dynamo to get back into the race?
- We have the team who always want to win. We appear in every meeting with the maximum motivation, because everyone understands that they play for Shakhtar Donetsk.
- After the game between Ukraine national team and the Croats, there was a criticism addressed to you, alleging that you didn’t play confidently. How do you feel about such remarks and do you draw any conclusions?
- Criticism is always welcome. If it is treated negatively, it has a bad effect on the football field then. But like this, it’s OK for me. Of course, I have much to strive for and there is still room for growth.