Almost perfect match
Thursday, December 7, 2017
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Press conference by Shakhtar head coach Paulo Fonseca after defeating Manchester City
- Good evening. Do you want me to speak in a mask or without it? All right. If someone doesn’t know it, the person responsible for the way I’m dressed up at the moment is in the room ... The jolliest press conference in my life: everyone laughs and smiles! It was almost a perfect match. Beating the City is not easy, but we played in an organised and safe way defensively, making quality transitions to attack.
- Paulo, what will you be ready to do if the Miners make it to the final?
- You are asking such a question ... At the moment, we need to think about the game against Zorya.
- Who do you not want to meet in the Champions League knockout phase?
- I haven’t even thought about that yet. We need to enjoy the moment and our excellent victory. I think that not only the fans of Shakhtar, but in general all Ukrainians should be proud of the Ukrainian team’s triumph.
- Of course, you’re the happiest Zorro on earth right now. Who acts better in that role according to you: Alain Delon or Antonio Banderas?
- It’s difficult to answer. Both! But right now I like the Zorro Paulo Fonseca.
- Guardiola said that he knows how to play Shakhtar. What did you manage to surprise him with?
- Primarily, it was important for us to cut the City off certain zones, where the opponents posed the greatest danger. We succeeded in that. The Englishmen didn’t threaten much, which is the most important thing.
- Man City deployed an unusual formation with three centre-backs. Did you consider this fact at the pre-match session?
- Recently, the Manchester side haven’t used that scheme frequently. We tried our best to scrutinise the City, to get prepared for various formations, and we did it.
- This is the best press conference I’ve ever attended. What happened in the dressing room after the encounter? Have the players seen you in the outfit?
- No, I’ve put it on just here. The guys haven’t seen me like this, but they really wanted to. I think this joke will last on for a very long time.
- It seemed that at the very beginning of the match the fourth official was holding a board with figures 7 and 74, after which Taison started running very quickly. Were you going to replace him?
- In one episode, Taison complained of a stabbing pain after his slaloming run. Of course, we tried to quickly prepare a substitution. When he signalled that he was able to continue, we didn’t make it.
- After the game, you exchanged a couple of words with Josep Guardiola. What were you talking about?
- That was a private talk; of course, I’m not going to tell you anything.
- Please comment on the replacement of Marlos. Is he fine?
- Yes, we just saw that he got tired.
- Thanks for the victory and the current Shakhtar. Will the advancement to the Champions League knockout stages affect the club’s winter transfer plans?
- The question on the transfer window has been discussed for a long while, and reaching the last 16 won’t affect it in any way. In conclusion, I want to dedicate this win to our president - the man who believes in the team and is always by our side, and to absolutely all the fans who came to the stadium and created the fantastic atmosphere. I think that not only the fans of Shakhtar, but all Ukrainians have rooted for us today. They can be proud of the performance of the Ukrainian club and the spectacle that can be created in our arenas.
- Paulo, what will you be ready to do if the Miners make it to the final?
- You are asking such a question ... At the moment, we need to think about the game against Zorya.
- Who do you not want to meet in the Champions League knockout phase?
- I haven’t even thought about that yet. We need to enjoy the moment and our excellent victory. I think that not only the fans of Shakhtar, but in general all Ukrainians should be proud of the Ukrainian team’s triumph.
- Of course, you’re the happiest Zorro on earth right now. Who acts better in that role according to you: Alain Delon or Antonio Banderas?
- It’s difficult to answer. Both! But right now I like the Zorro Paulo Fonseca.
- Guardiola said that he knows how to play Shakhtar. What did you manage to surprise him with?
- Primarily, it was important for us to cut the City off certain zones, where the opponents posed the greatest danger. We succeeded in that. The Englishmen didn’t threaten much, which is the most important thing.
- Man City deployed an unusual formation with three centre-backs. Did you consider this fact at the pre-match session?
- Recently, the Manchester side haven’t used that scheme frequently. We tried our best to scrutinise the City, to get prepared for various formations, and we did it.
- This is the best press conference I’ve ever attended. What happened in the dressing room after the encounter? Have the players seen you in the outfit?
- No, I’ve put it on just here. The guys haven’t seen me like this, but they really wanted to. I think this joke will last on for a very long time.
- It seemed that at the very beginning of the match the fourth official was holding a board with figures 7 and 74, after which Taison started running very quickly. Were you going to replace him?
- In one episode, Taison complained of a stabbing pain after his slaloming run. Of course, we tried to quickly prepare a substitution. When he signalled that he was able to continue, we didn’t make it.
- After the game, you exchanged a couple of words with Josep Guardiola. What were you talking about?
- That was a private talk; of course, I’m not going to tell you anything.
- Please comment on the replacement of Marlos. Is he fine?
- Yes, we just saw that he got tired.
- Thanks for the victory and the current Shakhtar. Will the advancement to the Champions League knockout stages affect the club’s winter transfer plans?
- The question on the transfer window has been discussed for a long while, and reaching the last 16 won’t affect it in any way. In conclusion, I want to dedicate this win to our president - the man who believes in the team and is always by our side, and to absolutely all the fans who came to the stadium and created the fantastic atmosphere. I think that not only the fans of Shakhtar, but all Ukrainians have rooted for us today. They can be proud of the performance of the Ukrainian club and the spectacle that can be created in our arenas.
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