We have a wonderful atmosphere!
Friday, April 20, 2018
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On April 20, the FC Shakhtar assistant head coach Nuno Campos turns 43. We extend our greetings to the birthday boy and traditionally bring you an exclusive interview
- Happy birthday, Nuno! This is your second season at the Donetsk club. What are the most vivid impressions it gave you?
- Thank you for the birthday greetings! We started with an important Ukrainian Super Cup victory, taking the lead from round one and continuing to confidently move towards our goal - the league title. I’d also like to mention Shakhtar’s Champions League campaign: in such a tough group, featuring the rivals Napoli, Feyenoord and Man City, we scored 12 points and reached the knockout stages. Then we had two excellent games vs Roma, but got somewhat unlucky. We met with very tough opponents, who proved their power in the encounter with Barcelona. Frankly, the outcome of the match Roma vs Barcelona didn’t surprise me. When preparing for the game with the Romans, we scrutinised their performance, realising that we were facing a competition against the strong opponents. Nevertheless, I am convinced that Shakhtar deserved the Champions League quarter-finals.
- Over the past year, the Miners have won the gold medals in the Premier League, the Cup and the Super Cup of Ukraine, currently fighting for trophies. What is harder - to win a title or defend it?
- It's always harder to replicate success. There are two points: firstly, the competitors are trying hard to prevent the same club from winning, and secondly, it gets more difficult to motivate your players to continue winning every match. Therefore, it’s much harder to defend the title two, three times in a row than to win it once.
- How have the team changed this season?
- We continue acting within the framework of our strategy. Great changes occurred last year when we just moved to Shakhtar. This season, we’re more focussed on certain details, because the longer we work with the players, the better they understand our requirements. Yes, during the championship, we faced certain difficulties: Maksym Malyshev and Sergii Kryvtsov were out for a long while due to injuries, the Shakhtar leader Darijo Srna suspended his performance for familiar reasons. But the players perfectly understand the philosophy of building our play, so the guys who replaced all of the above, have proved themselves.
- During the match we can often watch you talking to Paulo Fonseca. What do you talk about, what adjustments do you make?
- We always work together. Basically, I draw his attention to the details, because Paulo watches the ball zones, while I keep an eye on the players who are without the ball at that moment. There are some small nuances, and I notice them, saying it to the head coach, and he does the analysis and can correct the actions of this or that football player.
- You’ve been working side by side with Fonseca for many years, what are your similar traits?
- Right, we’ve been friends with Paulo for some 12-13 years, I can’t even remember it exactly. We know each other almost perfectly. Sometimes I just need to look at Paulo to understand what he thinks. Probably, we are similar in consistency and balance of our decisions. We might seem too emotional, but when it comes to doing our job, we are quite cool. This, of course, benefits the team.
- It's no secret that you like jokes and various hoaxes. How do the coaching staff normally greet each other on their birthdays? Perhaps you have some rituals or customs?
- When one of the colleagues marks their birthday, we usually get together in a restaurant to have lunch or dinner. Of course, the birthday boy pays the bill. Often, after the event, we like to poke fun a bit at the hero of the celebration, saying that the food was tasteless, the restaurant wasn’t that good and so on. Of course, no one takes offence at those jokes. We have a wonderful atmosphere - both among the coaching staff, and in the team as a whole.
- Shakhtar always has the topmost goals. What would you like to wish yourself on your birthday?
- The major objective is winning the league title, along with the Ukrainian Cup. We are close to reaching our targets, we will do our best to repeat last year's success and please the fans. As for me personally, there are things that I really value. The happiness of my family is what I focus on most. Despite the fact that my family is far away from me, I feel their happiness. This is what I need every day.
- Thank you for the birthday greetings! We started with an important Ukrainian Super Cup victory, taking the lead from round one and continuing to confidently move towards our goal - the league title. I’d also like to mention Shakhtar’s Champions League campaign: in such a tough group, featuring the rivals Napoli, Feyenoord and Man City, we scored 12 points and reached the knockout stages. Then we had two excellent games vs Roma, but got somewhat unlucky. We met with very tough opponents, who proved their power in the encounter with Barcelona. Frankly, the outcome of the match Roma vs Barcelona didn’t surprise me. When preparing for the game with the Romans, we scrutinised their performance, realising that we were facing a competition against the strong opponents. Nevertheless, I am convinced that Shakhtar deserved the Champions League quarter-finals.
- Over the past year, the Miners have won the gold medals in the Premier League, the Cup and the Super Cup of Ukraine, currently fighting for trophies. What is harder - to win a title or defend it?
- It's always harder to replicate success. There are two points: firstly, the competitors are trying hard to prevent the same club from winning, and secondly, it gets more difficult to motivate your players to continue winning every match. Therefore, it’s much harder to defend the title two, three times in a row than to win it once.
- How have the team changed this season?
- We continue acting within the framework of our strategy. Great changes occurred last year when we just moved to Shakhtar. This season, we’re more focussed on certain details, because the longer we work with the players, the better they understand our requirements. Yes, during the championship, we faced certain difficulties: Maksym Malyshev and Sergii Kryvtsov were out for a long while due to injuries, the Shakhtar leader Darijo Srna suspended his performance for familiar reasons. But the players perfectly understand the philosophy of building our play, so the guys who replaced all of the above, have proved themselves.
- During the match we can often watch you talking to Paulo Fonseca. What do you talk about, what adjustments do you make?
- We always work together. Basically, I draw his attention to the details, because Paulo watches the ball zones, while I keep an eye on the players who are without the ball at that moment. There are some small nuances, and I notice them, saying it to the head coach, and he does the analysis and can correct the actions of this or that football player.
- You’ve been working side by side with Fonseca for many years, what are your similar traits?
- Right, we’ve been friends with Paulo for some 12-13 years, I can’t even remember it exactly. We know each other almost perfectly. Sometimes I just need to look at Paulo to understand what he thinks. Probably, we are similar in consistency and balance of our decisions. We might seem too emotional, but when it comes to doing our job, we are quite cool. This, of course, benefits the team.
- It's no secret that you like jokes and various hoaxes. How do the coaching staff normally greet each other on their birthdays? Perhaps you have some rituals or customs?
- When one of the colleagues marks their birthday, we usually get together in a restaurant to have lunch or dinner. Of course, the birthday boy pays the bill. Often, after the event, we like to poke fun a bit at the hero of the celebration, saying that the food was tasteless, the restaurant wasn’t that good and so on. Of course, no one takes offence at those jokes. We have a wonderful atmosphere - both among the coaching staff, and in the team as a whole.
- Shakhtar always has the topmost goals. What would you like to wish yourself on your birthday?
- The major objective is winning the league title, along with the Ukrainian Cup. We are close to reaching our targets, we will do our best to repeat last year's success and please the fans. As for me personally, there are things that I really value. The happiness of my family is what I focus on most. Despite the fact that my family is far away from me, I feel their happiness. This is what I need every day.