We’re grateful to the fans
Thursday, February 22, 2018
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Press conference by Paulo Fonseca after defeating Roma
- The halves were completely different: in the first, it seemed that the game was taking place in Rome, because the Giallorossi behaved very boldly, and after the break, Shakhtar came out with a different mood. What did you say to your team?
- Good evening, everybody. In fact, we started very well: in the beginning, there was a scoring chance, we just lacked finishing. Then there were some issues with our positioning and with Roma pressing high. Our thirds were slightly stretched – that made the whole difference. Perhaps because of that, the visitors dominated the game at that time. During the break we tried to adjust those things, and in the second half Shakhtar showcased the kind of performance that they always try to deliver.
- You didn’t use the third substitution, with Kovalenko appearing in the very end. Was that due to the fact that the team were in the zone and you didn’t want any changes?
- Yes, the team excelled in the second half. It's far from being easy after the winter break to remain physically active all that time. We didn’t finish with a different outcome just because the goalkeeper of Roma delivered an excellent performance and made two or three fantastic saves. Since the guys were doing really well, I decided not to replace them.
- How serious is Kryvtsov's injury?
- After the game, I had a word with the head of the medical department. The gravity is still being assessed, but beforehand, Sergii is out for a few weeks.
- Roma face games against Milan, Napoli and Torino ahead, and then against Shakhtar. Your schedule is not that busy and tight. Will this play any role before the encounter in Rome?
- I'm only talking about my team and their calendar. Now we are going to prepare for the nearest league games, and then for the return leg against Roma.
- We can assume that you have already acquired a useful habit of defeating Italians in Kharkiv with a score of 2-1 and, will the same thing happen if you are drawn against Juventus at the next stage?
- Maybe that's just a coincidence. I will say for sure: playing the Italian clubs is never easy, especially when they score openers. It's hard enough to reverse it, because those rivals are very organised defensively. Juventus? Now it’s difficult to think about that version because we face an extremely difficult game in Rome - it will be the decisive one. If there are no questions, I want to thank our fans for coming to the stadium and supporting us. It could really feel it! From myself and from the team, I want to thank everyone who was rooting for Shakhtar.
- Good evening, everybody. In fact, we started very well: in the beginning, there was a scoring chance, we just lacked finishing. Then there were some issues with our positioning and with Roma pressing high. Our thirds were slightly stretched – that made the whole difference. Perhaps because of that, the visitors dominated the game at that time. During the break we tried to adjust those things, and in the second half Shakhtar showcased the kind of performance that they always try to deliver.
- You didn’t use the third substitution, with Kovalenko appearing in the very end. Was that due to the fact that the team were in the zone and you didn’t want any changes?
- Yes, the team excelled in the second half. It's far from being easy after the winter break to remain physically active all that time. We didn’t finish with a different outcome just because the goalkeeper of Roma delivered an excellent performance and made two or three fantastic saves. Since the guys were doing really well, I decided not to replace them.
- How serious is Kryvtsov's injury?
- After the game, I had a word with the head of the medical department. The gravity is still being assessed, but beforehand, Sergii is out for a few weeks.
- Roma face games against Milan, Napoli and Torino ahead, and then against Shakhtar. Your schedule is not that busy and tight. Will this play any role before the encounter in Rome?
- I'm only talking about my team and their calendar. Now we are going to prepare for the nearest league games, and then for the return leg against Roma.
- We can assume that you have already acquired a useful habit of defeating Italians in Kharkiv with a score of 2-1 and, will the same thing happen if you are drawn against Juventus at the next stage?
- Maybe that's just a coincidence. I will say for sure: playing the Italian clubs is never easy, especially when they score openers. It's hard enough to reverse it, because those rivals are very organised defensively. Juventus? Now it’s difficult to think about that version because we face an extremely difficult game in Rome - it will be the decisive one. If there are no questions, I want to thank our fans for coming to the stadium and supporting us. It could really feel it! From myself and from the team, I want to thank everyone who was rooting for Shakhtar.