I play for the super club
Friday, February 2, 2018
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Shakhtar midfielder Taras Stepanenko speaks about the training camp, Roma and the offer from England within the transfer deadline period
- Taras, the players say that Paulo Fonseca’s sessions are long but interesting ...
- Yes, we have a wide variety of training sessions. At the same time, they are necessarily related to what you need to work on. We played a match and made a number of mistakes - the coaches analyse them and give us certain exercises to eliminate those errors. At the training camp, we pay much attention to our tactic and defensive actions, which is very important, and to attacking too. Everything is aimed at improving our performance.
- Due to the World Cup and the Champions League final in Kyiv, the Ukrainian Premier League season starts earlier. Do you force training?
- No, we do it in a regular mode. The only new thing is that we’ve added fitness. We exercised in the gym previously, but now we do much more. This is done to increase the players’ strength. We’ve got enough time to prepare for the championship.
- Why do you pay so much attention to your tactic?
- It’s very important to understand each other and to know what to do on the field. Everything should get automatic and transferred to the play. Football is very dynamic, there are constant changes in the episodes, but you must start from a certain position and be able to act depending on the situation. This helps both the new guys and those who have been working with Fonseca for a long time. The teams achieving great results dedicate a lot of time to tactics.
- You always had the reliable backing in case of rotation. Malyshev is still recovering from injury, Tankovskyi is already back from Mariupol though. Do you need a back-up?
- Of course, because there are many games. In the first part of the season, Fred and I played virtually all the time. In football, there are fatigue and minor injuries; in such cases, someone must replace you. Competition is also vital. I would like to see both Malyshev recover soon and the recent Shakhtar newcomers really prove themselves.
- They’ve added the meeting with Jiangsu Suning to the programme of friendlies. How useful will be the friendly against the team of the Italian Fabio Capello before playing Roma?
- I think that the Chinese players are very disciplined, and they should fulfill everything the renowned coach tells them. Some accents of the Italian tactic will certainly be present, but you can’t compare Jiangsu Suning with Roma – those are different levels and playing styles. I'm looking forward to a great encounter because any match is better than training. We have many guys, and everyone should prove himself.
- The clash highlight is meeting with Teixeira ...
- Right, Alex must also feel happy to play Shakhtar. The club gave him a lot in his life. I think he is grateful to the team and will be happy to see everyone. I personally will have a word with him with pleasure. Teixeira is a wonderful guy, I'm curious to learn about his current life.
- Is Dodo ready to appear in the starting line-up now, according to you?
- He works really well in training, boasting a high pace and quality crosses. In football, it never happens that a guy comes and showcases his maximum level, but it’s clear that Dodo is learning, listening to the coaches and progressing. Let's hope that he will feel at home in the team and prove himself as soon as possible.
- What are Roma like? Are they ‘defeatable’ opponents?
- I watched two games of theirs against Chelsea at the group stage and a meeting with Inter. They are a good team with very strong and mobile midfielders, and with serious competition in that line. The defensive third play high up the field. They have a striker who perfectly hip checks and plays aerially. In fact, the Romans played the first half against Inter Milan like that: the ball is sent to the wing and passed around. They also try to immediately put pressure, but after the break, they got pretty much exhausted, with their opponents dominating possession. It was clear that they can secure the draw if they are happy with the score. They timely made their substitutions: the coach always prompts, manages them and quickly takes decisions. Roma are able to change in the course of the meeting, the coaching staff will still give us more details. I’ve got no idea about the kind of game it will be because we are just entering the season, while the opponents haven’t had a long break. This can either play into our hands or just otherwise. It will be tough, but we will be very well prepared.
- You are a true professional, the man devoted to Shakhtar. Not everyone can be mentally resilient when receiving offers from England. Were you excited when you knew for several months that people were interested in you?
- Initially, there were loan offers, but I rejected them because I understand that this is wrong. It’s unacceptable for both the team and me. Yesterday we received a specific purchasing offer, but the club addressed us too late, there was practically no time to resolve the issue. It didn’t work out, but it's okay, that's life. I play for the super club, I don’t lose heart and must remain a professional. Shakhtar has great ambitions. The players should also be very ambitious. I do have that kind of ambitions: I dream of playing in a top European league and feeling that level. I don’t give up the dream, I just move on and continue working to the max. God grant, everything will be fine, and if it isn’t, I will stay at Shakhtar. This club has done a lot for me and will be forever in my heart, so the fact that I haven’t had that transfer is not a problem for me.
- Yes, we have a wide variety of training sessions. At the same time, they are necessarily related to what you need to work on. We played a match and made a number of mistakes - the coaches analyse them and give us certain exercises to eliminate those errors. At the training camp, we pay much attention to our tactic and defensive actions, which is very important, and to attacking too. Everything is aimed at improving our performance.
- Due to the World Cup and the Champions League final in Kyiv, the Ukrainian Premier League season starts earlier. Do you force training?
- No, we do it in a regular mode. The only new thing is that we’ve added fitness. We exercised in the gym previously, but now we do much more. This is done to increase the players’ strength. We’ve got enough time to prepare for the championship.
- Why do you pay so much attention to your tactic?
- It’s very important to understand each other and to know what to do on the field. Everything should get automatic and transferred to the play. Football is very dynamic, there are constant changes in the episodes, but you must start from a certain position and be able to act depending on the situation. This helps both the new guys and those who have been working with Fonseca for a long time. The teams achieving great results dedicate a lot of time to tactics.
- You always had the reliable backing in case of rotation. Malyshev is still recovering from injury, Tankovskyi is already back from Mariupol though. Do you need a back-up?
- Of course, because there are many games. In the first part of the season, Fred and I played virtually all the time. In football, there are fatigue and minor injuries; in such cases, someone must replace you. Competition is also vital. I would like to see both Malyshev recover soon and the recent Shakhtar newcomers really prove themselves.
- They’ve added the meeting with Jiangsu Suning to the programme of friendlies. How useful will be the friendly against the team of the Italian Fabio Capello before playing Roma?
- I think that the Chinese players are very disciplined, and they should fulfill everything the renowned coach tells them. Some accents of the Italian tactic will certainly be present, but you can’t compare Jiangsu Suning with Roma – those are different levels and playing styles. I'm looking forward to a great encounter because any match is better than training. We have many guys, and everyone should prove himself.
- The clash highlight is meeting with Teixeira ...
- Right, Alex must also feel happy to play Shakhtar. The club gave him a lot in his life. I think he is grateful to the team and will be happy to see everyone. I personally will have a word with him with pleasure. Teixeira is a wonderful guy, I'm curious to learn about his current life.
- Is Dodo ready to appear in the starting line-up now, according to you?
- He works really well in training, boasting a high pace and quality crosses. In football, it never happens that a guy comes and showcases his maximum level, but it’s clear that Dodo is learning, listening to the coaches and progressing. Let's hope that he will feel at home in the team and prove himself as soon as possible.
- What are Roma like? Are they ‘defeatable’ opponents?
- I watched two games of theirs against Chelsea at the group stage and a meeting with Inter. They are a good team with very strong and mobile midfielders, and with serious competition in that line. The defensive third play high up the field. They have a striker who perfectly hip checks and plays aerially. In fact, the Romans played the first half against Inter Milan like that: the ball is sent to the wing and passed around. They also try to immediately put pressure, but after the break, they got pretty much exhausted, with their opponents dominating possession. It was clear that they can secure the draw if they are happy with the score. They timely made their substitutions: the coach always prompts, manages them and quickly takes decisions. Roma are able to change in the course of the meeting, the coaching staff will still give us more details. I’ve got no idea about the kind of game it will be because we are just entering the season, while the opponents haven’t had a long break. This can either play into our hands or just otherwise. It will be tough, but we will be very well prepared.
- You are a true professional, the man devoted to Shakhtar. Not everyone can be mentally resilient when receiving offers from England. Were you excited when you knew for several months that people were interested in you?
- Initially, there were loan offers, but I rejected them because I understand that this is wrong. It’s unacceptable for both the team and me. Yesterday we received a specific purchasing offer, but the club addressed us too late, there was practically no time to resolve the issue. It didn’t work out, but it's okay, that's life. I play for the super club, I don’t lose heart and must remain a professional. Shakhtar has great ambitions. The players should also be very ambitious. I do have that kind of ambitions: I dream of playing in a top European league and feeling that level. I don’t give up the dream, I just move on and continue working to the max. God grant, everything will be fine, and if it isn’t, I will stay at Shakhtar. This club has done a lot for me and will be forever in my heart, so the fact that I haven’t had that transfer is not a problem for me.