In good shape
Thursday, January 18, 2018
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The Shakhtar head coach Paulo Fonseca told about the first days of the training camp in Turkey in his interview to Futbol TV channel
- Paulo, do you think the team have successfully switched to training after the winter break?
- Yes. I should note that the guys took care of their fitness during the holidays and returned in good shape. I've been at Shakhtar for a year and a half now, with the players being familiar with my requirements and principles, so they find it much easier now. With the exception of Dodo who’s joined us just recently, the players know me very well. They all perform very well in intensive training that we offered them at the start of the training camp.
- How does the long break in the Ukrainian Premier League affect your work?
- In the league all clubs compete on a level playing field. This break affects the international competitions more because it takes away the usual pace, and we have to start all over again. It’s clear that due to a month’s break, we won’t yet be in the best form by the start of the season’s second part.
- Please highlight the most important aspects of your training in Turkey.
- As I said, this squad have been with me for a year and a half now, and we’ve achieved a lot. The foundation has been built, being fully understandable to the guys. At the moment we focus on refreshing our ideas and polishing the playing principles. Of course, fitness is also very important - it’s important to approach the first match in good form. I want to say it straight: it's much easier after you worked with the players for a certain period. They know perfectly well what the coaching staff expect from them on the field, therefore everything’s fine.
- You took Matviienko and Hrechyshkin for the training camp. What are your plans regarding them?
- Those are the two Ukrainian players we’ve watched all the time. They showed that they can perform very well and be helpful to us. The issue of Matviienko was important because Azevedo had left the team. Mykola did a good job this season and appeared in the starting line-up of the national team. Hrechyshkin also has very good qualities, with me getting to know them better and better during this break. We trust both players.
- Are you satisfied with Dodo’s performance? Is he ready to compete as a right-back?
- We must take into account the fact that he is very young. It will probably take him some time to adapt to a fully different reality. We have a specific way of playing offensively, and he will need to understand and learn everything – it’s impossible to do that in two days. We followed Dodo: he drew our attention by his qualities, and we believe in him. The first training sessions at Shakhtar fully confirm our opinion about him, and there’s enough time for him to get used to our playing style, especially defensive one. As for his attacking performance, he is very fast and will not have any problems in this respect.
- Is it your initiative to choose as strong the opponents for friendlies as possible?
- Yes. In this period it’s difficult to find quality opponents - we had such experience last year. Thank God, this time we’ve managed to find really strong teams. Had I joined the club recently, I might have chosen others, but I've been here for eighteen months now, and the guys know perfectly well what I want from them. I'm interested in test matches against good opponents. They will create great difficulties for us, and this is excellent for us.
- While on vacation, you certainly not only rested but also watched the Serie A. How do you like the current Roma?
- A top-class team with excellent squad. With the top-quality players and the coach who knows his job perfectly well. We are facing some really tough encounters with Roma, but before that we will also have a meeting with Chornomorets, and we are preparing for that above all. Let me remind you that our major focus is the Ukrainian League. After the match against the Odessans, we will have time to think about the Champions League.
- Yes. I should note that the guys took care of their fitness during the holidays and returned in good shape. I've been at Shakhtar for a year and a half now, with the players being familiar with my requirements and principles, so they find it much easier now. With the exception of Dodo who’s joined us just recently, the players know me very well. They all perform very well in intensive training that we offered them at the start of the training camp.
- How does the long break in the Ukrainian Premier League affect your work?
- In the league all clubs compete on a level playing field. This break affects the international competitions more because it takes away the usual pace, and we have to start all over again. It’s clear that due to a month’s break, we won’t yet be in the best form by the start of the season’s second part.
- Please highlight the most important aspects of your training in Turkey.
- As I said, this squad have been with me for a year and a half now, and we’ve achieved a lot. The foundation has been built, being fully understandable to the guys. At the moment we focus on refreshing our ideas and polishing the playing principles. Of course, fitness is also very important - it’s important to approach the first match in good form. I want to say it straight: it's much easier after you worked with the players for a certain period. They know perfectly well what the coaching staff expect from them on the field, therefore everything’s fine.
- You took Matviienko and Hrechyshkin for the training camp. What are your plans regarding them?
- Those are the two Ukrainian players we’ve watched all the time. They showed that they can perform very well and be helpful to us. The issue of Matviienko was important because Azevedo had left the team. Mykola did a good job this season and appeared in the starting line-up of the national team. Hrechyshkin also has very good qualities, with me getting to know them better and better during this break. We trust both players.
- Are you satisfied with Dodo’s performance? Is he ready to compete as a right-back?
- We must take into account the fact that he is very young. It will probably take him some time to adapt to a fully different reality. We have a specific way of playing offensively, and he will need to understand and learn everything – it’s impossible to do that in two days. We followed Dodo: he drew our attention by his qualities, and we believe in him. The first training sessions at Shakhtar fully confirm our opinion about him, and there’s enough time for him to get used to our playing style, especially defensive one. As for his attacking performance, he is very fast and will not have any problems in this respect.
- Is it your initiative to choose as strong the opponents for friendlies as possible?
- Yes. In this period it’s difficult to find quality opponents - we had such experience last year. Thank God, this time we’ve managed to find really strong teams. Had I joined the club recently, I might have chosen others, but I've been here for eighteen months now, and the guys know perfectly well what I want from them. I'm interested in test matches against good opponents. They will create great difficulties for us, and this is excellent for us.
- While on vacation, you certainly not only rested but also watched the Serie A. How do you like the current Roma?
- A top-class team with excellent squad. With the top-quality players and the coach who knows his job perfectly well. We are facing some really tough encounters with Roma, but before that we will also have a meeting with Chornomorets, and we are preparing for that above all. Let me remind you that our major focus is the Ukrainian League. After the match against the Odessans, we will have time to think about the Champions League.