We play well
Thursday, August 22, 2019
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Shakhtar manager Luis Castro speaks about the upcoming game vs Mariupol, the participation of the players on loan, injuries of Pikhalyonok and Malyshev, as well as the change of Dynamo coach
- Mariupol have many players on loan from Shakhtar who won’t be able to take part in the match. There has been a lot of talk lately about the fact that they should still be allowed to play against their team, even for the coach to have an opportunity to watch them against his men. How do you feel about this issue?
- This issue is present all over the world, at the moment football is facing it. Opinions differ. Some people believe that players should appear in any situation and against any team. If they play and everything goes well - that's one thing, but if they play and something doesn't work (although penalties, fouls, spot kicks scored and missed are normal for football), then everything will be analyzed. What happens after the match is sometimes more important than the things during it. Football is the most popular sport, and at the end of any match they discuss every situation here. Not only in Ukraine, but also worldwide. Federations and leagues often try to adapt the system which causes the least problems. In this particular case, the guys shouldn’t oppose their own team. For a ‘cleaner’ atmosphere after matches. As a coach, I would like everyone to play against everyone else. I love it when the players show their best level and deliver a great spectacle at the stadium.
- You’ve had five competitive games as the Miners’ coach. What’s your impression? Did you expect this kind of things when you just came here?
- We tried to come up with a new idea. Before agreeing to this job, of course, we analysed everything we were facing here. Then followed decision-making as to whether it was possible to put our idea into practice or if it would be necessary to somewhat depart from it and adapt another one. As I predicted, there are great players at Shakhtar. They can practise the kind of football that it should be like in my opinion: attractive, aesthetic, attacking, with a huge volume of attacking work, but without losing the defensive safety. Fortunately, we succeed in doing that. I am not saying that absolutely everything has worked, but we managed to solve some difficult situations on the pitch. To play well most of the match time and to win it - this is what we want in order to please our fans.
- Have you watched Mariupol’s games vs AZ? What do you think about the upcoming opponents?
- Of course I did, and not only those games, but all the rest. The team try to attack through the wings, make many vertical passes, narrow up and tighten up while defending. Most often, they form a line of five (4+1) and fully seal off the space between the thirds, which prevents us from developing our attacks. We will need more patience. It will be a tough game, just like everything else that we faced previously. We will try to launch some fast attacking football in order to rip open the defence of Mariupol and not depart from our goal - to play well and win.
- Did Alyaksandr Khatskevich's resignation surprise you?
- In football, everything is possible, and I cannot specifically comment on this or that event. Moreover, decisions are made by presidents, club administrations, or by other teams’ coaches themselves. As a coach, I must be prepared for this not to happen to me, and if it does, then to respond to it in the best possible way. In general, the coach is always upset, leaving like that after so many years at the club. However, you need to accept that and live on. We, the coaches, are ready for that.
- Did you hear anything about Oleksii Mykhailichenko?
- Yes, Mykhailichenko was already a champion with Dynamo in 2004. He’s a very good international in the past. He is a coach who knows Ukrainian football through and through, and I’m sure he will do a great job at Dynamo. Football is always open to anyone who understands it. Mykhailichenko has been here for a very long time and knows perfectly well why and what lengths he went to.
- Three personnel questions: Moraes, Kovalenko, and Pikhalyonok…
- Moraes is fine. Let's see what form Kovalenko will have. Unfortunately, Pikhalyonok is out for quite a while, but I'm sure he'll get back even stronger.
- Did you talk to Pikhalyonok after the injury?
- Yes, of course. I just talked about coaches, that they should be ready to come and go. Players must also be prepared for injuries, suspensions. Unfortunately, bad times are part of our lives. Nobody wants them, because we never get tired of the good ones, but, unfortunately, we cannot get rid of the bad ones. Pikhalyonok still has a huge number of years in football. I’m sure he will have a successful path. Just like Oleksandr, Maksym Malyshev has a very serious injury and he is also undergoing a long recovery. But Shakhtar's structure and medical department are strong, there are many good professionals here. I think they will be able to bring the players back to work with the same qualities.
- They write that Blanco Leschuk is in talks with Cadiz.
- That’s news to us ... We don't know what to say. This is normal, in football we communicate with everyone. Frankly, I didn’t plan to talk to you today, to negotiate anything, but we are doing so. And if Blanco negotiates, that's fine too, but, to be honest, I don't know about that.
- This issue is present all over the world, at the moment football is facing it. Opinions differ. Some people believe that players should appear in any situation and against any team. If they play and everything goes well - that's one thing, but if they play and something doesn't work (although penalties, fouls, spot kicks scored and missed are normal for football), then everything will be analyzed. What happens after the match is sometimes more important than the things during it. Football is the most popular sport, and at the end of any match they discuss every situation here. Not only in Ukraine, but also worldwide. Federations and leagues often try to adapt the system which causes the least problems. In this particular case, the guys shouldn’t oppose their own team. For a ‘cleaner’ atmosphere after matches. As a coach, I would like everyone to play against everyone else. I love it when the players show their best level and deliver a great spectacle at the stadium.
- You’ve had five competitive games as the Miners’ coach. What’s your impression? Did you expect this kind of things when you just came here?
- We tried to come up with a new idea. Before agreeing to this job, of course, we analysed everything we were facing here. Then followed decision-making as to whether it was possible to put our idea into practice or if it would be necessary to somewhat depart from it and adapt another one. As I predicted, there are great players at Shakhtar. They can practise the kind of football that it should be like in my opinion: attractive, aesthetic, attacking, with a huge volume of attacking work, but without losing the defensive safety. Fortunately, we succeed in doing that. I am not saying that absolutely everything has worked, but we managed to solve some difficult situations on the pitch. To play well most of the match time and to win it - this is what we want in order to please our fans.
- Have you watched Mariupol’s games vs AZ? What do you think about the upcoming opponents?
- Of course I did, and not only those games, but all the rest. The team try to attack through the wings, make many vertical passes, narrow up and tighten up while defending. Most often, they form a line of five (4+1) and fully seal off the space between the thirds, which prevents us from developing our attacks. We will need more patience. It will be a tough game, just like everything else that we faced previously. We will try to launch some fast attacking football in order to rip open the defence of Mariupol and not depart from our goal - to play well and win.
- Did Alyaksandr Khatskevich's resignation surprise you?
- In football, everything is possible, and I cannot specifically comment on this or that event. Moreover, decisions are made by presidents, club administrations, or by other teams’ coaches themselves. As a coach, I must be prepared for this not to happen to me, and if it does, then to respond to it in the best possible way. In general, the coach is always upset, leaving like that after so many years at the club. However, you need to accept that and live on. We, the coaches, are ready for that.
- Did you hear anything about Oleksii Mykhailichenko?
- Yes, Mykhailichenko was already a champion with Dynamo in 2004. He’s a very good international in the past. He is a coach who knows Ukrainian football through and through, and I’m sure he will do a great job at Dynamo. Football is always open to anyone who understands it. Mykhailichenko has been here for a very long time and knows perfectly well why and what lengths he went to.
- Three personnel questions: Moraes, Kovalenko, and Pikhalyonok…
- Moraes is fine. Let's see what form Kovalenko will have. Unfortunately, Pikhalyonok is out for quite a while, but I'm sure he'll get back even stronger.
- Did you talk to Pikhalyonok after the injury?
- Yes, of course. I just talked about coaches, that they should be ready to come and go. Players must also be prepared for injuries, suspensions. Unfortunately, bad times are part of our lives. Nobody wants them, because we never get tired of the good ones, but, unfortunately, we cannot get rid of the bad ones. Pikhalyonok still has a huge number of years in football. I’m sure he will have a successful path. Just like Oleksandr, Maksym Malyshev has a very serious injury and he is also undergoing a long recovery. But Shakhtar's structure and medical department are strong, there are many good professionals here. I think they will be able to bring the players back to work with the same qualities.
- They write that Blanco Leschuk is in talks with Cadiz.
- That’s news to us ... We don't know what to say. This is normal, in football we communicate with everyone. Frankly, I didn’t plan to talk to you today, to negotiate anything, but we are doing so. And if Blanco negotiates, that's fine too, but, to be honest, I don't know about that.