We’re facing Europa League campaign
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
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Shakhtar manager Luis Castro's press conference after the match vs Atalanta
- Mister, what’s the main reason behind the defeat?
- The game had many key points. I think we need to talk about each of them. The 90+4th minute, Atalanta’s third goal - there was our mistake. The second goal - a free-kick from the flank hit the back of the net virtually directly, in actual fact. Next - about the VAR system. Today, they took several rather interesting decisions. Sending off Dodo? Okay, the referee made that decision, we must agree with that. The confirmed first goal of Atalanta, with Kryvtsov’s heel being slightly offside. Our goal was unruled - literally due to a small bit of the shirt. Plus the situation with Muriel: he fouled, but the ref didn’t award him a second yellow card. Atalanta might well have been left with just ten men, with the game, perhaps, being absolutely different. In the situation with Dodo, the ref decided to show a straight red card.
- Is the match result due to the referee, VAR, or is it still due to non-dominant, not quite attacking play of Shakhtar?
- No, I didn’t say that we haven’t won today due to VAR. I just responded to your colleague about the things that had happened in the match and discussed some points. Luis Castro is fully responsible for this defeat. In no case should we look for someone else to blame. I accept not only victories, but also defeats. Before the break, the play was quite balanced. Both Shakhtar and Atalanta tried to get to the opponents’ goal. Early in the second half, we somewhat dominated it, but this lasted only until conceding the first goal. We shouldn’t forget that Shakhtar created several scoring chances: Moraes had the opportunity to score a header, Dodo and Tete orchestrated many attacks on the right-hand side, nearly reaching the goal area, but lacking the right finishing decisions and the necessary deliveries. Also, they unruled Kovalenko’s goal. In the Champions League, this happens. The play was balanced, with multiple scoring chances created, and only one of the two teams might advance further.
- Mr. Castro, today we had some very controversial refereeing, but what is the reason behind the fact that after the sending-off of Shakhtar player, with the team losing 0-1, the coaching staff just didn’t do anything? Weren’t the players on the bench - Marcos Antonio, Dentinho - not ready to strengthen it?
- No, in fact, our coaching staff reacted. After the sending-off, we switched to 3-3-3. With Ismaily, Matviienko, and Kryvtsov at the back; with Stepanenko, Alan Patrick, and Marlos in midfield; and with Solomon, Taison, and Moraes in the last third. We could’ve fielded Dentinho, but for that, it was necessary to remove a player from defence or midfield. That way, we’d have played with just two men in midfield and three at the back. It wouldn’t have done anything. Marcos Antonio? Alan Patrick better links up to attacks, creating more danger and threat near the opposing goal. Therefore, we decided to leave the team as they were. Plus we had three scoring chances that we might’ve converted.
- Before the start of the Champions League, the club CEO Sergei Palkin said that not making it to the knockout phase would be a failure. Do you consider it a failure?
- I can’t be sitting here and commenting on the words of the administration. I can tell you my opinion: we’re still facing the Europa League campaign. We need to psych ourselves up for this competition.
- The game had many key points. I think we need to talk about each of them. The 90+4th minute, Atalanta’s third goal - there was our mistake. The second goal - a free-kick from the flank hit the back of the net virtually directly, in actual fact. Next - about the VAR system. Today, they took several rather interesting decisions. Sending off Dodo? Okay, the referee made that decision, we must agree with that. The confirmed first goal of Atalanta, with Kryvtsov’s heel being slightly offside. Our goal was unruled - literally due to a small bit of the shirt. Plus the situation with Muriel: he fouled, but the ref didn’t award him a second yellow card. Atalanta might well have been left with just ten men, with the game, perhaps, being absolutely different. In the situation with Dodo, the ref decided to show a straight red card.
- Is the match result due to the referee, VAR, or is it still due to non-dominant, not quite attacking play of Shakhtar?
- No, I didn’t say that we haven’t won today due to VAR. I just responded to your colleague about the things that had happened in the match and discussed some points. Luis Castro is fully responsible for this defeat. In no case should we look for someone else to blame. I accept not only victories, but also defeats. Before the break, the play was quite balanced. Both Shakhtar and Atalanta tried to get to the opponents’ goal. Early in the second half, we somewhat dominated it, but this lasted only until conceding the first goal. We shouldn’t forget that Shakhtar created several scoring chances: Moraes had the opportunity to score a header, Dodo and Tete orchestrated many attacks on the right-hand side, nearly reaching the goal area, but lacking the right finishing decisions and the necessary deliveries. Also, they unruled Kovalenko’s goal. In the Champions League, this happens. The play was balanced, with multiple scoring chances created, and only one of the two teams might advance further.
- Mr. Castro, today we had some very controversial refereeing, but what is the reason behind the fact that after the sending-off of Shakhtar player, with the team losing 0-1, the coaching staff just didn’t do anything? Weren’t the players on the bench - Marcos Antonio, Dentinho - not ready to strengthen it?
- No, in fact, our coaching staff reacted. After the sending-off, we switched to 3-3-3. With Ismaily, Matviienko, and Kryvtsov at the back; with Stepanenko, Alan Patrick, and Marlos in midfield; and with Solomon, Taison, and Moraes in the last third. We could’ve fielded Dentinho, but for that, it was necessary to remove a player from defence or midfield. That way, we’d have played with just two men in midfield and three at the back. It wouldn’t have done anything. Marcos Antonio? Alan Patrick better links up to attacks, creating more danger and threat near the opposing goal. Therefore, we decided to leave the team as they were. Plus we had three scoring chances that we might’ve converted.
- Before the start of the Champions League, the club CEO Sergei Palkin said that not making it to the knockout phase would be a failure. Do you consider it a failure?
- I can’t be sitting here and commenting on the words of the administration. I can tell you my opinion: we’re still facing the Europa League campaign. We need to psych ourselves up for this competition.