Olimpik require attention
Thursday, December 5, 2019
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At the open training session, Shakhtar manager Luis Castro shared his take on the changes at Olimpik, he also talked about the injured players’ state and outlined the role of the fans in the team’s possible success
- Senhor Castro, what was your reaction to the failed match in Mariupol?
- It was absolutely normal for a person who has not achieved his goal. Shakhtar created scoring chances throughout the second half, while Mariupol only once reached our goal and converted that chance. Nevertheless, our team have performed decently. Of course, we expected more from the game, but I’m thinking not about that at the moment, but about the next matches.
- The calendar year is coming to a close. How are the players? They spent a lot of energy, there were some injuries.
- The team’s fitness is excellent, they’ve also been perfectly fine tactically, technically, and mentally. In many matches, we achieved results in the dying minutes. Only physically well-prepared players can achieve such victories. So the guys are in perfect form.
- Are there any injuries?
- Yes, Bondar. Marlos' performance is still limited, but he’s in the process of recovery. He felt some minor pain a couple of weeks ago, so he had to take a break for a while, but now he’s practically back on track. We are starting to integrate him into the training process.
- Does Marlos have the same issue he had previously?”
- No, not at all. This is a completely different problem, no big deal. They often recover some players in order to raise their effectiveness in the future. Sometimes those problems are not too serious, but when they start causing the player some discomfort and limit the footballer’s performance, we need to restore him so that he can bring maximum benefit.
- To what extent can the match vs Olimpik serve as a rehearsal before meeting with Atalanta? It seems that defenders won’t have so much work to do.
- These are two completely different games. Olimpik, before the last round, had 4 wins and a draw in 5 games, which is 13 points. They radically changed their style and had great performances. Today, they are the team who aren’t afraid of starting it through goal kicks, who make all-out attacks, even under tough pressure, and who don’t hide from the action. "Olimpik are great both offensively and defensively. The opponents require a lot of our attention, so Shakhtar must be up to the mark to withstand it. We’ll talk about Atalanta later: the game against them will be completely different. At some points, perhaps, the teams will have to take maximum risks, because they are interested in victory only. Unlike the long season in the domestic league, this encounter will be simply decisive. So we can’t compare them and talk about rehearsing before the Champions League. This, basically, never happens, no match serves as a rehearsal for the next one. During the season, all games are different. In this case, you either make it further or get knocked out, while in the Championship, no matter what happens, you just stay there.
- But maybe you will still spare someone?
- I think that at the moment we should think just about the meeting with Olimpik. Regarding the game against Atalanta, I can only say that we are counting on the capacity crowd, on our fans. Actually, just like we do in the match against Olimpik. But on Wednesday, in the crucial Champions League match, the whole team and I would like to feel the energy of the stands and our fans. This factor can be decisive for our success, and we really look forward to it.
- This is your first winter in Ukraine. What are your impressions of the temperature and snow?
- I was born in the north of Portugal, in a region where the temperature drops to minus 5°C. The climate has no effect on me yet. Always, my major concern is my team, our performance, and what joy we can give to our fans.
- It was absolutely normal for a person who has not achieved his goal. Shakhtar created scoring chances throughout the second half, while Mariupol only once reached our goal and converted that chance. Nevertheless, our team have performed decently. Of course, we expected more from the game, but I’m thinking not about that at the moment, but about the next matches.
- The calendar year is coming to a close. How are the players? They spent a lot of energy, there were some injuries.
- The team’s fitness is excellent, they’ve also been perfectly fine tactically, technically, and mentally. In many matches, we achieved results in the dying minutes. Only physically well-prepared players can achieve such victories. So the guys are in perfect form.
- Are there any injuries?
- Yes, Bondar. Marlos' performance is still limited, but he’s in the process of recovery. He felt some minor pain a couple of weeks ago, so he had to take a break for a while, but now he’s practically back on track. We are starting to integrate him into the training process.
- Does Marlos have the same issue he had previously?”
- No, not at all. This is a completely different problem, no big deal. They often recover some players in order to raise their effectiveness in the future. Sometimes those problems are not too serious, but when they start causing the player some discomfort and limit the footballer’s performance, we need to restore him so that he can bring maximum benefit.
- To what extent can the match vs Olimpik serve as a rehearsal before meeting with Atalanta? It seems that defenders won’t have so much work to do.
- These are two completely different games. Olimpik, before the last round, had 4 wins and a draw in 5 games, which is 13 points. They radically changed their style and had great performances. Today, they are the team who aren’t afraid of starting it through goal kicks, who make all-out attacks, even under tough pressure, and who don’t hide from the action. "Olimpik are great both offensively and defensively. The opponents require a lot of our attention, so Shakhtar must be up to the mark to withstand it. We’ll talk about Atalanta later: the game against them will be completely different. At some points, perhaps, the teams will have to take maximum risks, because they are interested in victory only. Unlike the long season in the domestic league, this encounter will be simply decisive. So we can’t compare them and talk about rehearsing before the Champions League. This, basically, never happens, no match serves as a rehearsal for the next one. During the season, all games are different. In this case, you either make it further or get knocked out, while in the Championship, no matter what happens, you just stay there.
- But maybe you will still spare someone?
- I think that at the moment we should think just about the meeting with Olimpik. Regarding the game against Atalanta, I can only say that we are counting on the capacity crowd, on our fans. Actually, just like we do in the match against Olimpik. But on Wednesday, in the crucial Champions League match, the whole team and I would like to feel the energy of the stands and our fans. This factor can be decisive for our success, and we really look forward to it.
- This is your first winter in Ukraine. What are your impressions of the temperature and snow?
- I was born in the north of Portugal, in a region where the temperature drops to minus 5°C. The climate has no effect on me yet. Always, my major concern is my team, our performance, and what joy we can give to our fans.