Good second half
Friday, July 19, 2019
|
Shakhtar manager Luis Castro reflects on defeating Kolos
- In general, I liked the encounter. We managed to control the game, although more in the second half than in the first one. Before the break, Kolos had the opportunity to quite dangerously approach our goal in three passes. In the second half, we stepped it up, operating more compactly and having more patience defensively. Also, we operated more diversely in defensive terms: the ball reached through both across, down the wings and through the middle, with us creating more scoring opportunities. The second half was good, while in the first one we couldn’t do what we wanted. To sum it up, we succeeded play wise, but not at our highest pace.
- What do you make of the opponents who will debut in the Premier League?
- Their manager should talk about that. As for me, they are a well-organized team, with excellent defensive, midfield, and offensive thirds. Kolos may well take advantage of the imbalance or lack of organization of their opponents. Of course, both other clubs and we should respect them.
- Are you happy with your players’ performance?
- Yes. They worked really hard, devoting themselves to the job. We need to improve certain things, despite the fact that there’s no such thing as perfect performance. Any team have some room for growth. I can’t say that we’re fully ready now, but this also applies to our opponents. The season is just starting. The clubs may still experience certain issues at the moment. We are developing and will continue to progress. In the first competitive game, we will show our best side, without a doubt, just like our opponents, but we won’t be in our best form yet.
- Do you already think about the Super Cup tie against Dynamo?
- Yes, of course. We’ve been thinking a lot about the work we must carry out, from the first day of training camps. It’ll be quite difficult, but we know what we want to show in the game against Dynamo, and we’ll try to do it in the best possible way.
- Will we see a different lineup against Olimpik on Saturday? What to expect from Shakhtar?
- Yes. The match will be similar to the one we had against Kolos. We plan to control the game and to rip open the opposition defence, maintaining the defensive balance and safety. The players know that we haven’t got any starting lineup yet for the match against Dynamo. All the guys work hard to meet the high standards of the competitive game. We will meet with Olimpik in a similar vein tomorrow.
- What do you make of the opponents who will debut in the Premier League?
- Their manager should talk about that. As for me, they are a well-organized team, with excellent defensive, midfield, and offensive thirds. Kolos may well take advantage of the imbalance or lack of organization of their opponents. Of course, both other clubs and we should respect them.
- Are you happy with your players’ performance?
- Yes. They worked really hard, devoting themselves to the job. We need to improve certain things, despite the fact that there’s no such thing as perfect performance. Any team have some room for growth. I can’t say that we’re fully ready now, but this also applies to our opponents. The season is just starting. The clubs may still experience certain issues at the moment. We are developing and will continue to progress. In the first competitive game, we will show our best side, without a doubt, just like our opponents, but we won’t be in our best form yet.
- Do you already think about the Super Cup tie against Dynamo?
- Yes, of course. We’ve been thinking a lot about the work we must carry out, from the first day of training camps. It’ll be quite difficult, but we know what we want to show in the game against Dynamo, and we’ll try to do it in the best possible way.
- Will we see a different lineup against Olimpik on Saturday? What to expect from Shakhtar?
- Yes. The match will be similar to the one we had against Kolos. We plan to control the game and to rip open the opposition defence, maintaining the defensive balance and safety. The players know that we haven’t got any starting lineup yet for the match against Dynamo. All the guys work hard to meet the high standards of the competitive game. We will meet with Olimpik in a similar vein tomorrow.