Balance is important
Thursday, July 25, 2019
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Shakhtar manager Luis Castro talks about the Super Cup, new ideas, goals, victories, transfers, and social networks
- Mister, who of Dynamo footballers should you beware the most?
- If Verbic plays, we should be really watchful regarding him. Actually, as well as regarding the whole team, because the main thing in football is not individual players, but dynamics. We must respect Dynamo, considering how much they have achieved and what kind of rivals they are for Shakhtar. The team usually try to bring their opponents to one of the flanks, then to replace them and carry out an attack. In the attacking third, they often deliver the ball into the box, which makes our defenders drop deep, that’s why the area gets just packed with players. Dynamo are very dangerous, so we should never focus on one individual player. We’ll pay maximum attention to the whole team.
- Were six weeks enough for you to reshape Shakhtar’s play in your own way?
- The team already worked out their special style. We came to a new club, and it’s clear that our attacking and defensive ideas are slightly different. The offseason lasts five to six weeks. Footballers can’t grasp the manager’s ideas just immediately: it takes different people more or less time. Now, I can say for sure that nearly all of them know our principles and feel quite confident on the pitch.
- What’s the idea? How will your Shakhtar differ from the Shakhtar under Fonseca?
- In no case should we compare what Shakhtar will be like in comparison with previous seasons. I can say what Shakhtar are like now: they display attacking football, charge forward long enough to rip open the opposition defence while ensuring complete defensive safety. Balance is the most important thing. When you dominate the field, you feel more comfortable. Sometimes it might reduce the defenders’ concentration and attention. We all need to be self-conscious about it: sometimes possession means being closer to giving one away than to scoring one. Simple control without the right actions lead to the fact that your opponents may take advantage of that. Football is very different from other sports: the team may enjoy possession 80% of the time and lose the match. You might shoot on target 30 times, with the opponents shooting only once - and you are defeated. Therefore, it’s important to have a balance in the game.
- We have a saying: you are likely to spend the new year the way you celebrate it. The Super Cup game opens the new football season. How important is winning for you in principle?
- For everyone working in football, winning is always important, regardless of whether the game is the first, the third or the tenth. Each match is significant for the players, coaches, club administration, and fans. Very often you don’t start the season well, but you complete it quite successfully. If we consider the Super Cup, this doesn’t mean that we won’t need to work on, that everything will go by itself. You need to give your maximum to the job. Sometimes, we look at one or another team and think that they are at their best, that they’ve reached the limits. However, I believe that we can always give our best, as there’s always some more room for growth. I live with the goal of being better tomorrow than I was yesterday. I try to convey the same message to the team. We look forward to our Super Cup win, but the very next day will require even more work and progress.
- You might be just one match away from your first trophy here as a coach. Do you worry?
- No, I don’t. The biggest commitment is to be a role model for our children as humans, as citizens of the world. And football is a game. In it, we are aware of our responsibility, perfectly understanding everything. But it’s the responsibility to win absolutely every game we face over the coaching career, neither more nor less than that. We must be self-confident about the things we do on a daily basis. When you feel that your conscience is clear, you can be calm, because everything is going fine.
- Have you already learned any words in Ukrainian or Russian?
- Yes, some things, although I don’t have so much time for that. There are some phrases and words that are important in training and in matches. I expect to step it up soon in order to communicate freely with the team. That’s normal, because even knowing the language when you come to a new club, everything is different. It takes time to adapt and understand the context in which you work. I managed that pretty quickly, because I had basically known a lot about Shakhtar, plus I had known what to expect. In general, this is no different from the club I spent 10 years at, where we had to always win and prove it with our work. Absolutely the same thing happens here. I’ve liked the players, the organization and the way they received me from day one. Everyone treats me with respect, and I believe that football and life should be just like that.
- Will there be more transfers?
- Football is a very dynamic process. While the transfer window is open, we can’t say that the player list is complete. Sometimes, there are certain commercial things that cannot be missed, both in terms of buying and selling football players. We work and rely on the current squad, assuming that certain changes are still possible. I am aware that the president wants to have maximum stability in the squad in order to claim the most trophies. Therefore, I am calm: if something is done, it will be done well and for Shakhtar to have the best opportunity to win every competition.
- You’ve got an Instagram account now?
- That's true. I didn’t have it for a long time ... In previous clubs, I was offered to register on Instagram for communication with fans. In Portugal, I contacted them through the press. There, there are three daily sports newspapers, and we tried to communicate with people like that. There’s nothing like that here - so we have to do it with the help of social networks. I will be closer to the fans through Instagram. But I want to be even closer to them thanks to the joy that our team will be able to give them at every moment of the game. It’s important to understand what football means in the world these days. This is the most popular, the most visual sport, and it continues to grow. We understand that we must communicate with everyone who likes football, in the correct way and with maximum respect. I will use Instagram to tell a little more about myself.
- Have the whole team signed up for your page?
- It’s very important for the players to listen to me right here, on the pitch. That's what matters most. We should understand each other. But in general, we keep in touch all the time.
- If Verbic plays, we should be really watchful regarding him. Actually, as well as regarding the whole team, because the main thing in football is not individual players, but dynamics. We must respect Dynamo, considering how much they have achieved and what kind of rivals they are for Shakhtar. The team usually try to bring their opponents to one of the flanks, then to replace them and carry out an attack. In the attacking third, they often deliver the ball into the box, which makes our defenders drop deep, that’s why the area gets just packed with players. Dynamo are very dangerous, so we should never focus on one individual player. We’ll pay maximum attention to the whole team.
- Were six weeks enough for you to reshape Shakhtar’s play in your own way?
- The team already worked out their special style. We came to a new club, and it’s clear that our attacking and defensive ideas are slightly different. The offseason lasts five to six weeks. Footballers can’t grasp the manager’s ideas just immediately: it takes different people more or less time. Now, I can say for sure that nearly all of them know our principles and feel quite confident on the pitch.
- What’s the idea? How will your Shakhtar differ from the Shakhtar under Fonseca?
- In no case should we compare what Shakhtar will be like in comparison with previous seasons. I can say what Shakhtar are like now: they display attacking football, charge forward long enough to rip open the opposition defence while ensuring complete defensive safety. Balance is the most important thing. When you dominate the field, you feel more comfortable. Sometimes it might reduce the defenders’ concentration and attention. We all need to be self-conscious about it: sometimes possession means being closer to giving one away than to scoring one. Simple control without the right actions lead to the fact that your opponents may take advantage of that. Football is very different from other sports: the team may enjoy possession 80% of the time and lose the match. You might shoot on target 30 times, with the opponents shooting only once - and you are defeated. Therefore, it’s important to have a balance in the game.
- We have a saying: you are likely to spend the new year the way you celebrate it. The Super Cup game opens the new football season. How important is winning for you in principle?
- For everyone working in football, winning is always important, regardless of whether the game is the first, the third or the tenth. Each match is significant for the players, coaches, club administration, and fans. Very often you don’t start the season well, but you complete it quite successfully. If we consider the Super Cup, this doesn’t mean that we won’t need to work on, that everything will go by itself. You need to give your maximum to the job. Sometimes, we look at one or another team and think that they are at their best, that they’ve reached the limits. However, I believe that we can always give our best, as there’s always some more room for growth. I live with the goal of being better tomorrow than I was yesterday. I try to convey the same message to the team. We look forward to our Super Cup win, but the very next day will require even more work and progress.
- You might be just one match away from your first trophy here as a coach. Do you worry?
- No, I don’t. The biggest commitment is to be a role model for our children as humans, as citizens of the world. And football is a game. In it, we are aware of our responsibility, perfectly understanding everything. But it’s the responsibility to win absolutely every game we face over the coaching career, neither more nor less than that. We must be self-confident about the things we do on a daily basis. When you feel that your conscience is clear, you can be calm, because everything is going fine.
- Have you already learned any words in Ukrainian or Russian?
- Yes, some things, although I don’t have so much time for that. There are some phrases and words that are important in training and in matches. I expect to step it up soon in order to communicate freely with the team. That’s normal, because even knowing the language when you come to a new club, everything is different. It takes time to adapt and understand the context in which you work. I managed that pretty quickly, because I had basically known a lot about Shakhtar, plus I had known what to expect. In general, this is no different from the club I spent 10 years at, where we had to always win and prove it with our work. Absolutely the same thing happens here. I’ve liked the players, the organization and the way they received me from day one. Everyone treats me with respect, and I believe that football and life should be just like that.
- Will there be more transfers?
- Football is a very dynamic process. While the transfer window is open, we can’t say that the player list is complete. Sometimes, there are certain commercial things that cannot be missed, both in terms of buying and selling football players. We work and rely on the current squad, assuming that certain changes are still possible. I am aware that the president wants to have maximum stability in the squad in order to claim the most trophies. Therefore, I am calm: if something is done, it will be done well and for Shakhtar to have the best opportunity to win every competition.
- You’ve got an Instagram account now?
- That's true. I didn’t have it for a long time ... In previous clubs, I was offered to register on Instagram for communication with fans. In Portugal, I contacted them through the press. There, there are three daily sports newspapers, and we tried to communicate with people like that. There’s nothing like that here - so we have to do it with the help of social networks. I will be closer to the fans through Instagram. But I want to be even closer to them thanks to the joy that our team will be able to give them at every moment of the game. It’s important to understand what football means in the world these days. This is the most popular, the most visual sport, and it continues to grow. We understand that we must communicate with everyone who likes football, in the correct way and with maximum respect. I will use Instagram to tell a little more about myself.
- Have the whole team signed up for your page?
- It’s very important for the players to listen to me right here, on the pitch. That's what matters most. We should understand each other. But in general, we keep in touch all the time.