Shakhtar are no competitors for us
Friday, November 22, 2019
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Press conference of the Lviv manager Yegishe Melikyan after the game vs Shakhtar in Kharkiv
- 1-4 is an unpleasant score. We lost. I want to congratulate the Miners on a well-deserved victory: they are stronger than us. I wish Shakhtar to claim a victory against Manchester City, we will cheer for the Ukrainian team, for our leaders. Now, back to the match. We showed that we are moving in the right direction. Shakhtar are no competitors for us. But this game has demonstrated that we’ve got some teamwork, the organized pressure we are working on, and team spirit. Now come the games against the opponents with a realistic chance of claiming some points. We must try hard, and, hopefully, we’ll manage to climb up the table.
- The first half was pretty even not only score wise but also play wise. What didn’t work later?
- I received the team in the middle of the season, and I saw this problem. There is no fundamental readiness in terms of fitness. It’s hard for me to give the team the form they need during the league campaign. Physically, we lost it. We picked the tactic of mid and high pressing. I understood that was risky, that we wouldn’t last for 90 minutes, so I didn’t run it because I know this: if you let Shakhtar play calmly, they will do whatever they want to. We tried to put as much pressure as possible. It wasn’t enough for the full match, but that’s OK. It’s better to play like that, with dignity, than ... We can not only win but also to accept defeat in the right way.
- The first half was pretty even not only score wise but also play wise. What didn’t work later?
- I received the team in the middle of the season, and I saw this problem. There is no fundamental readiness in terms of fitness. It’s hard for me to give the team the form they need during the league campaign. Physically, we lost it. We picked the tactic of mid and high pressing. I understood that was risky, that we wouldn’t last for 90 minutes, so I didn’t run it because I know this: if you let Shakhtar play calmly, they will do whatever they want to. We tried to put as much pressure as possible. It wasn’t enough for the full match, but that’s OK. It’s better to play like that, with dignity, than ... We can not only win but also to accept defeat in the right way.