Strategy and tactic
Monday, September 30, 2019
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Shakhtar manager Luis Castro speaks about Atalanta’s strengths and important aspects of the game in Milan
- In 2014, when you replaced Paulo Fonseca at the helm of Porto, your first European club cup trip was to Napoli. You couldn’t lose back then, so you tied 2-2. This time, we have a similar story at Shakhtar: an away game in Italy again and you just can’t lose it. Don’t you see a sign in that?
- Just a coincidence. Right, we met with Benitez’s Napoli back then - we won 1-0 at home, and drew 2-2 at the San Paolo. Now, the situation is different. Of course, a positive result is very important for us, and I hope we can achieve it.
- Atalanta, along with Napoli, notch up the most goals in Serie A - 15 goals in 6 rounds. How can you resist the opponents’ attacking pressure?
- Yes, Atalanta have got some really complex performance features. As soon as they win the ball, they immediately put a large number of players in front of our defensive line and pass the ball into zones. We must be prepared. Primarily, our defensive third should be responsible for that, to be ahead of the game. In my opinion, tomorrow's encounter will be strategic, and largely tactical. The first matchday was unsuccessful outcome wise for both Shakhtar and Atalanta, therefore, both sides will chase for victory. We need to be watchful in those respects in order to bring a positive outcome to Ukraine.
- What else could you mention in Atalanta’s performance, besides pressure and attacking?
- A lot of interesting attributes. Man-marking throughout the field and energy which virtually never runs low. They also develop their attacks very interestingly: after winning the ball, they try to move it wingwards, then to cut inside and deliver it into the zone. At the same time, a huge number of players stand near our defensive third - Gomez, Ilicic, Zapata ... They immediately burst into the box, and it’s extremely important to control this thing. In any case, it will be very difficult against Atalanta - all their rivals know that they operate like this. When they dispossess the opponents, on most occasions they catch the teams who are not well prepared to play defensively in an organised way. It’s important to lower the thirds and to defend well. I think the match will be quite interesting. I hope we’ll manage to achieve a good result or at least not to lose here. We will try to show our own game and cause the opponents some difficulties. Pressing is just crucial: when their fullback or winger has the ball, you shouldn’t let them out of the zone. This is what we will try to do to prevent them from launching attacks.
- Just a few comments from fans regarding Shakhtar’s player list for the game from Instagram. The first one: “Where’s the striker?”, the second: “Let’s remove Patrick and Bolbat, and beat them 5-0. Let Castro know it”, the third one: “The dream team is Pyatov, nine Taisons, and Marlos”. Does it ever happen that you at least sometimes listen to the fans’ opinion and build your strategy around it?
- Not really. We work with the team every day and know what they need. There are certain ideas, and we try to pass them on to the players so that they can show some really high-quality football. The world is full of different opinions, but I have my own, in which I believe and rely on. I don’t even know how to answer this question. In the Championship, we have 9 victories in 9 rounds, with such tough teams as Desna, Zorya, Dynamo, and Oleksandriia opposing us - let’s not forget about that. We really do our best.
- In the Championship, Shakhtar enjoy an unbeaten run. You managed to defeat Vorskla 4-0, with half of the senior team being reserve team players, while in the Champions League you were defeated by City, and Atalanta are very strong opponents. How much does the difference between the two competitions complicate your preparation?
- The Champions League is the greatest, the most difficult club competition on the planet. Any league - no matter which one - is different from the Champions League. You’ve just mentioned the matchday one ... But we played the richest, the most expensive team in the world, as far as I know, they spent more than a billion euros on transfers. Tomorrow we will face Atalanta, the third side in Serie A, who won in Rome 2-0, defeating Sassuolo 4-1. We perfectly understand the opponents’ level. Of course, no league can be compared with the Champions League, as those are completely different competitions. Tomorrow, there will be an interesting match, as it’s important for both teams to secure a positive result.
- Is this the decisive match for Atalanta and Shakhtar? What can you say about Malynovskyi?
- Malynovskyi is a great footballer with excellent attributes, but everyone just can’t play: we don’t know who Gasperini will field. Maybe there will be Pasalic, Gomez? The starting line-up is decided on by the manager. We are preparing for absolutely all of their players. When you participate in such transient competitions as the Champions League group stage, virtually every meeting is decisive. Sometimes it seems that everything is lost, but football is beautiful exactly thanks to that: in one match you lose, and in the other one you achieve a positive result and move forward again. I think that tomorrow’s match will put at least one of the teams in the position making the third round decisive. Both Shakhtar and Atalanta have the opportunity to prove themselves. This game is not fully decisive.
- Just a coincidence. Right, we met with Benitez’s Napoli back then - we won 1-0 at home, and drew 2-2 at the San Paolo. Now, the situation is different. Of course, a positive result is very important for us, and I hope we can achieve it.
- Atalanta, along with Napoli, notch up the most goals in Serie A - 15 goals in 6 rounds. How can you resist the opponents’ attacking pressure?
- Yes, Atalanta have got some really complex performance features. As soon as they win the ball, they immediately put a large number of players in front of our defensive line and pass the ball into zones. We must be prepared. Primarily, our defensive third should be responsible for that, to be ahead of the game. In my opinion, tomorrow's encounter will be strategic, and largely tactical. The first matchday was unsuccessful outcome wise for both Shakhtar and Atalanta, therefore, both sides will chase for victory. We need to be watchful in those respects in order to bring a positive outcome to Ukraine.
- What else could you mention in Atalanta’s performance, besides pressure and attacking?
- A lot of interesting attributes. Man-marking throughout the field and energy which virtually never runs low. They also develop their attacks very interestingly: after winning the ball, they try to move it wingwards, then to cut inside and deliver it into the zone. At the same time, a huge number of players stand near our defensive third - Gomez, Ilicic, Zapata ... They immediately burst into the box, and it’s extremely important to control this thing. In any case, it will be very difficult against Atalanta - all their rivals know that they operate like this. When they dispossess the opponents, on most occasions they catch the teams who are not well prepared to play defensively in an organised way. It’s important to lower the thirds and to defend well. I think the match will be quite interesting. I hope we’ll manage to achieve a good result or at least not to lose here. We will try to show our own game and cause the opponents some difficulties. Pressing is just crucial: when their fullback or winger has the ball, you shouldn’t let them out of the zone. This is what we will try to do to prevent them from launching attacks.
- Just a few comments from fans regarding Shakhtar’s player list for the game from Instagram. The first one: “Where’s the striker?”, the second: “Let’s remove Patrick and Bolbat, and beat them 5-0. Let Castro know it”, the third one: “The dream team is Pyatov, nine Taisons, and Marlos”. Does it ever happen that you at least sometimes listen to the fans’ opinion and build your strategy around it?
- Not really. We work with the team every day and know what they need. There are certain ideas, and we try to pass them on to the players so that they can show some really high-quality football. The world is full of different opinions, but I have my own, in which I believe and rely on. I don’t even know how to answer this question. In the Championship, we have 9 victories in 9 rounds, with such tough teams as Desna, Zorya, Dynamo, and Oleksandriia opposing us - let’s not forget about that. We really do our best.
- In the Championship, Shakhtar enjoy an unbeaten run. You managed to defeat Vorskla 4-0, with half of the senior team being reserve team players, while in the Champions League you were defeated by City, and Atalanta are very strong opponents. How much does the difference between the two competitions complicate your preparation?
- The Champions League is the greatest, the most difficult club competition on the planet. Any league - no matter which one - is different from the Champions League. You’ve just mentioned the matchday one ... But we played the richest, the most expensive team in the world, as far as I know, they spent more than a billion euros on transfers. Tomorrow we will face Atalanta, the third side in Serie A, who won in Rome 2-0, defeating Sassuolo 4-1. We perfectly understand the opponents’ level. Of course, no league can be compared with the Champions League, as those are completely different competitions. Tomorrow, there will be an interesting match, as it’s important for both teams to secure a positive result.
- Is this the decisive match for Atalanta and Shakhtar? What can you say about Malynovskyi?
- Malynovskyi is a great footballer with excellent attributes, but everyone just can’t play: we don’t know who Gasperini will field. Maybe there will be Pasalic, Gomez? The starting line-up is decided on by the manager. We are preparing for absolutely all of their players. When you participate in such transient competitions as the Champions League group stage, virtually every meeting is decisive. Sometimes it seems that everything is lost, but football is beautiful exactly thanks to that: in one match you lose, and in the other one you achieve a positive result and move forward again. I think that tomorrow’s match will put at least one of the teams in the position making the third round decisive. Both Shakhtar and Atalanta have the opportunity to prove themselves. This game is not fully decisive.
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