Wolfsburg drew some conclusions about us
Saturday, July 11, 2020
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Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov spoke about the Europa League rivalry with Wolfsburg in his interview to UEFA
- We studied Wolfsburg a lot. I can say that we studied the team thoroughly: we knew their strengths, and we understood that they had a very tall striker leading the team who could head the ball really well. But they also have their weak points. The game itself showed that we were very confident in defence and, I guess it would have been better if we had taken more of our chances to secure a bigger victory.
- Which weaknesses did the coach draw your attention to?
- There were some weak points in their defence, but I don’t want to reveal everything because we still need to play the second leg against them. I assume that Wolfsburg would have drawn some conclusions about us too, so I don’t know how the next game will unfold. But at the time, we knew that we had some advantages on our side: we are faster, the Brazilian players know how to beat players one-on-one. We took advantage of this, and we did it pretty well. However, we still needed to score one or two more goals to get us closer to what we were aiming for.
- There were two missed penalties and, as a result, there was a situation in your goal when the score was still 1-0 when you tried to go for the ball but couldn’t reach it and Wolfsburg equalised. Do you think of this as your own mistake?
- Of course, I am quite an experienced goalkeeper and can tell when I make a mistake and when I could have played better. But the most important thing is to keep playing because the game continues. After the game we had a meeting with our goalkeeping coaches, and they explained to me what should have been done differently, and then we just had to move on.
- Did this throw you off at all? How long did it take to get yourself back together?
- It was hard but the most important thing for me is what to do next. If everything is done correctly and there are no more mistakes it means that I am making good decisions, and I am one of the main team members.
- What should you have done differently, what would you have changed?
- What would I have changed? I should have used my fingers, I think, and then I would have reached for the ball. Instead, I tried to use my fist and couldn’t reach. If I had tried to reach the ball with my fingers, even the slightest touch would have caused the ball to change its trajectory.
- Stepanenko wasn’t playing in that game as he was injured. The 19-year-old Marcos Antonio played in his place. What did you think of his performance and did you chat with him before the game to give him some pieces of advice from an experienced head?
- Well, he’s got older teammates in Taison and Marlos, who are experienced players by now. I think they explained everything to him, so he wouldn’t worry. Actually, in training sessions, you can see he’s the future of Shakhtar. He’s a player who really reminds me of Fred, who was sold to Manchester United. He’s a talented player and it’s all down to him now. I can see that he’s got genuine talent and is a very good player.
- Can you talk a little about his performance in that game?
- He was great! He plays on the turn and links the middle of the park together with the attack. All of his play is based on taking the ball on the turn and moving it into attacking spaces. This already tells you about his ability. He did this really well, and he probably deserved that goal, right?
- Shakhtar extended their unbeaten run away from home in European competitions to five with this result. Do you adopt a particular mindset going into away fixtures?
- I don’t know! It just happens that way. I don’t know, maybe we’re a bit more focused and a bit… When you play away from home, you arrive with the mentality of playing defensively. In any case, you understand… It’s laying the foundation, you know? Playing away from home you are the visiting team; we probably play with more concentration. When we’re at home, our fans drive us forward and perhaps we leave gaps.
- Shakhtar have another record streak. Shakhtar haven’t been able to keep a clean sheet in Europe for 26 matches.
- Yes, I know. It’s hard not to know!
- Does this bother you personally?
- No, if we win the Europa League, and we concede in every game, I will only be happy! Of course, for me as a goalkeeper, I want to keep clean sheets, like any ‘keeper. Clean sheets for a goalkeeper are the best indicators of their performances. However, I also understand that the standard in Europe is a lot higher than in Ukraine and it’s harder to keep clean sheets. Sometimes I’m to blame, sometimes my teammates are, but it’s our collective problem, let’s put it this way, that we can’t keep clean sheets. So, God willing, we will finally keep one in our upcoming games.
- In the final.
- That would just be excellent!
- To finish, I wanted to ask a couple of questions about your upcoming games and the break you were forced into. When the Ukrainian season started up again, did you have the feeling everything was coming easily for Shakhtar? You were beating everyone comfortably and you immediately secured the title. Was there a slight suspicion that everything was too good and it might come back to bite you?
- It might have come across to you, the fans and the viewers that it was all so easy, but believe me: this period was very hard for us. We approached the restart very seriously and made the right choices during quarantine. When we came out of it and started training, pretty much all the guys had been professionals and kept themselves in shape. We didn’t need a lot of time to get into top condition. Therefore, basically from the very first game against Dynamo we must have been at, not necessarily 100% but we were already 90% ready. And then as the games went ahead in the league, our physical condition improved which allowed us to cope without any problems during the 90 minutes. I’ll also say that during this period the young players really came into their own. I don’t know, but in training at the moment all the young players are looking very confident. They’re forcing the veterans and the experienced heads to work hard as well; the competition is very high right now and, I don’t know… The coach isn’t feeling any kind of difference among the squad. Everyone is trying hard.
- Shakhtar have lost Ismaily. How will the team feel in his absence, and is it possible to replace him? After all, he was a key player.
- Well, in my opinion, it is a big loss, he is a ‘tank’ on the left side of our attack. He is one of our real leaders. But seeing as it’s already happened now, in my opinion, there is a silver lining: it means we have time to give a chance to young Cipriano to gain some confidence. Because these few remaining games will allow us to prepare for the Europa League, and then we start the Champions League.
- Which weaknesses did the coach draw your attention to?
- There were some weak points in their defence, but I don’t want to reveal everything because we still need to play the second leg against them. I assume that Wolfsburg would have drawn some conclusions about us too, so I don’t know how the next game will unfold. But at the time, we knew that we had some advantages on our side: we are faster, the Brazilian players know how to beat players one-on-one. We took advantage of this, and we did it pretty well. However, we still needed to score one or two more goals to get us closer to what we were aiming for.
- There were two missed penalties and, as a result, there was a situation in your goal when the score was still 1-0 when you tried to go for the ball but couldn’t reach it and Wolfsburg equalised. Do you think of this as your own mistake?
- Of course, I am quite an experienced goalkeeper and can tell when I make a mistake and when I could have played better. But the most important thing is to keep playing because the game continues. After the game we had a meeting with our goalkeeping coaches, and they explained to me what should have been done differently, and then we just had to move on.
- Did this throw you off at all? How long did it take to get yourself back together?
- It was hard but the most important thing for me is what to do next. If everything is done correctly and there are no more mistakes it means that I am making good decisions, and I am one of the main team members.
- What should you have done differently, what would you have changed?
- What would I have changed? I should have used my fingers, I think, and then I would have reached for the ball. Instead, I tried to use my fist and couldn’t reach. If I had tried to reach the ball with my fingers, even the slightest touch would have caused the ball to change its trajectory.
- Stepanenko wasn’t playing in that game as he was injured. The 19-year-old Marcos Antonio played in his place. What did you think of his performance and did you chat with him before the game to give him some pieces of advice from an experienced head?
- Well, he’s got older teammates in Taison and Marlos, who are experienced players by now. I think they explained everything to him, so he wouldn’t worry. Actually, in training sessions, you can see he’s the future of Shakhtar. He’s a player who really reminds me of Fred, who was sold to Manchester United. He’s a talented player and it’s all down to him now. I can see that he’s got genuine talent and is a very good player.
- Can you talk a little about his performance in that game?
- He was great! He plays on the turn and links the middle of the park together with the attack. All of his play is based on taking the ball on the turn and moving it into attacking spaces. This already tells you about his ability. He did this really well, and he probably deserved that goal, right?
- Shakhtar extended their unbeaten run away from home in European competitions to five with this result. Do you adopt a particular mindset going into away fixtures?
- I don’t know! It just happens that way. I don’t know, maybe we’re a bit more focused and a bit… When you play away from home, you arrive with the mentality of playing defensively. In any case, you understand… It’s laying the foundation, you know? Playing away from home you are the visiting team; we probably play with more concentration. When we’re at home, our fans drive us forward and perhaps we leave gaps.
- Shakhtar have another record streak. Shakhtar haven’t been able to keep a clean sheet in Europe for 26 matches.
- Yes, I know. It’s hard not to know!
- Does this bother you personally?
- No, if we win the Europa League, and we concede in every game, I will only be happy! Of course, for me as a goalkeeper, I want to keep clean sheets, like any ‘keeper. Clean sheets for a goalkeeper are the best indicators of their performances. However, I also understand that the standard in Europe is a lot higher than in Ukraine and it’s harder to keep clean sheets. Sometimes I’m to blame, sometimes my teammates are, but it’s our collective problem, let’s put it this way, that we can’t keep clean sheets. So, God willing, we will finally keep one in our upcoming games.
- In the final.
- That would just be excellent!
- To finish, I wanted to ask a couple of questions about your upcoming games and the break you were forced into. When the Ukrainian season started up again, did you have the feeling everything was coming easily for Shakhtar? You were beating everyone comfortably and you immediately secured the title. Was there a slight suspicion that everything was too good and it might come back to bite you?
- It might have come across to you, the fans and the viewers that it was all so easy, but believe me: this period was very hard for us. We approached the restart very seriously and made the right choices during quarantine. When we came out of it and started training, pretty much all the guys had been professionals and kept themselves in shape. We didn’t need a lot of time to get into top condition. Therefore, basically from the very first game against Dynamo we must have been at, not necessarily 100% but we were already 90% ready. And then as the games went ahead in the league, our physical condition improved which allowed us to cope without any problems during the 90 minutes. I’ll also say that during this period the young players really came into their own. I don’t know, but in training at the moment all the young players are looking very confident. They’re forcing the veterans and the experienced heads to work hard as well; the competition is very high right now and, I don’t know… The coach isn’t feeling any kind of difference among the squad. Everyone is trying hard.
- Shakhtar have lost Ismaily. How will the team feel in his absence, and is it possible to replace him? After all, he was a key player.
- Well, in my opinion, it is a big loss, he is a ‘tank’ on the left side of our attack. He is one of our real leaders. But seeing as it’s already happened now, in my opinion, there is a silver lining: it means we have time to give a chance to young Cipriano to gain some confidence. Because these few remaining games will allow us to prepare for the Europa League, and then we start the Champions League.