We deserved it
Thursday, August 26, 2021
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Press conference by Shakhtar head coach Roberto De Zerbi after the match vs Monaco and reaching the Champions League group stage
- Mister, did you give the ball to AS Monaco on purpose, or did the opponents take it from you? (Pivnaya Kega Arrisabalaga Telegram channel)
- No, it wasn’t our decision. We don’t want to leave the ball even with Real Madrid. But if the opponents are good, then we should also play defensively. The first half, of course, was not what we expected, but Monaco are a very strong team. They put really tough pressure on us. We lacked pace, the pace power to play across 20, 30, 40 meters. It was like this: when Fernando and Mudryk joined in the play, the match changed completely. I don't know if we deserved it today or not, because AS Monaco had a lot of scoring chances. Monaco have technical, physical and individual qualities. We have other physical attributes, but we’ve got skill and personality as well. Not everyone has pace, like Fernando for example, who came on as a substitute, but we’ve got something that other teams do not have - a heart and balls. And when you’ve got a heart and balls, you can do anything. Today the match was different from the one I saw in my head, but I’m very proud because during the break I saw that they were a little bit strange. We had difficulties at that moment. But then the heart and balls just offset the difference that was present in the first half. And you can’t buy the heart and balls on the transfer market.
- Before your arrival at Shakhtar, we very often played in the Champions League against Manchester City. Just now, the City have reacted on their Twitter to the news about Shakhtar’s Champions League berth as follows: guys, see you soon, see you soon again. How do you feel about this prospect? What teams would you like to see in the draw as your opponents? (Pivnaya Kega Arrisabalaga Telegram channel)
- Five years ago I was a coach in the third division in Italy. We achieved everything that I and my coaching staff have today, by hard work. Therefore, I cannot ask for this or that team. All our thoughts are about the match against Minaj, which will take place on Sunday. Maybe other footballers - who haven't played today - will play. We start thinking about the next step, about Minaj.
- Before the team equalised, you wanted to convey something to Mykhailo Mudryk, but he was on the opposite wing. You asked your assistant to run to the other half of the pitch and say something from you to the young footballer. What did you want to tell him? And what do you generally make of Mudryk’s actions in today's match? (Profutbol)
- Mudryk is a real talent. Everyone has their talents. Mudryk got a talent for being a football player. Many coaches say that Mudryk still needs to progress, and I believe that in order to progress, a young footballer should play increasingly more. Only in this way can he reveal his talent more. Mudryk has many good role models in the team - Pyatov, Stepanenko, Alan, Ismaily, Kryvtsov. He’s got to look up at them. We really believe in him and in the fact that he will be able to show his talent in the future.
- Before the match, everyone was worried because Andriy Pyatov had not had any practice in European competitions for a long while. He played his last international match two months ago. How do you like Pyatov's play? I think his role in the victory is enormous. (Futbolnyi Format)
- Who exactly was worried?
- The fans.
- Or you, reporters? I was definitely not worried, because every day I see Pyatov training with a smile on his face. He is a great professional and always shows it. In fact, we all deserved the way he played today. When there are such situations as we had with Mudryk - when he passed the ball and they scored a goal - so his is a sign. I think this is no coincidence, because we deserve it. We deserved this victory more than Monaco. Therefore, we are celebrating the victory, and the rest are just talking.
- No, it wasn’t our decision. We don’t want to leave the ball even with Real Madrid. But if the opponents are good, then we should also play defensively. The first half, of course, was not what we expected, but Monaco are a very strong team. They put really tough pressure on us. We lacked pace, the pace power to play across 20, 30, 40 meters. It was like this: when Fernando and Mudryk joined in the play, the match changed completely. I don't know if we deserved it today or not, because AS Monaco had a lot of scoring chances. Monaco have technical, physical and individual qualities. We have other physical attributes, but we’ve got skill and personality as well. Not everyone has pace, like Fernando for example, who came on as a substitute, but we’ve got something that other teams do not have - a heart and balls. And when you’ve got a heart and balls, you can do anything. Today the match was different from the one I saw in my head, but I’m very proud because during the break I saw that they were a little bit strange. We had difficulties at that moment. But then the heart and balls just offset the difference that was present in the first half. And you can’t buy the heart and balls on the transfer market.
- Before your arrival at Shakhtar, we very often played in the Champions League against Manchester City. Just now, the City have reacted on their Twitter to the news about Shakhtar’s Champions League berth as follows: guys, see you soon, see you soon again. How do you feel about this prospect? What teams would you like to see in the draw as your opponents? (Pivnaya Kega Arrisabalaga Telegram channel)
- Five years ago I was a coach in the third division in Italy. We achieved everything that I and my coaching staff have today, by hard work. Therefore, I cannot ask for this or that team. All our thoughts are about the match against Minaj, which will take place on Sunday. Maybe other footballers - who haven't played today - will play. We start thinking about the next step, about Minaj.
- Before the team equalised, you wanted to convey something to Mykhailo Mudryk, but he was on the opposite wing. You asked your assistant to run to the other half of the pitch and say something from you to the young footballer. What did you want to tell him? And what do you generally make of Mudryk’s actions in today's match? (Profutbol)
- Mudryk is a real talent. Everyone has their talents. Mudryk got a talent for being a football player. Many coaches say that Mudryk still needs to progress, and I believe that in order to progress, a young footballer should play increasingly more. Only in this way can he reveal his talent more. Mudryk has many good role models in the team - Pyatov, Stepanenko, Alan, Ismaily, Kryvtsov. He’s got to look up at them. We really believe in him and in the fact that he will be able to show his talent in the future.
- Before the match, everyone was worried because Andriy Pyatov had not had any practice in European competitions for a long while. He played his last international match two months ago. How do you like Pyatov's play? I think his role in the victory is enormous. (Futbolnyi Format)
- Who exactly was worried?
- The fans.
- Or you, reporters? I was definitely not worried, because every day I see Pyatov training with a smile on his face. He is a great professional and always shows it. In fact, we all deserved the way he played today. When there are such situations as we had with Mudryk - when he passed the ball and they scored a goal - so his is a sign. I think this is no coincidence, because we deserve it. We deserved this victory more than Monaco. Therefore, we are celebrating the victory, and the rest are just talking.