In the future, Darijo will become Shakhtar coach

You can find the first half of the conversation here. The second part was available exclusively to the Shakhtar Club subscribers and viewers of the club TV channel yesterday, while today the video is available to general public on the Miners' YouTube channel. Here are some interesting fragments of the interview.

- Luis Castro proved to be a good tactician, in particular when he fielded five defenders in the last Champions League group stage game against Inter. How did you react to this decision of the coach?

- I had some worries about a week before the match against Inter. We understood that this was the key game in the entire UCL group stage: we could end up in the top or in the bottom spot. But when two or three days before the game I received the information that we were going to deploy three central defenders, that is, completely, conceptually changing the whole approach that we had used before ... That’s when a light bulb went on in my head. I got it and told the guys that success was awaiting us. I was one hundred percent sure. At that key moment, we needed something that would completely revolutionize our then-current standards, something that would completely change our opponents’ understanding of how to play. And Castro did it! Moreover, at first, some guys inside our group thought as follows: “well, how can we do that, we’ve never played like that, will the players understand it or not?” But for me, everything was clear by then. Moreover, I even hoped that we would win. It was that moment that became crucial - when Castro simply changed his tactic completely and used three central defenders. By and large, it was the Match of the Year for Inter.

- This year, Darijo Srna has received a UEFA PRO Diploma. Is it possible that some time later he will coach Shakhtar as many fans want it?

- I’m sure that in the future he will become the Shakhtar coach. He was a footballer, he’s the club legend, he achieved a lot on the football field and went a long way. Now he's at the other end. Getting a PRO diploma is like graduating from a university. Now Darijo needs to gain some more experience, to see how this thing, its mentality and psychology work as seen by the coaching staff. When he gains that experience - and this doesn’t happen overnight - I’m sure he will become the Shakhtar coach in the future. And I'm sure he will be a good coach. Because he’s got every ingredient to become a great, charismatic, daring and effective coach.

- Shakhtar had an interesting black kit over 20 years ago. Black is the colour of coal, it could well be redesigned to materialize as the second or even third kit. Why didn't they do so?

- You were asking about Puma ... One of the advantages, one of the reasons why we signed that contract is that they will change our kit every season. If earlier we did it once in two seasons, now we are going to do so every season. And for each season we will have a selection of three kits available. For the 2021/22 season, we have an idea to make the kit look like you’ve just mentioned. There is an idea, the main thing is to implement it.

- How is the system of interaction with Dynamo organized in terms of the pitch maintenance at the NSC Olimpiyskiy?

- By and large, we are involved in cultivating and maintaining the pitch. We had the lamps necessary for the grass to grow, we gave them to the Olimpiyskiy, and together they now make up a complex that helps the grass grow. We took the responsibility to maintain the pitch in good condition because our groundman is one of the best specialists in Eastern Europe. He knows his business and has proven that a thousand times. We trust him, and the Olimpiyskiy trusts him. We do our best. But they hold many games there – those of the national team, of Dynamo, Shakhtar and some other Ukrainian league clubs - so, quite naturally, the pitch requires some serious patching, not to mention its replacement.

- Not everyone likes your statements. How do you feel about criticism?

- Just fine. It’s impossible to be perfect for everyone or appreciated by everyone. Why take offence? Today someone likes me, tomorrow they might no longer like me, and then they might like me again. This is a constantly changing process. Sometimes criticism is interesting and useful. If it is written thoughtfully, with a deep understanding of the process, then it helps. I even take some things from there, at least some basic stuff. Sometimes you look just one way and go there. While the fans are all different, they might look at the situation from a different angle, and you may read it and understand that they are right. If you don't get the feedback, then why are we doing all this? We're a plant that produces emotions. We create those passions! Therefore, it’s important for us whether those emotions have reached people or not, whether the fans liked it or not.