Shakhtar play sharper now
Saturday, July 24, 2021
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Press conference by Inhulets head coach Serhii Lavrynenko after losing 1-2 to Shakhtar
- Good evening. First of all, I would like to congratulate Shakhtar on the expected and deserved victory. I think that it’s too early for a team like Inhulets to look up to our giants. We will have many more matches ahead, in which we will be able to show a more meaningful play and, most importantly, with more goals.
- How did you put the new team together? It’s new, with many experienced football players, Opanasenko was without match practice for a long time. Korobenko was at Dynamo and returned, one might say, ‘straight to the ball’.
- If we take the scouting work, I think that we definitely have not got any weaker. We invited some experienced football players. The only difference is that in their clubs they did not have full-fledged playing practice - this is probably the main quality based on which we were able to invite them. In our team, they will definitely have some permanent practice - the same Opanasenko, Polehenko did not have it at their clubs. From the squad that we had last season, four men have been on the field today. It takes time for everyone to understand the coaching staff’s idea and, basically, as in a mechanism, to get used to each other. Korobenko actually arrived the day before yesterday - and immediately into the starting XI. The same thing happened in pre-season training. Micheal flew in literally four days ago - he was busy preparing his documents, a work visa, we could not bring him earlier. The Tunisian Ali Salem was the main defender last season, but he missed the entire preseason – he’s just arrived. They need to make up for the time lost. I think the team will definitely get stronger.
- Due to the fixture calendar, you ended the last league season at the Olimpiyskiy against Shakhtar and started the new one here as well. But the two matches are very different because on May 9 you both played almost evenly, while now the first half was just a failure - zero shots on target, you practically did not cross the halfway line. Did you get scared by the renewed Shakhtar? And what did you tell the guys at half-time?
- My opinion is this: if we compare the Shakhtar in May and this one, now they are much stronger, faster and more powerful. The most important thing that catches the eye is their really fast ballwork. Shakhtar have always stood out due to their control, they have always dominated, but that control was more for the sake of control alone. While this time, the opponents tried to bring each attack to its logical conclusion - a shot on target, a cross. Shakhtar play sharper now. You saw that in midfield they provoked us in football terms, awaiting us to stretch the first defensive line, and then a splitting pass immediately followed - and they turned us around to face our goal. We understood that it would happen like that, and we endured it. We watched the games against Schalke 04 and vs Rakow, we knew that if we just couldn't slightly keep up with them, it would be tough for us. We hoped for a counterattack, but it didn’t work out. Credit for this goes largely to Shakhtar.
- Shakhtar dominated the entire match, but 10 minutes away from time you managed to win back one goal. Did you have a feeling that you might ruin De Zerbi's debut?
- It would’ve been some kind of absolute luck. To me personally, as a coach, it happened like this: five years ago we made our debut in the Premier League - Fonseca made his debut. De Zerbi is now making his debut. That’s just the course of events. We could hardly count on anything more than this. Shakhtar could count on more: they created enough chances to convert them. At some point we got lucky, at another point the goalkeeper played well, plus the Shakhtar players themselves got offside at certain moments. Shakhtar were closer to scoring more goals than we were to equalizing.
- Why didn't Micheal Gopey appear from the off? In the second half, he was the only player who threatened things, he could charge forward and repeatedly displayed that.
- I already said that he’d arrived just three days ago. Yes, Micheal played like a striker should do. But Shakhtar, to be honest, also changed two key players. Alan Patrick and Pedrinho left - and the game developed absolutely differently. We understood that it wasn’t in vain that these players are the current leaders of Shakhtar. They would’ve been super leaders on any team. Sudakov came on - with all due respect to him, he’s a good, promising footballer, perhaps a future star, but he’s not Alan Patrick or Pedrinho. So this is not about the strength of our Micheal, but to an extent De Zerbi simply gave his leaders some rest.
- Because of what qualities did you invite Micheal Gopey to your team?
- First - his good age, 21 years old. Second is the ability to challenge the opponents one on one, cling onto the ball, score goals. This footballer has a prospect. We hope he will rediscover his optimum form and get into the starting XI. It all depends on him. We took him in order to develop. I don't think anyone would have found it even on Wikipedia or Wyscout before today's match. And after this game some information about him will appear in the press tomorrow. Thank God, it so happens to us since the First League times that each striker succeeds in proving himself. We had Oleksandr Akymenko who scored the most goals at our club, there was Nika Sichinava. Now there is Artem Sitalo and Micheal. They will get stronger, let them score.
- People say these days: Shakhtar have strengthened, Dynamo have minimal personnel changes, Zorya, Vorskla, Kolos and Dnipro-1 try to seek participation in European competitions, while everyone else has small salaries, few newcomers, Chornomorets are Dynamo No. 2, Mariupol are Shakhtar No. 2. And that there is more competition in the middle of the table. What’s your take on this? And are there any teams who can impose a fight on both Dynamo and Shakhtar in the league?
- I think that hardly anyone will be able to join in the competition between Dynamo and Shakhtar. I will tell you my personal opinion. Probably, the division in the table will be as follows: the first two teams, then the third and fourth, and only then all the rest - they are of more or less the same level. Veres played against Kolos - it was far from an outstanding display. Yesterday Mariupol took on Lviv ... Matches between equal opponents. In my opinion, the main competition will be going on among those teams. And Shakhtar and Dynamo will fight for the top spot, for proving stronger.
- How did you put the new team together? It’s new, with many experienced football players, Opanasenko was without match practice for a long time. Korobenko was at Dynamo and returned, one might say, ‘straight to the ball’.
- If we take the scouting work, I think that we definitely have not got any weaker. We invited some experienced football players. The only difference is that in their clubs they did not have full-fledged playing practice - this is probably the main quality based on which we were able to invite them. In our team, they will definitely have some permanent practice - the same Opanasenko, Polehenko did not have it at their clubs. From the squad that we had last season, four men have been on the field today. It takes time for everyone to understand the coaching staff’s idea and, basically, as in a mechanism, to get used to each other. Korobenko actually arrived the day before yesterday - and immediately into the starting XI. The same thing happened in pre-season training. Micheal flew in literally four days ago - he was busy preparing his documents, a work visa, we could not bring him earlier. The Tunisian Ali Salem was the main defender last season, but he missed the entire preseason – he’s just arrived. They need to make up for the time lost. I think the team will definitely get stronger.
- Due to the fixture calendar, you ended the last league season at the Olimpiyskiy against Shakhtar and started the new one here as well. But the two matches are very different because on May 9 you both played almost evenly, while now the first half was just a failure - zero shots on target, you practically did not cross the halfway line. Did you get scared by the renewed Shakhtar? And what did you tell the guys at half-time?
- My opinion is this: if we compare the Shakhtar in May and this one, now they are much stronger, faster and more powerful. The most important thing that catches the eye is their really fast ballwork. Shakhtar have always stood out due to their control, they have always dominated, but that control was more for the sake of control alone. While this time, the opponents tried to bring each attack to its logical conclusion - a shot on target, a cross. Shakhtar play sharper now. You saw that in midfield they provoked us in football terms, awaiting us to stretch the first defensive line, and then a splitting pass immediately followed - and they turned us around to face our goal. We understood that it would happen like that, and we endured it. We watched the games against Schalke 04 and vs Rakow, we knew that if we just couldn't slightly keep up with them, it would be tough for us. We hoped for a counterattack, but it didn’t work out. Credit for this goes largely to Shakhtar.
- Shakhtar dominated the entire match, but 10 minutes away from time you managed to win back one goal. Did you have a feeling that you might ruin De Zerbi's debut?
- It would’ve been some kind of absolute luck. To me personally, as a coach, it happened like this: five years ago we made our debut in the Premier League - Fonseca made his debut. De Zerbi is now making his debut. That’s just the course of events. We could hardly count on anything more than this. Shakhtar could count on more: they created enough chances to convert them. At some point we got lucky, at another point the goalkeeper played well, plus the Shakhtar players themselves got offside at certain moments. Shakhtar were closer to scoring more goals than we were to equalizing.
- Why didn't Micheal Gopey appear from the off? In the second half, he was the only player who threatened things, he could charge forward and repeatedly displayed that.
- I already said that he’d arrived just three days ago. Yes, Micheal played like a striker should do. But Shakhtar, to be honest, also changed two key players. Alan Patrick and Pedrinho left - and the game developed absolutely differently. We understood that it wasn’t in vain that these players are the current leaders of Shakhtar. They would’ve been super leaders on any team. Sudakov came on - with all due respect to him, he’s a good, promising footballer, perhaps a future star, but he’s not Alan Patrick or Pedrinho. So this is not about the strength of our Micheal, but to an extent De Zerbi simply gave his leaders some rest.
- Because of what qualities did you invite Micheal Gopey to your team?
- First - his good age, 21 years old. Second is the ability to challenge the opponents one on one, cling onto the ball, score goals. This footballer has a prospect. We hope he will rediscover his optimum form and get into the starting XI. It all depends on him. We took him in order to develop. I don't think anyone would have found it even on Wikipedia or Wyscout before today's match. And after this game some information about him will appear in the press tomorrow. Thank God, it so happens to us since the First League times that each striker succeeds in proving himself. We had Oleksandr Akymenko who scored the most goals at our club, there was Nika Sichinava. Now there is Artem Sitalo and Micheal. They will get stronger, let them score.
- People say these days: Shakhtar have strengthened, Dynamo have minimal personnel changes, Zorya, Vorskla, Kolos and Dnipro-1 try to seek participation in European competitions, while everyone else has small salaries, few newcomers, Chornomorets are Dynamo No. 2, Mariupol are Shakhtar No. 2. And that there is more competition in the middle of the table. What’s your take on this? And are there any teams who can impose a fight on both Dynamo and Shakhtar in the league?
- I think that hardly anyone will be able to join in the competition between Dynamo and Shakhtar. I will tell you my personal opinion. Probably, the division in the table will be as follows: the first two teams, then the third and fourth, and only then all the rest - they are of more or less the same level. Veres played against Kolos - it was far from an outstanding display. Yesterday Mariupol took on Lviv ... Matches between equal opponents. In my opinion, the main competition will be going on among those teams. And Shakhtar and Dynamo will fight for the top spot, for proving stronger.