To work to the max
Thursday, June 24, 2021
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Defender Yukhym Konoplia who is with the team on the pre-season training camp in Austria, told Shakhtar News about his availability, new coaching staff and personal goals
- The team have trained for a week now. What is your current form?
- They gave us the opportunity to get used to it. We didn’t have any excessive workload, on the contrary, everything was moderate. I think that’s exactly what we need after the vacation.
- You spent last season on loan at Desna. When and from whom did you find out that you would undergo pre-season training with Shakhtar? What were your emotions?
- Midway through my vacation, Darijo Srna called me and told me to get ready. I was delighted and a bit excited because I’ve been at Shakhtar practically from the beginning of my career, but I’ve never been in the first team yet.
- There are many players at Shakhtar with whom you played in national teams of different ages and at the Academy. Do the guys help you to adapt?
- Of course they do! The team is very good. We also try to keep in touch with the foreign guys in order to better understand each other on the pitch.
- What can you say about the coaching staff and Roberto De Zerbi? Is their training surprising in a way? Do you find something new there?
- There are lots of new things at the moment ... In terms of mentality, they remind me of the national team coaching staff, but many things are still different. I like the approach, attention to each player. Coaches try to talk: even if someone doesn’t speak English and there’s no translator nearby, they try to explain it in hand-waving terms. Everything is very interesting!
- Have you already had a chance to talk to the head coach in person? Do you have any personal support?
- No personal approach, but we talk a lot with both the head coach and his assistants at sessions. Basically, his ideas are clear, I want to fulfil everything on the field.
- What are your personal goals at the Austrian training camp? What do you want to achieve during this time?
- I want to display my competitiveness, win the coach’s trust, show myself and everything I can do. Also, to get fit again, to know the teammates better to avoid any misunderstanding, and to work to the max.
- They gave us the opportunity to get used to it. We didn’t have any excessive workload, on the contrary, everything was moderate. I think that’s exactly what we need after the vacation.
- You spent last season on loan at Desna. When and from whom did you find out that you would undergo pre-season training with Shakhtar? What were your emotions?
- Midway through my vacation, Darijo Srna called me and told me to get ready. I was delighted and a bit excited because I’ve been at Shakhtar practically from the beginning of my career, but I’ve never been in the first team yet.
- There are many players at Shakhtar with whom you played in national teams of different ages and at the Academy. Do the guys help you to adapt?
- Of course they do! The team is very good. We also try to keep in touch with the foreign guys in order to better understand each other on the pitch.
- What can you say about the coaching staff and Roberto De Zerbi? Is their training surprising in a way? Do you find something new there?
- There are lots of new things at the moment ... In terms of mentality, they remind me of the national team coaching staff, but many things are still different. I like the approach, attention to each player. Coaches try to talk: even if someone doesn’t speak English and there’s no translator nearby, they try to explain it in hand-waving terms. Everything is very interesting!
- Have you already had a chance to talk to the head coach in person? Do you have any personal support?
- No personal approach, but we talk a lot with both the head coach and his assistants at sessions. Basically, his ideas are clear, I want to fulfil everything on the field.
- What are your personal goals at the Austrian training camp? What do you want to achieve during this time?
- I want to display my competitiveness, win the coach’s trust, show myself and everything I can do. Also, to get fit again, to know the teammates better to avoid any misunderstanding, and to work to the max.