A very important game for us
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
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Shakhtar midfielder Yehor Nazaryna took part in the press conference before the match against Antwerp
– Yehor, you personally know Antwerp quite well. What can you say about the opponents, what are their strengths? Maybe you can even personally single out someone in this team?
– The team have changed since I had been with them, I would say, by 95 percent. That is why I do not know anyone from the current team and, of course, I do not know the coach either. All I can say is that we watched and analysed this opponent. We have a difficult and very important game for us ahead.
– How does the war in Ukraine affect you psychologically and mentally? And how do you manage to maintain your professional level and be on top despite everything?
– Yes, the situation is really difficult – we live in a country at war, we play football. However, we are professional footballers, so we defend the honour of our country internationally and thank our Armed Forces for giving us this opportunity. Again: it is not easy, but we will do our best to adequately represent our country in the European arena.
– Is it possible to consider Antwerp as the opponents with which Shakhtar will compete for the third place in the group? How do you assess the strength of this team?
– Why third place in the group? We have only played one game against Porto, we have five more matches. So, the whole struggle in the group is ahead.
– What is your take on your performance in September? Since you had your debut in the Champions League and for Ukraine national team, and it looks like a good period.
– Yes, there were good moments: debut for the national team, debut in the Champions League. But there were also many bad moments: some results we would like to be better. So, there were many positive aspects, but there was also negativity, which we will try to fix.
– Can you compare the line-up of Shakhtar before the war and now? What changed?
– I cannot compare the squads, because I was not in the team before the war. But, as you can see even from the outside, the team became younger and have more Ukrainian players. That is a good thing for our country.
– The team have changed since I had been with them, I would say, by 95 percent. That is why I do not know anyone from the current team and, of course, I do not know the coach either. All I can say is that we watched and analysed this opponent. We have a difficult and very important game for us ahead.
– How does the war in Ukraine affect you psychologically and mentally? And how do you manage to maintain your professional level and be on top despite everything?
– Yes, the situation is really difficult – we live in a country at war, we play football. However, we are professional footballers, so we defend the honour of our country internationally and thank our Armed Forces for giving us this opportunity. Again: it is not easy, but we will do our best to adequately represent our country in the European arena.
– Is it possible to consider Antwerp as the opponents with which Shakhtar will compete for the third place in the group? How do you assess the strength of this team?
– Why third place in the group? We have only played one game against Porto, we have five more matches. So, the whole struggle in the group is ahead.
– What is your take on your performance in September? Since you had your debut in the Champions League and for Ukraine national team, and it looks like a good period.
– Yes, there were good moments: debut for the national team, debut in the Champions League. But there were also many bad moments: some results we would like to be better. So, there were many positive aspects, but there was also negativity, which we will try to fix.
– Can you compare the line-up of Shakhtar before the war and now? What changed?
– I cannot compare the squads, because I was not in the team before the war. But, as you can see even from the outside, the team became younger and have more Ukrainian players. That is a good thing for our country.