A good lesson that we can learn a lot from
Sunday, August 11, 2024
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Head coach of Shakhtar Marino Pusic shared his impressions of the UPL match against Polissia
– The game can be divided into two parts. In the first half, we were not aggressive enough on the ball, showed insufficient desire to win in duels and acting without the ball in general, that is why we lost the first half. As for the second half, I have no complaints about the team. There were several counterattacks, which, fortunately for us, did not end in something serious. And we created a lot of moments in the second half of the meeting, but we were not lucky enough to score. However, I am fully satisfied with how my team reacted to an unsuccessful first half. For us, this is a lesson that we can learn a lot from in order to continue working and improving every day.
– A lot of goals were scored in the first round. Did it affect today’s conversion, because maybe the players were relaxed?
– This is football, and anything can happen here. We had some great chances in the second half and could very well have scored two or three times, but the opponent’s goalkeeper was on top, and, in my opinion, we lacked composure in the final phase a bit. We are working on it, and I am sure that we will manage to improve it. And, as I have already emphasised, for us, this is a good lesson that we can learn a lot from. We will return stronger every time.
– Today, perhaps for the first time during the period of your work at Shakhtar, there was such a large number of spectators at the home match. How do you like the atmosphere in the stands?
– I was very happy to see the fans and I thank them for such emotional support. And I sincerely hope that we will be able to see even more people in the stands during the next matches. Of course, I would like to apologise for not being able to make them happy with a victory, but I promise that we will fight in the next games and will become better.
– What is the reason for the absence of Oleksandr Zubkov in the squad list?
– Oleksandr was injured in the previous game, in the first UPL round. We expect him to return approximately in two or three weeks. He is currently working on recovery, and we hope that he will join the team soon. Talking about good news: most likely, Kryskiv should be back as early as next week and join the training process. We actually have a very big squad, every player has personal qualities that can strengthen our team, so I am sure that we will be able to integrate each of them in a way that benefits the club.
– A lot of goals were scored in the first round. Did it affect today’s conversion, because maybe the players were relaxed?
– This is football, and anything can happen here. We had some great chances in the second half and could very well have scored two or three times, but the opponent’s goalkeeper was on top, and, in my opinion, we lacked composure in the final phase a bit. We are working on it, and I am sure that we will manage to improve it. And, as I have already emphasised, for us, this is a good lesson that we can learn a lot from. We will return stronger every time.
– Today, perhaps for the first time during the period of your work at Shakhtar, there was such a large number of spectators at the home match. How do you like the atmosphere in the stands?
– I was very happy to see the fans and I thank them for such emotional support. And I sincerely hope that we will be able to see even more people in the stands during the next matches. Of course, I would like to apologise for not being able to make them happy with a victory, but I promise that we will fight in the next games and will become better.
– What is the reason for the absence of Oleksandr Zubkov in the squad list?
– Oleksandr was injured in the previous game, in the first UPL round. We expect him to return approximately in two or three weeks. He is currently working on recovery, and we hope that he will join the team soon. Talking about good news: most likely, Kryskiv should be back as early as next week and join the training process. We actually have a very big squad, every player has personal qualities that can strengthen our team, so I am sure that we will be able to integrate each of them in a way that benefits the club.