We should score more
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
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Press conference of head coach of Shakhtar Marino Pusic after the victory in the match against Minaj (2-0)
– Mr. Marino, congratulations on the victory! Please tell us why you only made three substitutions during the match?
– It is interesting that people always ask about substitutions. I decided so because I thought that at that moment the team needed new energy and different players, it was logical to add fresh energy, other players were also part of the tactics. Different players mean different movements, maybe they can create more chances in other spaces, so that is why. And I all of them got into the game well, which is good. Lassina also was close to scoring, you could feel the new energy which appeared on the field. That is why we decided so. And, for example, if we talk about Kevin, a young performer who has not yet played many matches in his career, then this is part of his progress: he improves his physical shape and playing conditions. You could see that during the second half the energy was dropping a little bit, which I think is dangerous for a player: when he is no longer focused because of a lack of energy, he can get injured. So, it was also the reason. These decisions are always a combination of many things that make me think about replacing certain players.
– Were you able to implement everything that you planned?
– Yes, except that we wanted to score more goals. We should score more, because we created a lot of chances. I think that we started the game fantastically, came on very focused and organised, attacked many times. Maybe conversion is the only thing I can complain about, but I am not doing it because it is football and you cannot always convert all your chances. So, maybe, this is the only thing – we should score more goals. But the game plan was executed very well by my players, and they deserve compliments for the performance today.
– A question about Dmytro Chyhrynskyi. He is not in the team’s squad list for the second stage. Do you think this is a significant loss for the team, because he is an experienced player?
– I did not expect such a question, to be honest, because Chyhrynskyi was absent for a long period due to an injury, and then he was not able to come back during the pre-season. But I can tell you something about him: he is a very good person, a great player with an incredible career – and we should all have respect for that. And I have a lot of respect for him because the entire time he was not injured and played and trained with us, he was always there for the team. A fantastic team player.
– You have an international break ahead. How do you rate this first half of the spring part of the season and what are your plans for the next two weeks?
– It is very important for us to win a lot of matches in a row, which we are doing now. And as I can see from our last two games before the winter break, it is six victories in a row in the league, which is very good and very important. We have made progress during the pre-season, worked really hard, and I am very satisfied with that. And of course, like every team, we still have things to work on and should become even better. We fought for the first spot – and now we are in the first spot. People often say that it is easier to get there than to stay in that spot. So we are not at the finish line yet. Like I said, we have made progress, there is very tough competition. And actually, we created good conditions for the second part of the last stage of the season. We have to be focused, work very hard for every point, against every opponent, because this is a very tough league, and I experienced it. So we did a good job, we have not reached the finish line yet, so we have to be focused on the next games. And actually, we always go game by game, because there are many matches and points ahead. So, we move game by game.
– It is interesting that people always ask about substitutions. I decided so because I thought that at that moment the team needed new energy and different players, it was logical to add fresh energy, other players were also part of the tactics. Different players mean different movements, maybe they can create more chances in other spaces, so that is why. And I all of them got into the game well, which is good. Lassina also was close to scoring, you could feel the new energy which appeared on the field. That is why we decided so. And, for example, if we talk about Kevin, a young performer who has not yet played many matches in his career, then this is part of his progress: he improves his physical shape and playing conditions. You could see that during the second half the energy was dropping a little bit, which I think is dangerous for a player: when he is no longer focused because of a lack of energy, he can get injured. So, it was also the reason. These decisions are always a combination of many things that make me think about replacing certain players.
– Were you able to implement everything that you planned?
– Yes, except that we wanted to score more goals. We should score more, because we created a lot of chances. I think that we started the game fantastically, came on very focused and organised, attacked many times. Maybe conversion is the only thing I can complain about, but I am not doing it because it is football and you cannot always convert all your chances. So, maybe, this is the only thing – we should score more goals. But the game plan was executed very well by my players, and they deserve compliments for the performance today.
– A question about Dmytro Chyhrynskyi. He is not in the team’s squad list for the second stage. Do you think this is a significant loss for the team, because he is an experienced player?
– I did not expect such a question, to be honest, because Chyhrynskyi was absent for a long period due to an injury, and then he was not able to come back during the pre-season. But I can tell you something about him: he is a very good person, a great player with an incredible career – and we should all have respect for that. And I have a lot of respect for him because the entire time he was not injured and played and trained with us, he was always there for the team. A fantastic team player.
– You have an international break ahead. How do you rate this first half of the spring part of the season and what are your plans for the next two weeks?
– It is very important for us to win a lot of matches in a row, which we are doing now. And as I can see from our last two games before the winter break, it is six victories in a row in the league, which is very good and very important. We have made progress during the pre-season, worked really hard, and I am very satisfied with that. And of course, like every team, we still have things to work on and should become even better. We fought for the first spot – and now we are in the first spot. People often say that it is easier to get there than to stay in that spot. So we are not at the finish line yet. Like I said, we have made progress, there is very tough competition. And actually, we created good conditions for the second part of the last stage of the season. We have to be focused, work very hard for every point, against every opponent, because this is a very tough league, and I experienced it. So we did a good job, we have not reached the finish line yet, so we have to be focused on the next games. And actually, we always go game by game, because there are many matches and points ahead. So, we move game by game.