We increased the chances on the way to our goal
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
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Commentary of Shakhtar U19 head coach Oleksii Bielik after the victory over Arsenal (1-0)
– Congratulations on an important victory over Arsenal! Please tell us, how did the match go for the team?
– Thank you! It was a very good game and a very important win, considering the tournament standings, because we increased the chances on the way to our goal – advancing to the play-offs. As for the game, it is clear that it was difficult, Shakhtar U19 are used to constantly playing on the ball. In the previous two rounds against Bologna U19 and Atalanta U19, we had the initiative most of the time. I am very happy for the guys, because they were patient and organised, and the discipline in the defence was at the highest level. I do not even remember Arsenal U19 creating pressure, except for some wing crosses, but we handled that, despite the fact that we acted without the ball most of the time. The players have become much more flexible in this aspect, and they are not the performers who are used only to attack and control the ball. We have made a significant progress in this regard, and I emphasised at the pre-match session that we will have a moment in the attack that we are going to take advantage of. The only thing is that we could add quality in counterattacks and make the score bigger, but the specifics of the domestic league, where we act with positional defence and rarely attack, is visible here. We are working on this aspect during training sessions, and when it happens during the matches with the opponents like Arsenal, not that the players are worried, but rather they have a great desire which has an effect on our game, for example, in the episodes when we counterattacked with a numerical advantage or in the moment with Smetana’s shot. In such situations, we would like to be more cold-blooded, however, this is the UEFA Youth League, and it is normal at this age. The difficult trips should also be mentioned, because every team that we face in the European Cups has a certain advantage. I will add that Arsenal U19 players compete in Premier League 2, and some of them were involved in the game for the first team in cup competitions.
– Shakhtar were mainly in their own half of the field after the scored goal and counterattacked dangerously, at the same time not allowing to create sharp opportunities near their goal. Can it be considered that guys implemented the game plan fully?
– We want to control the ball, create moments and be creative, but we have the opponents that, firstly, play at home, and secondly, their performers play for the first team or in higher age competitions, which gives a certain advantage. In this case, we cannot always dictate our terms. The guys, who are used to playing on the ball and attacking since childhood, managed to rebuild and adapted to the opponent's actions successfully. Today there was not a defensive game, but a mind game, when we could rebuild from the middle block to the low block and counterattack. We counterattacked, and there are no comments on any player, but I want more quality in this aspect. However, these matches provide important experience that should be brought to the next ones.
– This week the team will have an equally important showdown in the domestic league, against Dynamo Kyiv. How will you prepare considering the trip and the limited time?
– Yes, we have a trip home ahead, and if all goes well, we will be in Kyiv already on Thursday. We will also have a recovery training session in Lviv, and we will focus on our opponent on Friday and Saturday. Dynamo are our main rivals in the domestic championship, and we will definitely not have any problems with the mood. The only thing is that we lost a lot of energy and emotions, but they can be restored.
– Thank you! It was a very good game and a very important win, considering the tournament standings, because we increased the chances on the way to our goal – advancing to the play-offs. As for the game, it is clear that it was difficult, Shakhtar U19 are used to constantly playing on the ball. In the previous two rounds against Bologna U19 and Atalanta U19, we had the initiative most of the time. I am very happy for the guys, because they were patient and organised, and the discipline in the defence was at the highest level. I do not even remember Arsenal U19 creating pressure, except for some wing crosses, but we handled that, despite the fact that we acted without the ball most of the time. The players have become much more flexible in this aspect, and they are not the performers who are used only to attack and control the ball. We have made a significant progress in this regard, and I emphasised at the pre-match session that we will have a moment in the attack that we are going to take advantage of. The only thing is that we could add quality in counterattacks and make the score bigger, but the specifics of the domestic league, where we act with positional defence and rarely attack, is visible here. We are working on this aspect during training sessions, and when it happens during the matches with the opponents like Arsenal, not that the players are worried, but rather they have a great desire which has an effect on our game, for example, in the episodes when we counterattacked with a numerical advantage or in the moment with Smetana’s shot. In such situations, we would like to be more cold-blooded, however, this is the UEFA Youth League, and it is normal at this age. The difficult trips should also be mentioned, because every team that we face in the European Cups has a certain advantage. I will add that Arsenal U19 players compete in Premier League 2, and some of them were involved in the game for the first team in cup competitions.
– Shakhtar were mainly in their own half of the field after the scored goal and counterattacked dangerously, at the same time not allowing to create sharp opportunities near their goal. Can it be considered that guys implemented the game plan fully?
– We want to control the ball, create moments and be creative, but we have the opponents that, firstly, play at home, and secondly, their performers play for the first team or in higher age competitions, which gives a certain advantage. In this case, we cannot always dictate our terms. The guys, who are used to playing on the ball and attacking since childhood, managed to rebuild and adapted to the opponent's actions successfully. Today there was not a defensive game, but a mind game, when we could rebuild from the middle block to the low block and counterattack. We counterattacked, and there are no comments on any player, but I want more quality in this aspect. However, these matches provide important experience that should be brought to the next ones.
– This week the team will have an equally important showdown in the domestic league, against Dynamo Kyiv. How will you prepare considering the trip and the limited time?
– Yes, we have a trip home ahead, and if all goes well, we will be in Kyiv already on Thursday. We will also have a recovery training session in Lviv, and we will focus on our opponent on Friday and Saturday. Dynamo are our main rivals in the domestic championship, and we will definitely not have any problems with the mood. The only thing is that we lost a lot of energy and emotions, but they can be restored.