It’s important to win
Sunday, August 3, 2025
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Press conference of Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan after the UPL match against Epicentr (1-0)
– I liked the way we started the game today, the first 20 minutes – we had plenty of chances to score. But, as you saw, we couldn’t convert early opportunities and after that the game became more difficult for us. They also played very good against us and defended strongly. Still, we kept pushing minute by minute and performed well in every phase. I’m very pleased with this first match because it’s important to win at this stage. We also showed some good football. Now we’ll be looking for more attacking solutions, we’re working on. And I’m very happy with our defensive work, as well as with the performance of some players who came on with great energy. That’s very important for us because our idea is one team, one family. No rotations, nothing like that. My players mean a lot to me, they’re like my brothers. And today I saw something really valuable in that regard. I’m very pleased with this idea.
– How would you assess the team’s performance today? (Planet Football Telegram channel)
– That’s not really my job, I believe it’s up to the journalists to give ratings. I look at every moment from both a defensive and attacking perspective. And I think you saw for yourselves that it was a very tough game. In my view, it was even harder than the matches against Panathinaikos or Beşiktaş because this was the first match of the season, the league opener and it kicked off at 15:30. I understand how difficult it was and I’m very pleased with it. If I win the first match, then for me, that’s 10 out of 10.
– It’s clear from your interviews and comments that improving the players’ physical condition is currently one of your main priorities. So were you satisfied with their physical and tactical preparation today? (TV project Podruzhky)
– I’ve said before that all of this matters: the kick-off time, the opponents, the team you’re up against – it all plays a role. But I’m pleased with the physical response from my players. And I understand it’s not easy. I’m trying to change a lot of things at once, including our defensive work. It’s not simple to shift the mentality in just one month, but every day we’re doing our best – both in defence and in attack. But if you want that kind of mentality, then physically you need to be at 100 percent. And I don’t want to hear any excuses from my players. They worked very well over the past and a half month. I like the energy they showed, they trained hard. We’re on the right path, but if I were to say we’ve changed everything in a month, that wouldn’t be true. We have a dream for the future, but we’re moving towards it step by step.
– What are your impressions of your first match in Ukraine? Did you expect such a tight game or were your expectations higher or lower? And how have your first days in Ukraine been, how are you feeling? (ua.tribuna.com)
– First of all, about the country, I like it, personally I really like it here. Everyone’s smiling. I understand that it’s not an easy time right now for, as I’ve said, our country, for Ukraine. Because if I’m here, we’re in this together. But despite everything, people are smiling and everyone’s trying to help me. That’s wonderful. And for me, that matters more than football. So thank you to everyone: the fans, the kids – everyone. I’m also trying to be closer to the people: taking photos, signing shirts. As for the other question, I respect the idea that football is football and that everyone is equal. Of course, if the opponents have a strategy focused on defence, I respect that. No, I wouldn’t say the game was too closed today. On the contrary, it’s good for football because it forces you to work through every aspect of the game: both defending and attacking. If the opponents defend well, you have to find more attacking solutions. They defended very well today and we tried to change that. We rotated our full-backs, gave them the freedom to push forward, kept things simple. One of those moments led to the goal you saw. That’s our idea: if you don’t respect your opponents and their approach, you won’t find solutions. I respect every football idea, even if it’s used against me. It’s my job to find solutions. And that’s a great thing for Ukrainian football: if you have physical qualities and other strengths, you can defend well. Because when I was a player, we beat some of the best teams in history thanks to our defending. I respect that, it’s part of my philosophy. And if I said anything else, it wouldn’t be true.
– How would you assess the team’s performance today? (Planet Football Telegram channel)
– That’s not really my job, I believe it’s up to the journalists to give ratings. I look at every moment from both a defensive and attacking perspective. And I think you saw for yourselves that it was a very tough game. In my view, it was even harder than the matches against Panathinaikos or Beşiktaş because this was the first match of the season, the league opener and it kicked off at 15:30. I understand how difficult it was and I’m very pleased with it. If I win the first match, then for me, that’s 10 out of 10.
– It’s clear from your interviews and comments that improving the players’ physical condition is currently one of your main priorities. So were you satisfied with their physical and tactical preparation today? (TV project Podruzhky)
– I’ve said before that all of this matters: the kick-off time, the opponents, the team you’re up against – it all plays a role. But I’m pleased with the physical response from my players. And I understand it’s not easy. I’m trying to change a lot of things at once, including our defensive work. It’s not simple to shift the mentality in just one month, but every day we’re doing our best – both in defence and in attack. But if you want that kind of mentality, then physically you need to be at 100 percent. And I don’t want to hear any excuses from my players. They worked very well over the past and a half month. I like the energy they showed, they trained hard. We’re on the right path, but if I were to say we’ve changed everything in a month, that wouldn’t be true. We have a dream for the future, but we’re moving towards it step by step.
– What are your impressions of your first match in Ukraine? Did you expect such a tight game or were your expectations higher or lower? And how have your first days in Ukraine been, how are you feeling? (ua.tribuna.com)
– First of all, about the country, I like it, personally I really like it here. Everyone’s smiling. I understand that it’s not an easy time right now for, as I’ve said, our country, for Ukraine. Because if I’m here, we’re in this together. But despite everything, people are smiling and everyone’s trying to help me. That’s wonderful. And for me, that matters more than football. So thank you to everyone: the fans, the kids – everyone. I’m also trying to be closer to the people: taking photos, signing shirts. As for the other question, I respect the idea that football is football and that everyone is equal. Of course, if the opponents have a strategy focused on defence, I respect that. No, I wouldn’t say the game was too closed today. On the contrary, it’s good for football because it forces you to work through every aspect of the game: both defending and attacking. If the opponents defend well, you have to find more attacking solutions. They defended very well today and we tried to change that. We rotated our full-backs, gave them the freedom to push forward, kept things simple. One of those moments led to the goal you saw. That’s our idea: if you don’t respect your opponents and their approach, you won’t find solutions. I respect every football idea, even if it’s used against me. It’s my job to find solutions. And that’s a great thing for Ukrainian football: if you have physical qualities and other strengths, you can defend well. Because when I was a player, we beat some of the best teams in history thanks to our defending. I respect that, it’s part of my philosophy. And if I said anything else, it wouldn’t be true.