The first part of the season has been successful
Saturday, December 13, 2025
|
Shakhtar U19 head coach Oleksii Bielik spoke about the victory over Epicentr U19 and summed up the first part of the season
– Shakhtar U19 recorded a convincing victory over Epicentr U19 in the final match of 2025. How did you assess the game and did you expect such a result?
– We always expect to win and to show the style of play that we work on during training. Today, in general, that is exactly what happened. The only thing was that I would have liked the team to be more effective in the final phase of our attacks in the first half. Nevertheless, I would like to thank the lads for the performance. It was a very good match and we corrected what we had not done well in the opening period in the second half. For me as a coach, it is always difficult when there is an opportunity to make substitutions because you have to decide exactly whom to bring on with the limitation of five changes. You want to give as much playing time as possible to those who have had fewer minutes, to support them. Of course, there are players who directly deliver results – by scoring goals or, on the contrary, preventing the opponents from creating chances – but this would not be possible without the rotation players who patiently wait for their opportunity. In this respect, patience and the creation of healthy competition are important, and sooner or later everyone will get their chance. For example, today goalkeeper Vladyslav Chympoiesh made his debut, while Oleksandr Chornenkyi scored a goal; he does not get much playing time, but through his work he proves that he deserves an opportunity. In addition, young players Oleksandr Balakai and Artem Derykon appeared on the pitch, while Yehor Onishchuk, who suffered an injury at the start of the season, returned to action after his recovery and showed himself well.
– Vladyslav Chympoiesh made his debut for Shakhtar youth team and produced several saves, especially in the second half. How would you assess his debut?
– Vladyslav really did save us in at least one moment, although you would like there to be no chances at all near our goal, but that is difficult to achieve because there is always the possibility of a counterattack when opponents defend deep with large numbers. Moreover, when the scoreline is comfortable, our players focus even more on attacking, and after mistakes are made, danger can arise near our goal. For his first match, he played very confidently and showed himself well.
– December has been successful for Shakhtar U19: a perfect record in three matches and the status of the league leaders. How important is this result?
– It is certainly important to have such a result and to be at the top of the standings, staying ahead of our competitors. After the international break, we have enjoyed a very good run, but I cannot say that there were any unsuccessful matches before that. In the two defeats this season, we were a little unlucky. Yes, we outperformed the opponents in terms of chances in the game against Polissia U19: the xG was roughly around 4 for us and 1.5 for them, so you can understand what the scoreline could have been. However, sometimes it happens that you concede a goal because of a mistake. The same applies to the match against Dynamo U19, where in my opinion we played worse than the opponents. Moreover, the opponents scored against us late on in those encounters – in matches that were more likely to end in a draw. I believe the first part of the season has been successful, and our position in the confirms that. At the same time, I stressed to the players that this is only an intermediate result and that there is still a lot of work ahead.
– What is known about the immediate plans and what instructions have the team received?
– There is only one instruction – to take a short break from football and spend time with their families. In two weeks, the players will receive an individual training programme aimed at ensuring they do not lose fitness and arrive at the training camp in proper condition.
– We always expect to win and to show the style of play that we work on during training. Today, in general, that is exactly what happened. The only thing was that I would have liked the team to be more effective in the final phase of our attacks in the first half. Nevertheless, I would like to thank the lads for the performance. It was a very good match and we corrected what we had not done well in the opening period in the second half. For me as a coach, it is always difficult when there is an opportunity to make substitutions because you have to decide exactly whom to bring on with the limitation of five changes. You want to give as much playing time as possible to those who have had fewer minutes, to support them. Of course, there are players who directly deliver results – by scoring goals or, on the contrary, preventing the opponents from creating chances – but this would not be possible without the rotation players who patiently wait for their opportunity. In this respect, patience and the creation of healthy competition are important, and sooner or later everyone will get their chance. For example, today goalkeeper Vladyslav Chympoiesh made his debut, while Oleksandr Chornenkyi scored a goal; he does not get much playing time, but through his work he proves that he deserves an opportunity. In addition, young players Oleksandr Balakai and Artem Derykon appeared on the pitch, while Yehor Onishchuk, who suffered an injury at the start of the season, returned to action after his recovery and showed himself well.
– Vladyslav Chympoiesh made his debut for Shakhtar youth team and produced several saves, especially in the second half. How would you assess his debut?
– Vladyslav really did save us in at least one moment, although you would like there to be no chances at all near our goal, but that is difficult to achieve because there is always the possibility of a counterattack when opponents defend deep with large numbers. Moreover, when the scoreline is comfortable, our players focus even more on attacking, and after mistakes are made, danger can arise near our goal. For his first match, he played very confidently and showed himself well.
– December has been successful for Shakhtar U19: a perfect record in three matches and the status of the league leaders. How important is this result?
– It is certainly important to have such a result and to be at the top of the standings, staying ahead of our competitors. After the international break, we have enjoyed a very good run, but I cannot say that there were any unsuccessful matches before that. In the two defeats this season, we were a little unlucky. Yes, we outperformed the opponents in terms of chances in the game against Polissia U19: the xG was roughly around 4 for us and 1.5 for them, so you can understand what the scoreline could have been. However, sometimes it happens that you concede a goal because of a mistake. The same applies to the match against Dynamo U19, where in my opinion we played worse than the opponents. Moreover, the opponents scored against us late on in those encounters – in matches that were more likely to end in a draw. I believe the first part of the season has been successful, and our position in the confirms that. At the same time, I stressed to the players that this is only an intermediate result and that there is still a lot of work ahead.
– What is known about the immediate plans and what instructions have the team received?
– There is only one instruction – to take a short break from football and spend time with their families. In two weeks, the players will receive an individual training programme aimed at ensuring they do not lose fitness and arrive at the training camp in proper condition.