An example of how we should play
Sunday, September 28, 2025
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Press conference of Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan after the UPL match against Rukh (4-0)
– First of all, I want to emphasise that this was truly a very good performance from our side in many aspects. We made some changes, mainly in the attacking phase, with the footballers who took to the pitch today. I was genuinely pleased to watch this game because I feel we returned to the settings that should be our default. This was truly the kind of play we should uphold. I speak directly to my players if there’s something I don’t like about what they are doing or if they aren’t following my instructions, but today I have nothing to reproach them for. I think we could see just how much of a different level we are on when Pedrinho, Bondarenko and others effectively capitalise on one-on-one situations, break into the opponents’ penalty area and convert the chances we create. It seems that today was exactly such a textbook example of how we should play. I sincerely hope we stay at the top of the league table, continue to maintain the same energy and emotion, and carry it into our upcoming matches.
– How easy was it to maintain the pace once the score became comfortable for your team? (vgolos.ua)
– Undoubtedly, it’s never easy to always keep the rhythm you need and maintain it at a high level, even when the score is comfortable and you’ve secured a certain advantage. I think we can look back three days ago, when Rukh faced Polissia in the Ukrainian Cup. They achieved a convincing victory while also demonstrating all the key principles of football: creating many one-on-one situations, breaking into the penalty area and having their full-backs push very high during positional attacks. If we analyse our play today, I believe we performed well following the same patterns: we created one-on-one situations in transition phases and tried to overload the opponents’ penalty area. I can assure you that without the right attitude and effort, you won’t score even during training, so I’m fully satisfied with the energy my footballers brought. Football is a serious game, and today we truly approached this encounter with the utmost seriousness.
– I know that preparing footballers is a very specific process, so how do you get the team ready tactically or psychologically before a match? (children’s TV project Podruzhky)
– First of all, thank you for the respect: you stood up when asking the question. I truly appreciate that and wanted to thank you. Regarding the question, our team have many very young players with lots of potential, but they still have a lot to learn. Our goal is to be perfect both on and off the pitch. But what does “perfect” mean to me? I don’t see perfection as the absence of mistakes and always tell my players that, first and foremost, they are human, and every person is prone to making errors to some degree. What matters is how you respond to your mistakes and what lessons you take from them. That’s why I’m always honest with my players, reminding them that I’m here, and if they stumble, I’m ready to help and guide them back on the right path. In life, when you make mistakes, it’s important to do so, let’s say, in the right place and at the right time. With this in mind, I’m always alongside my players and my team, and even if they slip up, I’m ready to support them. The key is that they themselves want to learn and know how to navigate through their mistakes.
– Mister, congratulations on the win! Shakhtar had six shots on target today, scoring four goals. How satisfied are you with the team’s finishing? (ua.tribuna.com)
– Looking back, I can say that it somehow happened that we had 35 shots but only scored one goal in previous matches, whereas today our efficiency was much higher compared to those moments. I still emphasise that we are playing correctly, following our football philosophy, showing our own style of play, and I believe we did everything right both then and now. For me, the best measure of any statistics is game control. In my opinion, we controlled the match both in transition phases and in building positional attacks today. Of course, I’ll check the statistics, take some insights for myself, but raw numbers don’t give me the full picture. What matters is promoting the style of football you want to play, and I think we managed to achieve that today.
– How easy was it to maintain the pace once the score became comfortable for your team? (vgolos.ua)
– Undoubtedly, it’s never easy to always keep the rhythm you need and maintain it at a high level, even when the score is comfortable and you’ve secured a certain advantage. I think we can look back three days ago, when Rukh faced Polissia in the Ukrainian Cup. They achieved a convincing victory while also demonstrating all the key principles of football: creating many one-on-one situations, breaking into the penalty area and having their full-backs push very high during positional attacks. If we analyse our play today, I believe we performed well following the same patterns: we created one-on-one situations in transition phases and tried to overload the opponents’ penalty area. I can assure you that without the right attitude and effort, you won’t score even during training, so I’m fully satisfied with the energy my footballers brought. Football is a serious game, and today we truly approached this encounter with the utmost seriousness.
– I know that preparing footballers is a very specific process, so how do you get the team ready tactically or psychologically before a match? (children’s TV project Podruzhky)
– First of all, thank you for the respect: you stood up when asking the question. I truly appreciate that and wanted to thank you. Regarding the question, our team have many very young players with lots of potential, but they still have a lot to learn. Our goal is to be perfect both on and off the pitch. But what does “perfect” mean to me? I don’t see perfection as the absence of mistakes and always tell my players that, first and foremost, they are human, and every person is prone to making errors to some degree. What matters is how you respond to your mistakes and what lessons you take from them. That’s why I’m always honest with my players, reminding them that I’m here, and if they stumble, I’m ready to help and guide them back on the right path. In life, when you make mistakes, it’s important to do so, let’s say, in the right place and at the right time. With this in mind, I’m always alongside my players and my team, and even if they slip up, I’m ready to support them. The key is that they themselves want to learn and know how to navigate through their mistakes.
– Mister, congratulations on the win! Shakhtar had six shots on target today, scoring four goals. How satisfied are you with the team’s finishing? (ua.tribuna.com)
– Looking back, I can say that it somehow happened that we had 35 shots but only scored one goal in previous matches, whereas today our efficiency was much higher compared to those moments. I still emphasise that we are playing correctly, following our football philosophy, showing our own style of play, and I believe we did everything right both then and now. For me, the best measure of any statistics is game control. In my opinion, we controlled the match both in transition phases and in building positional attacks today. Of course, I’ll check the statistics, take some insights for myself, but raw numbers don’t give me the full picture. What matters is promoting the style of football you want to play, and I think we managed to achieve that today.