We have no opportunity to relax
Thursday, April 23, 2026
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Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan comments after the UPL match against Zorya (2-1)
– Mister, congratulations on the win! The lead over LNZ has now increased to six points. Do you feel a certain sense of calm?
– First of all, with your permission and taking this opportunity, I would like to note that we are celebrating Children’s Day today in my home country, Türkiye. This is a holiday established by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and it is very important. I would like to wish peace, calm and harmony to all children around the world.
As for your question, relaxation is simply not possible in our situation. Yes, we become even more tired over the course of the season, but it is always worth it. You know, playing at a big stadium filled with 90,000 supporters is easy; at this time of day, playing against Zorya here at this stadium requires great mental effort. I’m grateful to my players for showing that. We made changes to several positions, which we considered correct in terms of targeted planning and the opponents’ strengths. I was constantly, as you could see, pushing my players, giving instructions, adding energy both from the bench and in the dressing room. They did a really good job, so I can assure you that right now we have no opportunity to relax, this is an important victory. But we will not relax until the final whistle of the last match that will definitely secure us the title. So for now, it is very simple and straightforward – we are preparing for the next opponents, whom we will face on Sunday.
– Today Prosper started and scored his first goal for Shakhtar. It took him quite a long time to score. Do you think the fact that he had not scored yet was putting pressure on him?
– I always talk to my players, and first of all, I really like that there is a clear strategy and a vision of the future that is being built day by day, step by step at Shakhtar. Prosper Obah is directly part of this bright future. Last night, when we decided to start him, I immediately spoke to him and explained the tactical requirements I wanted to see from him in this match. Without a doubt, he is improving from game to game in my view. I’m fully satisfied with his progress and the way he is performing. We must understand a simple truth: young players need time, they cannot become top performers immediately. That is why I have no doubts that he will score many goals, win many trophies and take his place into the history of this club.
– Shakhtar’s opponents cause you a lot of problems from set pieces in fact in almost every match. How would you assess your team’s work on set pieces today?
– We constantly speak with the players about this as well. It is important to understand that we are playing matches, without exaggeration, every three days. And today I’m satisfied with how we performed. However, I constantly emphasise the need to improve details such as second balls that can arise in these situations. Yes, unfortunately, we sometimes concede from them – as, for example, in the match against LNZ. But we simply lack time, as most of it is spent in the analysis room, where we only review set pieces on video, rather than having the opportunity to work on them on the pitch and apply them in practice. So, yes, we gain knowledge in theory, but unfortunately it is not enough. I could enter into a debate and speak about how limited we are by our schedule, but I believe that would not be entirely appropriate.
– First of all, with your permission and taking this opportunity, I would like to note that we are celebrating Children’s Day today in my home country, Türkiye. This is a holiday established by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and it is very important. I would like to wish peace, calm and harmony to all children around the world.
As for your question, relaxation is simply not possible in our situation. Yes, we become even more tired over the course of the season, but it is always worth it. You know, playing at a big stadium filled with 90,000 supporters is easy; at this time of day, playing against Zorya here at this stadium requires great mental effort. I’m grateful to my players for showing that. We made changes to several positions, which we considered correct in terms of targeted planning and the opponents’ strengths. I was constantly, as you could see, pushing my players, giving instructions, adding energy both from the bench and in the dressing room. They did a really good job, so I can assure you that right now we have no opportunity to relax, this is an important victory. But we will not relax until the final whistle of the last match that will definitely secure us the title. So for now, it is very simple and straightforward – we are preparing for the next opponents, whom we will face on Sunday.
– Today Prosper started and scored his first goal for Shakhtar. It took him quite a long time to score. Do you think the fact that he had not scored yet was putting pressure on him?
– I always talk to my players, and first of all, I really like that there is a clear strategy and a vision of the future that is being built day by day, step by step at Shakhtar. Prosper Obah is directly part of this bright future. Last night, when we decided to start him, I immediately spoke to him and explained the tactical requirements I wanted to see from him in this match. Without a doubt, he is improving from game to game in my view. I’m fully satisfied with his progress and the way he is performing. We must understand a simple truth: young players need time, they cannot become top performers immediately. That is why I have no doubts that he will score many goals, win many trophies and take his place into the history of this club.
– Shakhtar’s opponents cause you a lot of problems from set pieces in fact in almost every match. How would you assess your team’s work on set pieces today?
– We constantly speak with the players about this as well. It is important to understand that we are playing matches, without exaggeration, every three days. And today I’m satisfied with how we performed. However, I constantly emphasise the need to improve details such as second balls that can arise in these situations. Yes, unfortunately, we sometimes concede from them – as, for example, in the match against LNZ. But we simply lack time, as most of it is spent in the analysis room, where we only review set pieces on video, rather than having the opportunity to work on them on the pitch and apply them in practice. So, yes, we gain knowledge in theory, but unfortunately it is not enough. I could enter into a debate and speak about how limited we are by our schedule, but I believe that would not be entirely appropriate.