It is important to maintain the rhythm and take it game by game
Sunday, April 26, 2026
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Press conference of Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan after the UPL match against Kudrivka (3-1)
– First of all, I would like to congratulate my players today: Denys Tvardovskyi, who made his debut this season, and the other performers who have not been regulars in the starting line-up – Irakli Azarov, Alaa Ghram, Lucas Ferreira, who is getting more and more minutes. I am truly pleased with their performance and glad they made good use of the chance they were given. It is never easy to step into match rhythm when you have been out of action for a long time. So my sincere thanks to them and my full appreciation for how they were integrated into our team structure today. As for the match itself, I was satisfied with our first half, but the start of the second half concerned me: there was a loss of concentration, which I do not like, so we will work on that and analyse it in detail in our sessions and team discussions. However, we also need to understand that this was our third match in the space of a few days, so sometimes players can lose focus slightly. My role as head coach is to push them and remind them of the importance of maintaining concentration. I’m confident that we will become even better after this match than we were yesterday and will continue moving forward towards the next challenges.
– Shakhtar’s lead in the championship has increased to eight points. Do you even pay attention to the league table and your rivals’ results currently, and in what frame of mind are you heading into the key match of the season?
– As I emphasised, our league position today is better than it was yesterday. And of course, that is a very positive signal for us. But overall, we continue to follow our approach of game by game, day by day. Right now, our next opponents are Crystal Palace in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals, so we are fully focused on preparing for that tie from this moment. After that, we will switch again and fully concentrate on our next opponents in the Ukrainian Premier League, Dynamo Kyiv, who produced an incredible comeback today against Kryvbas. I would like to praise both teams for a truly emotional encounter, and they deserve credit for that. So after Crystal Palace, we will prepare very carefully for Dynamo. However, as I have said before, it is important for us to move step by step and match by match, because if we look at the overall structure of the schedule, it is simply impossible to survive otherwise – it is something extraordinary.
– I understand that you follow the EPL. What kind of opponents are Crystal Palace for Shakhtar? Through what means can this team be beaten and what strengths would you highlight? And given that Shakhtar have had a very congested run of matches in this cycle both in the Ukrainian Premier League and in the Conference League, are the team physically ready for this decisive stage of the season?
– I feel that we will be ready, because this is the semi-finals. We must be ready in any case. Yes, we are tired – first of all mentally, psychologically because it really takes a lot of our life energy. Regarding our opponents, they are a top-level team playing in one of the most competitive leagues in the world We do not know how else to assess our opponents. Our analysis will be ready immediately after today’s match because, as I said, we move from game to game. If I allowed myself to think about the next fixture before this one was finished, I believe it would be a big mistake – both for me and for the team. That is what I mean when I say we go from game to game, from one tie to the next. The conditions in which we have to play, and the whole schedule in general, are extremely demanding. However, from my first day here, I was ready to accept these conditions and circumstances. What we ask from our players is, I’m not afraid to say it, something truly superhuman. It is very difficult, but we have worked towards this goal for nine months since my first day here. Now we cannot simply give up. We continue to fight until the final whistle, until the very last match of this season.
– After conceding the goal, Shakhtar quickly regained control. How did you manage to maintain the structure of your play and how satisfied are you with the team’s work without the ball, especially when Kudrivka were building from defence?
– As I have already emphasised, it is truly very difficult to demand the same level of concentration from your players in every game. It is really demanding. It’s not only about matches, but also about training sessions and analysis, so we constantly have to emphasise this. In any case, I’m very satisfied with how they are fulfilling my demands regarding high pressing, that is, meeting the opponents in their own half. And this applies not only to our performances in the domestic league. I fully agree with how we are pressing in European matches as well. If you look at statistical platforms, we are among the top teams in Europe in terms of high pressing. I believe I must praise my team and my players when they deserve it. They deserve all the credit when they truly put in the effort. Our idea is to allow the opponents as little space as possible to push us back towards our own goal – ideally not allowing it at all. I’m very satisfied with how my players are executing these instructions.
– You mentioned Denys Tvardovskyi, and Viktor Tsukanov also got minutes on the pitch. How would you assess their performances overall?
– As I have already said, I’m fully satisfied with how Denys is performing in goal. I can only praise him. At the same time, I would like to thank our goalkeeping coaches for the work they have done and for preparing him properly for this important fixture. As for Viktor Tsukanov, this is already his second season in Shakhtar’s first-team squad. Last year, he also featured regularly at this stage of the season and helped the team, both as a substitute and in the starting line-up. He is a truly special player with very interesting characteristics in my opinion. He has a bright future ahead of him, I believe in his potential, and in some aspects he reminds me of Andrés Iniesta.
– Shakhtar’s lead in the championship has increased to eight points. Do you even pay attention to the league table and your rivals’ results currently, and in what frame of mind are you heading into the key match of the season?
– As I emphasised, our league position today is better than it was yesterday. And of course, that is a very positive signal for us. But overall, we continue to follow our approach of game by game, day by day. Right now, our next opponents are Crystal Palace in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals, so we are fully focused on preparing for that tie from this moment. After that, we will switch again and fully concentrate on our next opponents in the Ukrainian Premier League, Dynamo Kyiv, who produced an incredible comeback today against Kryvbas. I would like to praise both teams for a truly emotional encounter, and they deserve credit for that. So after Crystal Palace, we will prepare very carefully for Dynamo. However, as I have said before, it is important for us to move step by step and match by match, because if we look at the overall structure of the schedule, it is simply impossible to survive otherwise – it is something extraordinary.
– I understand that you follow the EPL. What kind of opponents are Crystal Palace for Shakhtar? Through what means can this team be beaten and what strengths would you highlight? And given that Shakhtar have had a very congested run of matches in this cycle both in the Ukrainian Premier League and in the Conference League, are the team physically ready for this decisive stage of the season?
– I feel that we will be ready, because this is the semi-finals. We must be ready in any case. Yes, we are tired – first of all mentally, psychologically because it really takes a lot of our life energy. Regarding our opponents, they are a top-level team playing in one of the most competitive leagues in the world We do not know how else to assess our opponents. Our analysis will be ready immediately after today’s match because, as I said, we move from game to game. If I allowed myself to think about the next fixture before this one was finished, I believe it would be a big mistake – both for me and for the team. That is what I mean when I say we go from game to game, from one tie to the next. The conditions in which we have to play, and the whole schedule in general, are extremely demanding. However, from my first day here, I was ready to accept these conditions and circumstances. What we ask from our players is, I’m not afraid to say it, something truly superhuman. It is very difficult, but we have worked towards this goal for nine months since my first day here. Now we cannot simply give up. We continue to fight until the final whistle, until the very last match of this season.
– After conceding the goal, Shakhtar quickly regained control. How did you manage to maintain the structure of your play and how satisfied are you with the team’s work without the ball, especially when Kudrivka were building from defence?
– As I have already emphasised, it is truly very difficult to demand the same level of concentration from your players in every game. It is really demanding. It’s not only about matches, but also about training sessions and analysis, so we constantly have to emphasise this. In any case, I’m very satisfied with how they are fulfilling my demands regarding high pressing, that is, meeting the opponents in their own half. And this applies not only to our performances in the domestic league. I fully agree with how we are pressing in European matches as well. If you look at statistical platforms, we are among the top teams in Europe in terms of high pressing. I believe I must praise my team and my players when they deserve it. They deserve all the credit when they truly put in the effort. Our idea is to allow the opponents as little space as possible to push us back towards our own goal – ideally not allowing it at all. I’m very satisfied with how my players are executing these instructions.
– You mentioned Denys Tvardovskyi, and Viktor Tsukanov also got minutes on the pitch. How would you assess their performances overall?
– As I have already said, I’m fully satisfied with how Denys is performing in goal. I can only praise him. At the same time, I would like to thank our goalkeeping coaches for the work they have done and for preparing him properly for this important fixture. As for Viktor Tsukanov, this is already his second season in Shakhtar’s first-team squad. Last year, he also featured regularly at this stage of the season and helped the team, both as a substitute and in the starting line-up. He is a truly special player with very interesting characteristics in my opinion. He has a bright future ahead of him, I believe in his potential, and in some aspects he reminds me of Andrés Iniesta.