The team played at a high level

– Matches in the youth championship are difficult. We try to keep an eye on all the teams so that we know who is playing. If I’m not mistaken, we are probably the only team who have essentially managed without the services of senior team players over these three rounds, with the exception of goalkeeper Bahlai. It was a difficult match, but I’m very pleased with it. I would like to thank my friend Mladen Bartulovic, who provided Kharkiv U21 with players who were on the bench in the first teams’ match, and some of whom even came onto the pitch. Thank you for this opportunity to play against senior players because it is actually difficult to find matches against adult teams as many refuse to play against younger footballers. We had the opportunity to face several players from Kharkiv’s first-team squad, as well as foreign players who cost four or five million euros each. We came out and proved that we Ukrainians are no worse than the foreign players and that our lads are competitive. I would like to thank my players and emphasise that it would have been worse if Kharkiv U21 had not been provided with any senior footballers because this is genuinely invaluable experience. I cannot single anyone out – everyone played at a high level and gave their all. We also defended very well, apart from certain moments, and scored two goals in attack. But if you look at the match, we had so many more chances that we could have secured a crushing win.

– Shakhtar U21 have recorded three wins and shown high scoring form in the first three rounds. Are you happy with such a start?
– Of course, I am. First of all, it is pleasing when the lads put in a lot of effort during training camps and sessions and manage to transfer that work onto the pitch. I have had and still have excellent assistants, and now Oleksii Hai and I have changed certain principles of play in defence – it is producing results. Of course, we will not always keep a clean sheet, and sometimes we will make mistakes, but it is clear how an organised defence allows us to express ourselves better in attack. You cannot take talent and skill away from us. I told the lads that we will not always be able to win, even if we stick to the game plan and play with concentration. Even if the result does not go our way, we will still progress in such a case. Great credit to the players, who went up against such opponents and proved that they are no worse.

– Shakhtar U21 have a long break from league action ahead. What are the plans for this period?
– The team will have three days off, but some players will join Shakhtar U19 for their upcoming match against Polissia U19. The footballers need to gain match experience and maintain their fitness, as we have a busy schedule and the UEFA Youth League ahead, so we are counting on all the players. After the break, we will return to training, and on Sunday there will be a friendly match against Zorya U21, where we will work on certain aspects of our play.