I’m satisfied with the score
Sunday, February 22, 2026
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Press conference of Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan after the UPL match against Karpaty (3-0)
– Good evening, everybody! First of all, I would like, taking this opportunity, to congratulate the entire Muslim world on the start of Ramadan. For us, Muslims, peace, prosperity and happiness throughout the world are always very important. And this is what I wish for everyone. I hope that soon I will have the chance to hold these conversations with you under peaceful skies. Regarding the match itself, of course, we expected our opponents to have a very well-functioning defensive formation, and indeed they proved us right – their defensive organisation was of a high standard. As for the tactical aspects, I’m satisfied with how we controlled the flow of the game in the first half, but we lacked desire. I told my boys at half-time that we didn’t show enough desire for a team that truly want to be champions. Tactics, of course, play a very important role, but we mustn’t rely on them alone. Sometimes we simply have to remember how we played as kids on the streets until the last goal was scored. In the second half, we moved slightly away from strict tactics and shifted the focus to desire, hunger for victory and, as I emphasised, street-style football. That played its part – to our advantage. I’m also very happy to see Alisson and Lassina back on the pitch after six months. Overall, all the substitutions, including Konoplia, worked very well and only strengthened the team in the second half of the match. Of course, I’m not completely satisfied with how things went, and we will carry out analytical work after this game to draw quality conclusions for the future and approach next Friday’s match against Veres in a much better version of ourselves.
– This is the first competitive match of 2026, so are Shakhtar we see today the result of your winter preparations or the energy carried over from the autumn part of the season? How are the team changing tactically? What’s the difference between the team today and the one that finished the first part of the season?
– Regarding your question about comparisons, back then we were in a worse situation, and overall it’s worth emphasising that our system is built on constant repetition: sometimes we need to refine certain mechanisms a thousand, two thousand times for them to function one hundred percent as I expect. Even after a month of training camp, I wouldn’t say we managed to perfect everything completely as various accompanying circumstances hindered this process. Of course, the best practice you can get comes from competitive games, but none of this is an excuse – we’ve had several months of working together, so I’m confident that the team will perform better and better each time. As for today’s match, I’m certainly pleased with the three points and the convincing score in our favour, but, as I emphasised earlier, the course of the game in certain specific moments didn’t fully satisfy me. Above all, this isn’t a problem with my players; it’s me, as the head coach, who perhaps didn’t communicate the ideas clearly enough. So I will start with myself and work on transforming them more effectively in future encounters.
– What can you say about Traore who scored three goals? How do you assess his performance?
– What can I really say? He’s truly an incredible guy and also an outstanding footballer. Unfortunately, injuries have affected him and impacted his career. However, I can assure you that I was counting on him, and I emphasised before the match that he should be ready to come on as a substitute if I called him. And I’m very happy that he seized his opportunity and delivered such an important victory for us today. Also, I went to bed very late last night because I was thinking a lot about whether to start with Alisson or not. At one point, I realised that the health of my players is far more important than the result of a single match, so I decided to preserve him for the course of the entire season. Regarding their return, I’ll be honest: sometimes in my work we offer criticism of our medical department or physiotherapists (I mean positive, discussion-level criticism), but today I can only give them the highest compliments for doing everything possible to get these two players back into action as quickly as possible. I also want to thank my fitness coaches – Utku Alemdaroğlu and Ivan Bashtovyi. They did an incredible job and really accelerated (in a good sense) the return of these two footballers, who had a huge impact on the outcome of this match today.
– Today’s match was very tough for you, especially in the first half, but after your substitutions the team started playing with more energy and attacking threat. Do you consider this victory the result of your timely substitutions? Can it be called a coach’s win?
– Yes, tactically we played the first half exactly as I wanted to see, but, as I’ve repeatedly emphasised today, that’s not enough – you can’t win solely through tactical preparation. We lacked the emotions and desire that children playing football on the streets naturally radiate. The second half was much more chaotic – which, in the context of the result, worked in our favour, of course, and that makes me happy, but I must stress that normally I don’t want such scenarios. It’s also worth noting that victories achieved without showing the things we consider right, the things we see as part of our identity, don’t give me satisfaction. I want to create a team that want to be champions in every single match. So, if we talk about the creators of today’s success, it’s the players on the pitch and our team of specialists who worked to deliver results. And I think my influence on this match was the smallest possible.
– Just visually, it seemed that the pitch at the Arena Lviv was the best of the fields we’ve seen over the past few days since the start of the UPL. But was the pitch actually in good condition? And don’t you think the spring part of the Ukrainian Championship is starting a bit early? Today was the warmest day in recent weeks and we were somewhat lucky with the weather.
– With your permission, I’ll start by answering the second question. In my view, today’s weather was simply incredible for a football match. Returning to the first point, I believe the pitch directly affects around 60–70% of what happens during a game. And yes, it is indeed in much better condition than most of the pitches used for UPL matches, but it’s still not the quality required for top-level football. After certain collisions, small defects remain on the surface, which can influence the ball’s trajectory and other details. I also think this is an issue that should be discussed with league sponsors, team sponsors, to implement the best technical solutions and use the right balls to ensure proper pitch conditions for this part of the season. I can only thank you for raising this question because football is a demanding game – it always requires more emotions, more drive, more dynamism, so this is indeed an important matter.
– Will you push for an extension of Traore’s contract? And what about Kaua Elias? How serious is his injury?
— Regarding Kaua Elias, it’s a minor injury. The medical staff know best, but as far as I know, his recovery won’t take much time. He’s an extremely important player, so yes, I’m disappointed by this, but I’ll wait for his speedy return. As for Traore, yes, I will definitely speak with Darijo Srna about a possible contract extension. I completely share your view: Lassina is truly a key player for my team; he has qualities that can be decisive in specific moments of certain matches and across the season. However, the decision doesn’t depend solely on me – the club must also approve it.
– Did you see today the kind of football the team should be showing throughout the season?
– Of course, overall I’m pleased with the result. Moreover, we managed to keep a clean sheet, which also contributes to a positive perception of the result in terms of our defensive play. However, as I emphasised earlier, what matters most to me is the style in which we achieve our victories. Yes, I would like us to do it more accurately in future encounters. We will conduct a more thorough analysis to improve our overall level of play. But I will also be honest with myself and with you: the victory itself, of course, cannot fail to please me. And this is amplified by all the circumstances surrounding us, including long journeys, constant travel and the need to prepare from match to match. So yes, the circumstances of this victory aren’t ideal, but today this win made me happy.
– This is the first competitive match of 2026, so are Shakhtar we see today the result of your winter preparations or the energy carried over from the autumn part of the season? How are the team changing tactically? What’s the difference between the team today and the one that finished the first part of the season?
– Regarding your question about comparisons, back then we were in a worse situation, and overall it’s worth emphasising that our system is built on constant repetition: sometimes we need to refine certain mechanisms a thousand, two thousand times for them to function one hundred percent as I expect. Even after a month of training camp, I wouldn’t say we managed to perfect everything completely as various accompanying circumstances hindered this process. Of course, the best practice you can get comes from competitive games, but none of this is an excuse – we’ve had several months of working together, so I’m confident that the team will perform better and better each time. As for today’s match, I’m certainly pleased with the three points and the convincing score in our favour, but, as I emphasised earlier, the course of the game in certain specific moments didn’t fully satisfy me. Above all, this isn’t a problem with my players; it’s me, as the head coach, who perhaps didn’t communicate the ideas clearly enough. So I will start with myself and work on transforming them more effectively in future encounters.
– What can you say about Traore who scored three goals? How do you assess his performance?
– What can I really say? He’s truly an incredible guy and also an outstanding footballer. Unfortunately, injuries have affected him and impacted his career. However, I can assure you that I was counting on him, and I emphasised before the match that he should be ready to come on as a substitute if I called him. And I’m very happy that he seized his opportunity and delivered such an important victory for us today. Also, I went to bed very late last night because I was thinking a lot about whether to start with Alisson or not. At one point, I realised that the health of my players is far more important than the result of a single match, so I decided to preserve him for the course of the entire season. Regarding their return, I’ll be honest: sometimes in my work we offer criticism of our medical department or physiotherapists (I mean positive, discussion-level criticism), but today I can only give them the highest compliments for doing everything possible to get these two players back into action as quickly as possible. I also want to thank my fitness coaches – Utku Alemdaroğlu and Ivan Bashtovyi. They did an incredible job and really accelerated (in a good sense) the return of these two footballers, who had a huge impact on the outcome of this match today.
– Today’s match was very tough for you, especially in the first half, but after your substitutions the team started playing with more energy and attacking threat. Do you consider this victory the result of your timely substitutions? Can it be called a coach’s win?
– Yes, tactically we played the first half exactly as I wanted to see, but, as I’ve repeatedly emphasised today, that’s not enough – you can’t win solely through tactical preparation. We lacked the emotions and desire that children playing football on the streets naturally radiate. The second half was much more chaotic – which, in the context of the result, worked in our favour, of course, and that makes me happy, but I must stress that normally I don’t want such scenarios. It’s also worth noting that victories achieved without showing the things we consider right, the things we see as part of our identity, don’t give me satisfaction. I want to create a team that want to be champions in every single match. So, if we talk about the creators of today’s success, it’s the players on the pitch and our team of specialists who worked to deliver results. And I think my influence on this match was the smallest possible.
– Just visually, it seemed that the pitch at the Arena Lviv was the best of the fields we’ve seen over the past few days since the start of the UPL. But was the pitch actually in good condition? And don’t you think the spring part of the Ukrainian Championship is starting a bit early? Today was the warmest day in recent weeks and we were somewhat lucky with the weather.
– With your permission, I’ll start by answering the second question. In my view, today’s weather was simply incredible for a football match. Returning to the first point, I believe the pitch directly affects around 60–70% of what happens during a game. And yes, it is indeed in much better condition than most of the pitches used for UPL matches, but it’s still not the quality required for top-level football. After certain collisions, small defects remain on the surface, which can influence the ball’s trajectory and other details. I also think this is an issue that should be discussed with league sponsors, team sponsors, to implement the best technical solutions and use the right balls to ensure proper pitch conditions for this part of the season. I can only thank you for raising this question because football is a demanding game – it always requires more emotions, more drive, more dynamism, so this is indeed an important matter.
– Will you push for an extension of Traore’s contract? And what about Kaua Elias? How serious is his injury?
— Regarding Kaua Elias, it’s a minor injury. The medical staff know best, but as far as I know, his recovery won’t take much time. He’s an extremely important player, so yes, I’m disappointed by this, but I’ll wait for his speedy return. As for Traore, yes, I will definitely speak with Darijo Srna about a possible contract extension. I completely share your view: Lassina is truly a key player for my team; he has qualities that can be decisive in specific moments of certain matches and across the season. However, the decision doesn’t depend solely on me – the club must also approve it.
– Did you see today the kind of football the team should be showing throughout the season?
– Of course, overall I’m pleased with the result. Moreover, we managed to keep a clean sheet, which also contributes to a positive perception of the result in terms of our defensive play. However, as I emphasised earlier, what matters most to me is the style in which we achieve our victories. Yes, I would like us to do it more accurately in future encounters. We will conduct a more thorough analysis to improve our overall level of play. But I will also be honest with myself and with you: the victory itself, of course, cannot fail to please me. And this is amplified by all the circumstances surrounding us, including long journeys, constant travel and the need to prepare from match to match. So yes, the circumstances of this victory aren’t ideal, but today this win made me happy.