We played here for the children and all the fans
Sunday, May 17, 2026
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Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan gave his comments following the UPL match against Kryvbas (3-2)
– A difficult week for you. The match against Obolon lasted 4 hours due to air raid alerts, today's game with Kryvbas lasted almost 5. Is this the most difficult week for Shakhtar in this period? You do look really tired and exhausted.
– No, I wouldn’t say it is the most difficult period. First of all, we are here for the children and for all the fans present, so we knew why we were travelling here. I would compare it with other, in my view, more demanding periods – for example, when we had three UPL matches in a week, including the rescheduled game with Zorya, as well as period when we had to compete on two fronts, in the Ukrainian league and in European competitions. It is also always difficult to return after international breaks and get back into rhythm. So yes, it is physically demanding, but as I said, we played for the children and for everyone here in the stands. Despite the external circumstances, which of course were not very pleasant, we understood the purpose of what we were doing.
– Two forced substitutions in the first half. We saw how upset you were about this and it seemed you were speaking to the fitness coach. Can you explain the reasons for the substitutions and the injuries?
– I think all the science in the world cannot provide a fully complete answer to that question. Given our schedule and the fact that we travelled here for 16 hours, there is no need to look for any special explanations. And if I’m not mistaken, in our last 16 matches we have regularly played two or three games a week, so I believe that says more than any explanation I could give.
– Traore is indeed a very important player for your team, especially in the league, and today he scored again. We saw you say something to him after he celebrated his goal and after he was substituted. What exactly did you say and how important is he for Shakhtar? His contract is also expiring soon, so is there a plan to extend it?
– We always have some small private jokes between us which we use in relation to whether he managed to score or not. For me, he is not only a footballer but, first of all, a person, and his contribution to us winning the Ukrainian Premier League title this season simply cannot be overstated. And I truly love him.
– Before the match we learned that Riznyk, Kaua Elias and the players who had already been given rest were not included in the squad. With one round of the season remaining, will you give early rest to any more players?
– We will think about it, and the decision will be made at the level of the club’s top management. We take into account all the minutes played over the season by each individual performer, as well as the potential risk of injury in this final stage of the season. If we go through the individuals briefly, Riznyk played a lot and deserved this rest; Kaua Elias and Alisson were injured, so they could also have left the club’s camp, but they continue to train individually. Mykola Matviienko has been called up very frequently to the Ukraine national team over the last two seasons, where he has also played full matches, so he was given time to rest in order to reduce the workload and the risk of injury ahead of the next season.
– Shakhtar have secured a place in the Champions League. We often hear that the club plans to keep all its key players, but what signings are planned? Is work on this already underway?
– I’m responsible for building the team in tactical and technical terms, and of course the Champions League is a completely different level of competition and a different level of football challenge, but regarding the actual squad planning and recruitment, it would be better to direct that question to Darijo Srna.
– No, I wouldn’t say it is the most difficult period. First of all, we are here for the children and for all the fans present, so we knew why we were travelling here. I would compare it with other, in my view, more demanding periods – for example, when we had three UPL matches in a week, including the rescheduled game with Zorya, as well as period when we had to compete on two fronts, in the Ukrainian league and in European competitions. It is also always difficult to return after international breaks and get back into rhythm. So yes, it is physically demanding, but as I said, we played for the children and for everyone here in the stands. Despite the external circumstances, which of course were not very pleasant, we understood the purpose of what we were doing.
– Two forced substitutions in the first half. We saw how upset you were about this and it seemed you were speaking to the fitness coach. Can you explain the reasons for the substitutions and the injuries?
– I think all the science in the world cannot provide a fully complete answer to that question. Given our schedule and the fact that we travelled here for 16 hours, there is no need to look for any special explanations. And if I’m not mistaken, in our last 16 matches we have regularly played two or three games a week, so I believe that says more than any explanation I could give.
– Traore is indeed a very important player for your team, especially in the league, and today he scored again. We saw you say something to him after he celebrated his goal and after he was substituted. What exactly did you say and how important is he for Shakhtar? His contract is also expiring soon, so is there a plan to extend it?
– We always have some small private jokes between us which we use in relation to whether he managed to score or not. For me, he is not only a footballer but, first of all, a person, and his contribution to us winning the Ukrainian Premier League title this season simply cannot be overstated. And I truly love him.
– Before the match we learned that Riznyk, Kaua Elias and the players who had already been given rest were not included in the squad. With one round of the season remaining, will you give early rest to any more players?
– We will think about it, and the decision will be made at the level of the club’s top management. We take into account all the minutes played over the season by each individual performer, as well as the potential risk of injury in this final stage of the season. If we go through the individuals briefly, Riznyk played a lot and deserved this rest; Kaua Elias and Alisson were injured, so they could also have left the club’s camp, but they continue to train individually. Mykola Matviienko has been called up very frequently to the Ukraine national team over the last two seasons, where he has also played full matches, so he was given time to rest in order to reduce the workload and the risk of injury ahead of the next season.
– Shakhtar have secured a place in the Champions League. We often hear that the club plans to keep all its key players, but what signings are planned? Is work on this already underway?
– I’m responsible for building the team in tactical and technical terms, and of course the Champions League is a completely different level of competition and a different level of football challenge, but regarding the actual squad planning and recruitment, it would be better to direct that question to Darijo Srna.