A team must always change for the better
Thursday, May 28, 2026
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Shakhtar youth team head coach Oleksii Bielik reflects on the results of the title-winning season, high scoring output and the level of the U19 National League
– Oleksii, Shakhtar have finished the season with the gold medals in the National League. If we sum up this year, how have the team changed over this period and how have you changed? Were there any thoughts at the start of the season that you would finish it as champions?
– A team must always change for the better. Compared with last season, the first difference is that last year the defensive line was more experienced as Oharkov, Drozd, Bashmarin, as well as Kostiuk and Harabazhii, who were younger, played there. Overall, these are three players born in 2005, the final-year age group, and we had a strong defence. As for the attacking line, due to injuries to Dabo and Yushchenko, there was a lack of technical and pace qualities in the final third. This season, the defensive line has essentially changed. Despite Mylokost, Kaliuzhnyi and Kostiuk being in the squad in the second half of the last season, they are only now playing as regular starters. These are players born in 2008 and 2009 who can still play for Shakhtar U19 for another two to three years. We have a very young defensive line, and we had certain issues, although I cannot say there were many of them. The midfield and attacking lines were made up of experienced players – Tsukanov, Smetana and Bundash. In attack, Kanteh contributed a great deal to the team, while the younger Tiutiunov and Petruk also followed their lead. I can praise the defensive line, but we were able to decide key moments in attack. As for myself, I would say that some people consider Shakhtar a comfort zone, but I would answer that Shakhtar is exactly the place where you have to step out of your comfort zone. If you do not want to learn and change through your own mistakes, it will be very difficult to work here. Personally, I tried to share my experience with the players and jokingly told them that they made many mistakes, which also gave me the opportunity to learn a lot. I believe I have learned a great deal myself. Over the course of the season, there were many moments that affected me both negatively and positively. On the negative side, there were situations off the pitch that I would rather not have faced, but this is part of the process, and I also took a lot from them. As for football matters, including the training process and matches, we follow football trends and integrate them into our game and training work with the help of our assistants. Compared with previous years, the training process is constantly changing under the influence of modern trends, this is part of development. Regarding thoughts about the championship at the start of the season, such ideas are always present. However, as I have already emphasised, the path to the title primarily goes through the individual development of each player for me. Progress, philosophy and the team’s style of play come first. And if under these conditions we manage to win the championship, it is twice as satisfying.
– Throughout the season, the Orange-and-Blacks demonstrated a very high scoring level, and Muhamadou Kanteh became the top scorer of the competition with 28 goals, setting a new record in the youth championship. What does this say and what can you say about his progress over the season?
– Kanteh brought a lot of options to the team. He is a physically strong and quick player who wins a lot of challenges and makes numerous runs. The fact that he scored 28 goals is not a major surprise for me personally. Muhamadou has a significant room for development. We also worked with him individually, and I’m confident that if we had even more time for training, he would have scored even more. As for the team’s scoring output, we were close to breaking Dynamo U19’s record for the number of goals, as well as Rukh U19’s record for points earned. We had experienced players who led the team, while the younger footballers followed their example. It was this cohesion that delivered the result. We are an attacking team that focus on offensive play, so scoring many goals is not something extraordinary for us.
– This season has been the final one at youth level for a number of key Shakhtar U19 players. How ready are they for the next step in their careers and what did you say to the lads after the end of the championship?
– This is a very difficult question because there are many factors that influence a player’s development, and the transition from youth to senior football is very challenging. A lot of circumstances need to align for a player to make his debut in senior football. I will give the example of Anton Drozd, who played for us last season, as well as his performances in the UEFA Youth League. He was a team leader, and he is a player of the UPL level for me. He then went to the first team, where he showed himself quite well, and afterwards returned to the youth team for a UEFA Youth League match against Hoffenheim U19. After that, I do not know what happened with him. Perhaps he lacked patience or he was disappointed by the return and could not handle the pressure. My main demand is that players do not stop and constantly work on themselves, preparing for an opportunity that can come at any moment. When footballers get a chance, they must be ready for it. If they fail to take it, they need to honestly ask themselves whether they did everything possible to seize it. They must work every day and every moment.
– The fight for the title lasted until the very last round. How high was the level of competition this season?
– I often hear from bloggers or journalists that our league is weak. I do not understand how someone can watch one or two matches and then draw conclusions about the weakness of the league. Of course, I’m not saying this is a competition where everyone will play for the national team tomorrow, but I would emphasise that we have many talented footballers, and the Football Federation should support them so that we have as many clubs as possible with teams across different age groups and with good infrastructure. I will give an example: over the past six years, Shakhtar U19 have twice reached the group stage of the UEFA Youth League, Dynamo U19 have also reached the round of 32 twice and Rukh U19 have even reached the quarter-finals. So over six seasons, Ukrainian teams have reached the play-offs five times. Now compare this with the results of the clubs from the UPL or leagues in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and other countries. Our U19 league is not weak, although of course there is room for improvement and development. Let us take Polissia U19, who were clear underdogs in the first half of the season. But look at how they progressed: towards the end of the season, they defeated Polissia U19, and both Shakhtar U19 and Dynamo U19 only secured narrow wins against them in the final minutes. We have a future and talented players if we create the right conditions for them and ensure stability and consistency in their development.
– Given participation in the UEFA Youth League, the next season will be significantly more intense. What will be the main demands you place on the team and what is already known about the immediate plans?
– We will meet with the Academy management as the U21 team are being added next season. We need to develop a strategy for the individual development of each footballer so that everyone receives the necessary conditions, regardless of their number. I believe we will not have any issues with this and will discuss everything. As for the team’s plans, they are currently on holiday, and everything will be confirmed before the players return to work at the end of next month.
– A team must always change for the better. Compared with last season, the first difference is that last year the defensive line was more experienced as Oharkov, Drozd, Bashmarin, as well as Kostiuk and Harabazhii, who were younger, played there. Overall, these are three players born in 2005, the final-year age group, and we had a strong defence. As for the attacking line, due to injuries to Dabo and Yushchenko, there was a lack of technical and pace qualities in the final third. This season, the defensive line has essentially changed. Despite Mylokost, Kaliuzhnyi and Kostiuk being in the squad in the second half of the last season, they are only now playing as regular starters. These are players born in 2008 and 2009 who can still play for Shakhtar U19 for another two to three years. We have a very young defensive line, and we had certain issues, although I cannot say there were many of them. The midfield and attacking lines were made up of experienced players – Tsukanov, Smetana and Bundash. In attack, Kanteh contributed a great deal to the team, while the younger Tiutiunov and Petruk also followed their lead. I can praise the defensive line, but we were able to decide key moments in attack. As for myself, I would say that some people consider Shakhtar a comfort zone, but I would answer that Shakhtar is exactly the place where you have to step out of your comfort zone. If you do not want to learn and change through your own mistakes, it will be very difficult to work here. Personally, I tried to share my experience with the players and jokingly told them that they made many mistakes, which also gave me the opportunity to learn a lot. I believe I have learned a great deal myself. Over the course of the season, there were many moments that affected me both negatively and positively. On the negative side, there were situations off the pitch that I would rather not have faced, but this is part of the process, and I also took a lot from them. As for football matters, including the training process and matches, we follow football trends and integrate them into our game and training work with the help of our assistants. Compared with previous years, the training process is constantly changing under the influence of modern trends, this is part of development. Regarding thoughts about the championship at the start of the season, such ideas are always present. However, as I have already emphasised, the path to the title primarily goes through the individual development of each player for me. Progress, philosophy and the team’s style of play come first. And if under these conditions we manage to win the championship, it is twice as satisfying.
– Throughout the season, the Orange-and-Blacks demonstrated a very high scoring level, and Muhamadou Kanteh became the top scorer of the competition with 28 goals, setting a new record in the youth championship. What does this say and what can you say about his progress over the season?
– Kanteh brought a lot of options to the team. He is a physically strong and quick player who wins a lot of challenges and makes numerous runs. The fact that he scored 28 goals is not a major surprise for me personally. Muhamadou has a significant room for development. We also worked with him individually, and I’m confident that if we had even more time for training, he would have scored even more. As for the team’s scoring output, we were close to breaking Dynamo U19’s record for the number of goals, as well as Rukh U19’s record for points earned. We had experienced players who led the team, while the younger footballers followed their example. It was this cohesion that delivered the result. We are an attacking team that focus on offensive play, so scoring many goals is not something extraordinary for us.
– This season has been the final one at youth level for a number of key Shakhtar U19 players. How ready are they for the next step in their careers and what did you say to the lads after the end of the championship?
– This is a very difficult question because there are many factors that influence a player’s development, and the transition from youth to senior football is very challenging. A lot of circumstances need to align for a player to make his debut in senior football. I will give the example of Anton Drozd, who played for us last season, as well as his performances in the UEFA Youth League. He was a team leader, and he is a player of the UPL level for me. He then went to the first team, where he showed himself quite well, and afterwards returned to the youth team for a UEFA Youth League match against Hoffenheim U19. After that, I do not know what happened with him. Perhaps he lacked patience or he was disappointed by the return and could not handle the pressure. My main demand is that players do not stop and constantly work on themselves, preparing for an opportunity that can come at any moment. When footballers get a chance, they must be ready for it. If they fail to take it, they need to honestly ask themselves whether they did everything possible to seize it. They must work every day and every moment.
– The fight for the title lasted until the very last round. How high was the level of competition this season?
– I often hear from bloggers or journalists that our league is weak. I do not understand how someone can watch one or two matches and then draw conclusions about the weakness of the league. Of course, I’m not saying this is a competition where everyone will play for the national team tomorrow, but I would emphasise that we have many talented footballers, and the Football Federation should support them so that we have as many clubs as possible with teams across different age groups and with good infrastructure. I will give an example: over the past six years, Shakhtar U19 have twice reached the group stage of the UEFA Youth League, Dynamo U19 have also reached the round of 32 twice and Rukh U19 have even reached the quarter-finals. So over six seasons, Ukrainian teams have reached the play-offs five times. Now compare this with the results of the clubs from the UPL or leagues in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and other countries. Our U19 league is not weak, although of course there is room for improvement and development. Let us take Polissia U19, who were clear underdogs in the first half of the season. But look at how they progressed: towards the end of the season, they defeated Polissia U19, and both Shakhtar U19 and Dynamo U19 only secured narrow wins against them in the final minutes. We have a future and talented players if we create the right conditions for them and ensure stability and consistency in their development.
– Given participation in the UEFA Youth League, the next season will be significantly more intense. What will be the main demands you place on the team and what is already known about the immediate plans?
– We will meet with the Academy management as the U21 team are being added next season. We need to develop a strategy for the individual development of each footballer so that everyone receives the necessary conditions, regardless of their number. I believe we will not have any issues with this and will discuss everything. As for the team’s plans, they are currently on holiday, and everything will be confirmed before the players return to work at the end of next month.