We didn’t deserve to lose

– First of all, I would like to congratulate Sporting on their victory. As I always say, if a team have beaten you, it means they have done certain things better than you. There were plenty of positive aspects to our performance today. Did we do enough to win? I don't know, but I don't think we played so badly that we deserved to lose. If you cannot score from inside the penalty area, I really don't like calling it bad luck. We should call it a lack of skills, and it is something we need to work on. We have to teach our young players to make better decisions in these situations. When I arrived here a year and a half ago, I started working on our defensive game at the very first training session, rather than on triangles, possession or physical conditioning. Football is a game in which everything is decided by defending, and we have felt that very painfully in our last two matches. Despite everything, I’m proud of my players because we understand the circumstances in which we compete at this level and the conditions we have to work in. When you are tired, when you have no energy left or when you have spent 10–15 hours travelling, you need the support of a full stadium. That is why I would like to invite all Ukrainians who are able to travel to come and support us. With the full support of our fans, I believe we can give them the same adventure as we did last year.

– The key moment of the match came when the referee went to the VAR monitor. Do you feel that an injustice was done by the decision not to award a penalty for the foul on Tobias inside the penalty area?
– Life has taught me one thing: I need to talk about what I can change. However, to be honest, I believe that in Sporting's match against Galatasaray, the VAR officials were looking for an opportunity to award a penalty to the Portuguese side. They were assessing the impact and trying to determine whether it was enough to warrant a penalty. Today, in my opinion, they were looking for reasons not to award a penalty, assessing exactly the same aspect. We both know it was a penalty. They know it too. But Italian referees, I believe they know it all – and that is something else I cannot change. I have paid a heavy price for my reactions to such unjust situations on more than one occasion. They have had serious consequences for me. That is why I will always try to channel all my energy into what happens on the pitch, where we have to be at our best and where we have to do things right. So, whichever way you look at it, it hurts. And I believe they should be ashamed.

– Good evening, Mister. That's an upsetting result today, but thank you for your work and to the whole team for their efforts. I have to say that Kaua Elias struggled in the final third. I would like to ask: do you believe it's a lack of confidence, or lack of training, frustration, or maybe it's even a completely different factor? Why do you think Shakhtar were unable to break through Sporting, even though towards the end they seemed very resilient and willing to come back?
– As for why we were unable to get the result we wanted today, I think it comes down to a lack of skills. If you can get into the opposition's penalty area so easily, you cannot afford to waste such opportunities in football. I sometimes give my players examples from my own career. I tell them that there were matches in which we did not even perform at half the level they are showing now, yet we still won with Atlético because we played the moments correctly. So, when you get into the opposition's penalty area, you have to understand the value of those opportunities better. We can also take Ocheretko's example at the Giuseppe Meazza, where he had two clear chances to score, but simply took the shot, turned around and carried on running. I told him that he had to understand just how big an opportunity it was to score in the Champions League. The same applies to Kaua Elias. He is still very young, but today he made more runs towards the first post. That is exactly what I had asked him to do. On top of that, he did a very good job of shielding the ball and was extremely effective in our defensive block. If he continues to play like that, I don't mind how many chances he misses. It is far more important that our players act correctly on the pitch, as we are investing in our future. So, if he positions himself well and works hard defensively, I have no complaints. I am very pleased with Kaua Elias.

– Your team outperformed the opponent in most metrics, yet lost due to bad luck, fatigue and an unawarded penalty. There is currently a lot of discussion surrounding the appointment of Emre Belözoğlu as the new head coach of your next opponents, Fenerbahçe. What changes do you plan to make to your team ahead of this game? And what is your take on this news?
– We will not change much of what we did today. We are capable of maintaining the same level of play as today. I am satisfied with our performance and the players’ actions. We just need to better understand the value of the ball in the opponent’s penalty area. As for Emre Belözoğlu, he plays a very important role in my life. He was a true idol to me. We were like older and younger brothers. Meeting as opponents in the Champions League will be a very fond memory for us. When I was taking my first steps in football, I used to thoroughly enjoy the matches against Fenerbahçe. I am truly looking forward to facing these opponents in the Champions League. After all, there are certain things in football that I would like to change. Our rivalry with Fenerbahçe was never based on hatred. When we were younger, we might have exchanged some insults or teased each other, but there was never any hatred between us. On the contrary, competing against them was the greatest pleasure of my career. So, what could be better than facing Emre Belözoğlu in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge? Regardless of the result, I believe we will both do everything to ensure the fans enjoy the match. I am very close to his family. His children are like nieces and nephews to me. I wish him and his loved ones all the best. I think it will be a great match and a very significant, proud moment for me. No matter the outcome, it will become one of the best memories of my life.

– You said that football is a game where everything starts with defence. At the same time, your team’s statistics today show that you were quite effective at getting the ball into the opponent’s penalty area. However, the final passes, crosses and shots on goal lacked quality. Now, you will have a meeting with the opponents you know well. What will your plan be? How do you intend to improve these aspects of the team’s play?
– Actually, we had both assists and crosses from which we could have scored. We just lacked that finishing touch to score. I think we created five or six clear-cut chances. Some of them were shots from inside the goal area, where it would have been harder to miss than to score. There is still quite a bit of time before the match against Fenerbahçe. Given the logistics and the circumstances, we need to focus on each match individually, because we have nine games to play over the next 29 days. And tomorrow, we have a 14-hour journey ahead of us. The day after tomorrow, we will not have a recovery training session. Instead, we will give the team two days off ahead of Sunday’s crucial derby against Dynamo. So, it would be a mistake to start thinking about the match against Fenerbahçe right now. At the moment, we have only one match on our minds: the one against Dynamo. And only after that will we be able to think about the next challenges. We have great respect for Fenerbahçe. They are a highly experienced team. These players may well have a combined total of a thousand matches for their national teams. And it might be difficult for us to match their experience with our own, but maybe we can compensate for it with our youth. Furthermore, they will most likely enjoy the home advantage in this match. So, it’s going to be very tough for us.