Shakhtar are representing all Ukrainians
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
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Press conference with Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan ahead of the Champions League game against AEK
– Good evening! Tomorrow, we’ll be playing against a great team. We’ll give our all in every area of the pitch, in every phase of the game, and we’ll manage not only the good moments but also the difficult ones. I’d also like to thank Chelsea Football Club for giving us a home. We’re heading into this match with great excitement, and tomorrow we’ll start making our dream a reality.
– We’d like to ask you about one of the hot topics of recent days. Mr Montella has left his position as head coach of the Türkiye national team, and you are now being discussed on social media and various platforms as a candidate for the job. What is your comment on this?
– I can’t express just how much of an honour it is for a coach like me to receive such offers. It’s difficult to put my feelings into words because this is a great honour for me. I can see people discussing this possibility and mentioning my name, and I can’t express how much of an honour it would be to have the opportunity to represent my country. There are different ways to serve your country, not just by carrying its flag on your shoulders. If I have the honour of taking on the responsibility of representing my country, I’ll understand that there are many ways to do so. First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who believes this could happen. Perhaps if I continue working at club level as a young coach and gain more experience, I may eventually earn the right to represent my country and carry its flag. Today, I represent my country abroad, here in Ukraine. As the first Turkish coach to work at this level in Europe, I have the opportunity to represent my country even better. Since I joined Shakhtar, we’ve also been helping to make Ukrainian children’s dreams come true. Our management, our players and everyone who works at the club give their all for the team. I constantly remind the footballers that they should be thinking only about the match against AEK right now. With such an important game coming up, and given their dreams, ambitions and passion for football, I don’t think it would be fair to distract them with anything else. There are different ways to represent your country. When these discussions first began, I wanted to emphasise one important point. Some people are trying to convince me that, because I’m a Turkish citizen, I shouldn’t even consider such opportunities. But I’ve never changed my attitude towards offers of this kind, regardless of where they’ve come from. Sometimes you have dreams, but every dream has its time. I feel completely committed to my colleagues, particularly Mr Akhmetov, our players and the club as a whole. I hope everyone can understand and respect that commitment. I felt it was important to say this. But now, all my thoughts are focused on tomorrow’s match.
– You scored at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League semi-final in 2014, and now you’re returning to London as Shakhtar head coach. How special is this moment for you?
– I remember this stadium incredibly well. It’s an iconic ground, and that match was special too. I hope the emotions will be just as positive tomorrow, and I expect my players to perform at the same high level. If they want to play rondo with me, they’ll have to do it tomorrow!
– You’ve built Shakhtar into an attacking team playing a 4-3-3 formation with two centre-backs. In 2019, your predecessor introduced a new formation. Are you planning any tactical surprises, or will you stick to the same tactics for this match?
– First of all, to answer that question, I’d have to call Fonseca to find out what to say. Secondly, I’m not saying we’ll play in a 4-3-3 formation. In football, you shouldn’t pay too much attention to these numbers because sometimes we switch to a 4-5-1 or play through the middle when pressing high. So there can be different formations, and we shouldn’t focus on them too much. Our main principle is to make tactical decisions based on the specific type of pressing our opponents use. Our idea is that you need to develop automatism and repeat it consistently to succeed against big clubs. If you’ve already found a successful approach, you shouldn’t abandon it when playing as a team. Of course, there will be tactical variations, but they shouldn’t take precedence over the coach’s overall philosophy. We believe in this automatism and our system, and we work hard to make it happen, sometimes getting up at 6am.
– UEFA has conducted something of an experiment, with four international fixtures taking place during the international break. You let your players leave the club for two weeks, and they returned not in the best of spirits after losing their previous two matches. How would you assess Shakhtar footballers’ performances for their national teams, the condition they returned in, and whether you’ve managed to find the right balance in the squad, given that they’ll play an important role against AEK tomorrow?
– I think our Ukrainian players are doing very well. One of the main reasons we’re here is their performance against Veres. Riznyk was very good, Matviienko did something incredible for us and is a leader in the team. Ocheretko is one of the best in Europe, not just in Ukraine. I really like the way Bondar plays and his character. Kryskiv is also coming back. Karavaiev is an experienced player who performed brilliantly for Dynamo. I’m proud of all our Ukrainian footballers. They’ve treated me wonderfully ever since I joined Shakhtar. I can also mention Konoplia. And, of course, I believe Viktor Tsukanov will be a very important midfielder for Ukraine in the future. They always give their all. In football, you don’t always win, but these players never make excuses and always give everything they have. Shakhtar are now carrying out an important mission and representing all Ukrainians. I can’t protect them from everything that’s happening, but I can support them because what they do is truly incredible.
– How difficult has it been for you, as a coach, to adapt to your new home in Europe? And how do you, as the leader of the team and the wider group, keep the players focused on football rather than what is happening in Ukraine?
– I don’t do anything at all. My players have taught me how to live and work in these circumstances without making excuses, even when things aren’t going well. I have a wonderful group of people around me, and that includes not only the players but also everyone who works at the club and people in Ukraine. I always take the opportunity to speak about this. We don’t want to dramatise the situation, but at the same time, we must emphasise that there is a war going on and children are being killed in Ukraine. We live with this reality, but we do not accept it. On the positive side, we continue to dream of the day when we can play at home again, in Ukraine. That dream is what motivates us.
– The Champions League is a competition for the best clubs in Europe. If you finish in the top 24 and reach the play-offs, would you be satisfied with that result?
– That would be a dream for us. When you think about it, home advantage makes a huge difference and we don’t have that at the moment. Playing in front of 45,000 fans obviously helps. But this is a dream for us, and we’re working hard for our supporters in Ukraine. It’s about more than just football, and we’ll try to give them as much as we can.
– You arrived in London on Saturday and have already had a training session at Chelsea’s training ground. Today, you’ll train at the facility used by the youth team, where the women’s team trained for many decades. How pleased are you with the facilities Chelsea have provided?
– Yes, we trained yesterday, and it was fantastic! You can feel the greatness of Chelsea everywhere. Everyone is smiling, and there’s a real human energy about the place. That’s very important.
– What is the injury situation in the squad? Who is available and who will miss tomorrow’s match?
– Only Azarov, Alaa Ghram and Marlon Santos are injured. Everyone else is available for the match.
– We’d like to ask you about one of the hot topics of recent days. Mr Montella has left his position as head coach of the Türkiye national team, and you are now being discussed on social media and various platforms as a candidate for the job. What is your comment on this?
– I can’t express just how much of an honour it is for a coach like me to receive such offers. It’s difficult to put my feelings into words because this is a great honour for me. I can see people discussing this possibility and mentioning my name, and I can’t express how much of an honour it would be to have the opportunity to represent my country. There are different ways to serve your country, not just by carrying its flag on your shoulders. If I have the honour of taking on the responsibility of representing my country, I’ll understand that there are many ways to do so. First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who believes this could happen. Perhaps if I continue working at club level as a young coach and gain more experience, I may eventually earn the right to represent my country and carry its flag. Today, I represent my country abroad, here in Ukraine. As the first Turkish coach to work at this level in Europe, I have the opportunity to represent my country even better. Since I joined Shakhtar, we’ve also been helping to make Ukrainian children’s dreams come true. Our management, our players and everyone who works at the club give their all for the team. I constantly remind the footballers that they should be thinking only about the match against AEK right now. With such an important game coming up, and given their dreams, ambitions and passion for football, I don’t think it would be fair to distract them with anything else. There are different ways to represent your country. When these discussions first began, I wanted to emphasise one important point. Some people are trying to convince me that, because I’m a Turkish citizen, I shouldn’t even consider such opportunities. But I’ve never changed my attitude towards offers of this kind, regardless of where they’ve come from. Sometimes you have dreams, but every dream has its time. I feel completely committed to my colleagues, particularly Mr Akhmetov, our players and the club as a whole. I hope everyone can understand and respect that commitment. I felt it was important to say this. But now, all my thoughts are focused on tomorrow’s match.
– You scored at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League semi-final in 2014, and now you’re returning to London as Shakhtar head coach. How special is this moment for you?
– I remember this stadium incredibly well. It’s an iconic ground, and that match was special too. I hope the emotions will be just as positive tomorrow, and I expect my players to perform at the same high level. If they want to play rondo with me, they’ll have to do it tomorrow!
– You’ve built Shakhtar into an attacking team playing a 4-3-3 formation with two centre-backs. In 2019, your predecessor introduced a new formation. Are you planning any tactical surprises, or will you stick to the same tactics for this match?
– First of all, to answer that question, I’d have to call Fonseca to find out what to say. Secondly, I’m not saying we’ll play in a 4-3-3 formation. In football, you shouldn’t pay too much attention to these numbers because sometimes we switch to a 4-5-1 or play through the middle when pressing high. So there can be different formations, and we shouldn’t focus on them too much. Our main principle is to make tactical decisions based on the specific type of pressing our opponents use. Our idea is that you need to develop automatism and repeat it consistently to succeed against big clubs. If you’ve already found a successful approach, you shouldn’t abandon it when playing as a team. Of course, there will be tactical variations, but they shouldn’t take precedence over the coach’s overall philosophy. We believe in this automatism and our system, and we work hard to make it happen, sometimes getting up at 6am.
– UEFA has conducted something of an experiment, with four international fixtures taking place during the international break. You let your players leave the club for two weeks, and they returned not in the best of spirits after losing their previous two matches. How would you assess Shakhtar footballers’ performances for their national teams, the condition they returned in, and whether you’ve managed to find the right balance in the squad, given that they’ll play an important role against AEK tomorrow?
– I think our Ukrainian players are doing very well. One of the main reasons we’re here is their performance against Veres. Riznyk was very good, Matviienko did something incredible for us and is a leader in the team. Ocheretko is one of the best in Europe, not just in Ukraine. I really like the way Bondar plays and his character. Kryskiv is also coming back. Karavaiev is an experienced player who performed brilliantly for Dynamo. I’m proud of all our Ukrainian footballers. They’ve treated me wonderfully ever since I joined Shakhtar. I can also mention Konoplia. And, of course, I believe Viktor Tsukanov will be a very important midfielder for Ukraine in the future. They always give their all. In football, you don’t always win, but these players never make excuses and always give everything they have. Shakhtar are now carrying out an important mission and representing all Ukrainians. I can’t protect them from everything that’s happening, but I can support them because what they do is truly incredible.
– How difficult has it been for you, as a coach, to adapt to your new home in Europe? And how do you, as the leader of the team and the wider group, keep the players focused on football rather than what is happening in Ukraine?
– I don’t do anything at all. My players have taught me how to live and work in these circumstances without making excuses, even when things aren’t going well. I have a wonderful group of people around me, and that includes not only the players but also everyone who works at the club and people in Ukraine. I always take the opportunity to speak about this. We don’t want to dramatise the situation, but at the same time, we must emphasise that there is a war going on and children are being killed in Ukraine. We live with this reality, but we do not accept it. On the positive side, we continue to dream of the day when we can play at home again, in Ukraine. That dream is what motivates us.
– The Champions League is a competition for the best clubs in Europe. If you finish in the top 24 and reach the play-offs, would you be satisfied with that result?
– That would be a dream for us. When you think about it, home advantage makes a huge difference and we don’t have that at the moment. Playing in front of 45,000 fans obviously helps. But this is a dream for us, and we’re working hard for our supporters in Ukraine. It’s about more than just football, and we’ll try to give them as much as we can.
– You arrived in London on Saturday and have already had a training session at Chelsea’s training ground. Today, you’ll train at the facility used by the youth team, where the women’s team trained for many decades. How pleased are you with the facilities Chelsea have provided?
– Yes, we trained yesterday, and it was fantastic! You can feel the greatness of Chelsea everywhere. Everyone is smiling, and there’s a real human energy about the place. That’s very important.
– What is the injury situation in the squad? Who is available and who will miss tomorrow’s match?
– Only Azarov, Alaa Ghram and Marlon Santos are injured. Everyone else is available for the match.