Difficulties make a team better

– We had a good game against good opponents. I’d like to compliment Oleksandriia U19 head coach Roman Loktionov, who has built an interesting team who play good football. We also performed well, and the lads really gave everything on the pitch. Of course, we wanted to win and had every chance of doing so. We created chances, and towards the end of the match, the referee failed to award a stonewall penalty. The main takeaway from this game is that we need to work harder to help the lads develop. It’s clear that the footballers are making progress, and the ideas and playing principles we’ve been working on in training were evident during the match, particularly in how we played the ball between the lines. There were plenty of good passages of play in that respect, which is encouraging.

– Shakhtar U19 are participating in two competitions at the same time, which means the squad is split: some players feature in the UEFA Youth League, while others get playing time in the league. How does this affect the team’s preparations and the matches themselves?
– It’s a somewhat challenging situation, but we’re doing everything we can to help the lads progress and develop. We’re one team, and if a player is unavailable because he’s involved in the UEFA Youth League, a teammate must step up and give his all to replace him. No one should put himself above the team, and the lads understand that. Against Oleksandriia U19, everyone gave their all and did everything they could to achieve a positive result, which is very important. Difficulties make a team better and stronger, and we must overcome them with determination and, most importantly, together.