My players were strong and resolute
Friday, September 11, 2026
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Press conference of Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan after the Champions League match against PSV (1-1)
– This is a very important point for us. If you had asked me before the game, I would have agreed to take the point. But we are not celebrating; we are simply happy because this is the start of our journey towards making our dreams come true, and I’m pleased with the way we earned this point. I’m proud of my players. In fact, it was a game from which I personally learned a lot, including tactically. We will not lose hope, and I wish PSV all the best for the rest of their campaign.
– Mister, first of all, congratulations on a fantastic performance. It was very good, and thank you for showing such attacking football. Yesterday, you answered one of the questions by saying that you would not allow your players to be afraid. Obviously, this stadium can put a lot of pressure on the opposition, and it is difficult to play here, especially compared with the stadiums in Ukraine. What did you say to your players and how did you prepare them for this game, because they showed tremendous courage, especially when playing the ball out from the back?
– I told them: if we play like PSV, we will not win. I said that we needed to play our own football to be competitive in this game. The opponents used one-on-one pressing, so I warned my players that they needed to position their bodies correctly. Not always standing straight, but slightly for most of the time. I also advised them not to be on the same line when we were attacking. Sometimes Ocheretko and Isaque had problems with this and stayed in the same position, but we needed to move around the pitch. So we positioned ourselves diagonally in offence, tried to make runs into space and get our body shape right against this pressing. It is impossible to play well against PSV for all 90 minutes. Many great teams have won here, but not through controlling the game. Bayern and Atlético – they did not control the flow of the game. My players stood firm; they were strong and resolute. I told them not to let individual moments break them because there are sometimes bad moments in football when you drop your head and can no longer recover. I also told them that I take responsibility for everything as the team's head coach because we have a system, we believe in it and we are improving it together.
– Isaque is 19 years old, and this was his first Champions League game. He played very well.
– When I think about Isaque, I remember a photograph on my phone. It was taken on the night when we were being bombed and I covered him with a blanket in the hotel lobby. It was one of his first games when we decided to start him, and we lost 1-4 to LNZ. I told him: “You have to be ready for difficult matches like this, you have to be ready for the fight.” He has great talent, and I think he has a great future ahead of him. He needs to improve his first touch and decision-making because these are the two most important things in modern football. He also needs to improve physically. He works very hard, but obviously he is not yet in the best physical form. If he continues to understand the game properly and look at it from the right perspective, I believe that he can become a great footballer in a few years.
– You were shown a yellow card. What exactly was it for?
– I thought it wasn’t a foul, but the referee saw it differently. That happens in football. I also received a lot of cards when I was a player. As long as it’s not a red, there are no problems.
– Mister, first of all, congratulations on a fantastic performance. It was very good, and thank you for showing such attacking football. Yesterday, you answered one of the questions by saying that you would not allow your players to be afraid. Obviously, this stadium can put a lot of pressure on the opposition, and it is difficult to play here, especially compared with the stadiums in Ukraine. What did you say to your players and how did you prepare them for this game, because they showed tremendous courage, especially when playing the ball out from the back?
– I told them: if we play like PSV, we will not win. I said that we needed to play our own football to be competitive in this game. The opponents used one-on-one pressing, so I warned my players that they needed to position their bodies correctly. Not always standing straight, but slightly for most of the time. I also advised them not to be on the same line when we were attacking. Sometimes Ocheretko and Isaque had problems with this and stayed in the same position, but we needed to move around the pitch. So we positioned ourselves diagonally in offence, tried to make runs into space and get our body shape right against this pressing. It is impossible to play well against PSV for all 90 minutes. Many great teams have won here, but not through controlling the game. Bayern and Atlético – they did not control the flow of the game. My players stood firm; they were strong and resolute. I told them not to let individual moments break them because there are sometimes bad moments in football when you drop your head and can no longer recover. I also told them that I take responsibility for everything as the team's head coach because we have a system, we believe in it and we are improving it together.
– Isaque is 19 years old, and this was his first Champions League game. He played very well.
– When I think about Isaque, I remember a photograph on my phone. It was taken on the night when we were being bombed and I covered him with a blanket in the hotel lobby. It was one of his first games when we decided to start him, and we lost 1-4 to LNZ. I told him: “You have to be ready for difficult matches like this, you have to be ready for the fight.” He has great talent, and I think he has a great future ahead of him. He needs to improve his first touch and decision-making because these are the two most important things in modern football. He also needs to improve physically. He works very hard, but obviously he is not yet in the best physical form. If he continues to understand the game properly and look at it from the right perspective, I believe that he can become a great footballer in a few years.
– You were shown a yellow card. What exactly was it for?
– I thought it wasn’t a foul, but the referee saw it differently. That happens in football. I also received a lot of cards when I was a player. As long as it’s not a red, there are no problems.