I’m satisfied with our defensive organisation

– After every match, I stress that the game is difficult, and that is genuinely the case. Even now, despite having first-team players with us, they are still young players born in 2006 and 2007. The opposition, if I’m not mistaken, had four or five older players, which gives them greater physical strength. They are more athletic. But we have the technical ability that we can show on the pitch. Of course, we could have drawn 1-1 with Karpaty U21, but we could also have won 2-0 or 3-0. First and foremost, we take the first team’s interests into account. When, for example, a player needs to get some playing time, we are all for it. Our interests are aligned with those of the first team because, as I stressed last week, we have a fairly small squad. Now, thanks to the players who have joined us from the first team, some of the players who are most likely to play against PSV U19 in the UEFA Youth League have been given a rest. I would like to thank the senior team, the coaches and Darijo Srna for not forgetting about us. We know that the Brazilians are excellent players, and our lads have the opportunity to train with them, play alongside them and see how they measure up against them. The Brazilians are undoubtedly top players, but I know that our young footballers can be at least as good as them.

– The final minutes were extremely tense, but Shakhtar U21 managed to hold on to the winning score. Were you satisfied with your players’ performance in this match?
– I can say that we could have conceded, as the opponents genuinely had some good chances to score. However, we also had opportunities to extend our lead. Karpaty U21 had an advantage in terms of athleticism. They had players with experience of playing in the UPL who have been competing at this level for several years. I’m satisfied with my players and, despite the chances near our goal, with our defensive organisation because the players and coaching staff put a great deal of effort into it.