Well-known football expert Oleksandr Sopko shared his opinion on Shakhtar's game against Real Madrid in the 4th round of the Champions League group stage.
Alexander Sopko- If we talk about who made more mistakes in these games, then in the first one Real Madrid had more of them, and they were connected with the fact that they did not realize all their chances, which they had a lot of, respectively, they had complete advantage.
In today's game, Shakhtar showed that they were better prepared. At the same time, he worked not only on mistakes, but also on his reserves - how to strengthen the game, how to make it more competitive. And in terms of preparation, the Pitmen looked much better.
Perhaps Real Madrid is already somewhere looking at the next round of their championship, when there will be another El Clasico against Barcelona. Accordingly, it saves strength with emotions. Maybe it also had an effect that, unlike Shakhtar, Madrid played the game in the middle of the week and, accordingly, were a little tired. Nevertheless, the game felt that Shakhtar looked much more mobile, much more dynamic and better in terms of functionality than Real Madrid.
— Does the result of the first half correspond to what was on the field? And it seemed that the zeros on the scoreboard suited both of them.
- I don't think that's how they arranged it. If Shakhtar is still yes, then Real Madrid is unlikely. Most likely, the Madrid players thought that sooner or later a whole series of chances would fall, as in the first match, and they would realize one of them, respectively, the game would go according to their scenario. That's why we weren't in a hurry, this is typical of Real Madrid, they very clearly feel the moments when they can step up the game and put pressure on the opponent. And, probably, because of this, we played, I think, a little imposingly, thus giving Shakhtar a sense of the game and confidence. And Shakhtar understood that if the first half was kept clean, then perhaps Real Madrid would be nervous, and the chances of escaping into a counterattack with this team always turn out. And so it happened, plus a quick goal in the second half somehow forced Real to rush, at the same time to a greater extent mobilized and strengthened the game of Shakhtar, who realized that it was possible to play that today's Real was tough, and played, in fact , without mistakes in terms of the organization of the game - tactically, in discipline, in the ability to get out of pressure, Shakhtar played, perhaps, the best game of the entire autumn company. This applies to both European competitions and the domestic championship. The game definitely worked out, hence it is a pity to miss the victory in the last seconds. Namely, these periods of time are Real Madrid's phenomenon - they know how to put pressure on them, make the opponent make a mistake, moreover, in simple situations, when Shakhtar lost the ball twice.
— Didn't it seem to you that Shakhtar players gave a lot of freedom to Toni Kroos in the first half? And how do you assess the situation with a conceded goal — Is it more Trubin's mistake or the skill of Kroos, who simply made a jeweler's pitch to Rüdiger?
“I think there was a chain of errors here. At first, Taylor made a mistake, who, while controlling the ball, lost it, easily losing the duel. They were cut off in front, because of which a large group of players was cut off. Kroos, seeing how the same Rüdiger rushed forward, Benzema pressed, others did not combine further, especially since time was running out, and made such a canopy. And the way he does them is because there are few such players in modern football, you can also name Modric, De Bruyne, a couple more people who are able to make a decisive pass when necessary and against the background of fatigue. Plus, Shakhtar's defenders were already playing out the last seconds and, having lost concentration, did not appreciate who was more dangerous - Rudiger, who quickly burst in from the depths, or Benzema, who was spinning in the penalty area. The emphasis was more on Benzema, as a result of which Rudiger's breakthrough was not noticed. Well, Trubin did not notice him. To say that this is his mistake - I do not think. He could both notice the situation and defuse it, or not notice it. It turned out the second. Blaming the central defenders, who were already mentally finishing the match, is also not worth it. I think it would be better to attribute everything to the class of Real Madrid players.
— How would you rate today's changes in the squad, in particular, Zubkov came out on the right, unlike the last game, when he was in the center of the attack and Traore, who, unlike the Madrid one, started this game with a starting whistle?
- Today's position for Zubkov is, in principle, native, his favorite role is to play on the right, under the left foot, when you can score or make a good blow, as it happened when Lunin parried with difficulty. Plus, Zubkov has a good sense of the game when it is necessary to outplay with partners, to break into the middle from the flank. And the center is not his position, which is why he revealed himself better in today's game. Although at first there was a lot of marriage, apparently, the excitement affected. And when he was already running away, the marriage disappeared, as a result it became more spectacular, plus he scored a goal.
To say that Zubkov was the discovery of this season, even before I did not consider him a player who can be written off, or that his time has passed. When he played back in Mariupol, even then it was clear that he was cramped there due to the class of the club. But in Ferencváros, he matured, managed to become more diverse, gained confidence. I think that Zubkov can still add.
Traore - it is clear that he has not gained a little speed yet. But he, nevertheless, has experience, good qualities, the ability to catch on, put the body, keep the ball with him, play with partners. If he gains, he will definitely play more powerfully. Although Sikan, who came out, managed to maintain the right mood, the right level of play, clung to the ball, won several good martial arts. So it's good that Shakhtar has a variety in this position.
— How would you rate the goalkeeper duel between two Ukrainians? — Trubin and Lunin?
- Lunin is in a very difficult situation, he has little game, as such, for 90 minutes, therefore, it is difficult to be in good shape in such a situation. It was easier for Trubin, because he is always in the game, concentrated, constantly leading the defense. It is much easier for a goalkeeper to show his best qualities in this state. Nevertheless, Lunin's performance, and not only in today's match, convinced us that we have two young goalkeepers with whom our team can feel at ease in the next 5-10 years.
Has Trubin outgrown Shakhtar? The team plays in the Champions League, especially against Real Madrid, he has constant practice, the coach trusts him, Anatoly travels to different teams. Now Trubin has a wonderful period in terms of formation as a young goalkeeper. So, according to his inclinations and abilities, he might have been able to play in good championships. But goalkeeper competition is different from that of outfield players - a special life, special relationships, you must have your own team, your own defenders who understand and support you. So there is a very big risk at this age to go somewhere, even if you are invited. On the other hand, if the interests of the club and the player converge and there is a good offer, you can try.
— Mudrik has somewhat disappeared in today's game against the background of his partners, what is the reason for this?
- Of his generation, Sudakov played much more vividly, perhaps even Bondarenko. Mudrik looked frankly pale. In my opinion, the guy just "burned out" - there is too much pressure on him now, offers are pouring in, a lot of information. Plus, Real Madrid is also directly interested in the player. I wanted to show him something like that, he was clearly focused on his image in this game than on team actions. And Real Madrid is not the team where this can be done. Plus, he still needs to seek and seek a balance between collective and individual actions. You have to work and draw conclusions from every game, he must understand that there are 80% of such matches as with Real Madrid in any top league, against good defenders who play in their national teams, and they are not boys from the church choir. For the top championship, this is an ordinary game, two or three such matches as today - and you can find yourself on the bench. I think that Mudrik is not a stupid guy, he understands everything and will draw the right conclusions in order to develop further.
— How the result of the match in Warsaw may affect the state of Shakhtar, because on the one hand, 1:1 with Real Madrid seems to be prestigious, on the other — the victory was lost in a matter of seconds before the final whistle? And what are the real prospects for reaching the playoffs of the Champions League?
- After the draw, we remember how many buried the team, they say, it's good if we score at least one goal. Now everything looks completely different. If they had taken three points, they would have taken a very good step towards getting into the playoffs of the Champions League. I think that today's last minute will be scrolled in the head for a long time by the players, coaches, fans in the month of December, they will consider where the loss was. And then this minute will be worth its weight in gold for us. In the meantime, Shakhtar is in an excellent state of building a new team. And the Champions League should be a catalyst for the development of young football players, regardless of the result of today's game, when they will not sleep for a long time, experiencing this moment, they should be happy and enjoy the game. We must be sure that we are on the right path and can reach an even higher level. If in the next games there is the same organization, dedication, a single team, then it will be possible to solve the problem, despite the loss of two points with Real Madrid. So I just want to congratulate the players on this, I think, success, there is no need to sprinkle ashes on your head, they say, they missed it, it may not be enough. Everything can be enough with the same dedication in the following games. Well, it is important for them to understand that they are still far from realizing their potential, that they have something to correct and strengthen.
Evgeny Savchuk
