Former Shakhtar Donetsk forward Andriy Vorobey shared his impressions of his former team's first leg against the Dutch Feyenoord (1-1) in the last 16 of the Europa League last Thursday in Warsaw.
Andrey Vorobei"If we take the final result, it's not bad for Shakhtar. As for Shakhtar's game, there are a lot of questions. Especially if we are talking about Shakhtar's attacking moves.
That said, it was clearly visible that the Orange-Blacks have basically a new defensive line. Particularly, I think, was the absence of fullbacks Mikhailichenko and Konoply. These guys join the attacks well. Their substitutes Taylor and Topalov had little going forward. But in the center of defense everything was better - the experienced Matvienko and Rakitskiy, in general, played at a high level.
It was very toothless in the Donetsk team's attacking play. Of course, no coach can like such a game in attack. I also did not like the game of fullbacks, who sat low in their half of the field. I even got the idea that Shakhtar's players were waiting for this game to be over. They should have worn themselves out and gone to bed.
But the game of soccer is different: emotions, scoring goals, beautiful combinations. And so, to hit just one shot on goal against Feyenoord - it is not the level of Shakhtar, who play every year in the Champions League group stage. We need to play more focused and attacking.
What are the chances of the rivals before the return game? 60 to 40 in favor of the Dutch. The match will be held in Rotterdam, and if Shakhtar will play in the same manner, it will be very difficult to advance to the quarterfinals. The coaching staff and all the players need to make the right conclusions from the last game. Let's not forget that the key defenders will also return to action. I hope that we will see different soccer in the Netherlands," Vorobey said.
