Zorya Luhansk head coach Patrick van Leeuwen shared his thoughts on the match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Feyenoord in the 1/8 finals of the Europa League. The return leg of this stage will take place in Rotterdam on Thursday, March 16..
Patrick van Leeuwen- Patrick, what are your main conclusions about the game in Warsaw, which ended in a 1-1 draw?
- I think Shakhtar achieved a good result in the first leg. Of course, the Pitmen were a bit unlucky at the end of the game when Feyenoord scored a goal. The draw of the first match allows Shakhtar to hope that everything can be fixed in the second game.
Another advantage will be the return to action of three defensive players (Konoplya, Bondar and Mykhailychenko) who did not play in Warsaw due to too many yellow cards. Donetsk's recent match in Rennes shows that it is possible to achieve a result away from home.
- What do you think is the priority for Feyenoord at this time - the Dutch championship or the Europa League? Next Sunday Feyenoord will play an away match at Ajax.
- I think Feyenoord wants to win every game, in every tournament. They need a good result both in the game against Shakhtar and in the match against Ajax. They will give 100% in every game, I am sure of it.
- What is the main difference between Feyenoord and the other giants of the Dutch championship? - "Ajax and PSV?
- Head coach Arne Slot started building his current Feyenoord last season. Let me remind you that they reached the final of the Conference League, where they lost to Italian side Roma. And this season, we see that they are successful, both in the domestic championship, where they are leading, and have not lost for a long time, and they won the Europa League group in the fall.
If we look at Feyenoord's squad, they have both young and experienced players. The same team will be competitive next season.
As for Ajax, the beginning of the season was very difficult for the famous club. There were problems in the team. But Ajax's management changed the head coach in time, believing in the young specialist John Heitinga. He doesn't have much coaching experience, but he knows the Ajax philosophy very well, as he played for many years in this team. In terms of the game, Ajax didn't add much, but they started to score points. They are already three points behind Feyenoord, having closed the gap.
Speaking of PSV, they have a whole host of talent. As usual, they sold two or three of their leaders (for example, Cody Gakpo left for Liverpool). I think they are just building a new team. They do not have the strength to win the Dutch championship. I believe that the fight for the title will be between Feyenoord and Ajax. The team from Rotterdam has more stability in the game. Feyenoord is playing the most interesting football this season.
