Andriy Vorobey: "Now Ukrainian teams do not take the ball away, they just imitate it"

In an interview with the UPL TV telegram channel, former Shakhtar Donetsk striker Andriy Vorobey shared his impressions of his team's performance under the leadership of their new head coach Marino Pušić.

- Pušić's impressions of Shakhtar are still mixed, as it is too early to draw conclusions. The match against Barcelona (1-2, Champions League - ed.) could not be indicative, because Pušić has not had much time to work with the team. And the game against Victoria (3-0, 1/4 finals of the Ukrainian Cup - ed.) was largely a training game. The most important thing is that the atmosphere in the team has improved, you can see it in the guys.

- What kind of football will the new coaching staff strive for?

- The overall picture is not yet clear. It will take 3-4 matches to see it. Rather, to small passes, to football that many people probably don't like now - monotonous, due to ball control, as we used to play with the Brazilians.

- What are the main issues that Pushich and his staff need to fix?

- In modern football, you need to be able to take balls away. Unfortunately, not only Shakhtar, but Ukrainian teams in general do not take the ball away, they just imitate it, stand in positions and that's it. The new coaching staff should take this into account and make the team more aggressive in the tackle. Physical fitness must also improve. Because many of Shakhtar's players walk a lot. We want to create some dynamics.

- Which of the players can open up with the new coaching staff?

- I understand that every Shakhtar player has great potential, but none of them has yet to reach their full potential. Everyone lacks something. As a striker, I want more from my attacking players. I want Kelsey and Sikan to score more goals. I expect Bondarenko to play a high-quality fast game, not only in moving the ball in the centre of the pitch, but also in general in the construction. He can lead the team's play. He has great prospects, but has not yet revealed them. I also expect Kryskiv and Zubkov to add significantly and become more productive.