Renowned Ukrainian coach Yuriy Virt shared his expectations from the Champions League Group Stage match betweenShakhtar andBarcelona, which will take place in Hamburg today.
Yuriy Wirth- The second match against Barcelona will be no less difficult for Shakhtar than the first. Even more difficult. However, I won't say that they, the Spaniards, are absolute favourites - anything can happen in football. Everyone is well aware of the strength of Chavi's team. Moreover, the head coach again has Robert Lewandowski, who did not play in the first match.
- What can the Miners do to hope for an acceptable result? By parking a locomotive with anthracite freight cars in the quarry?
- I believe that only through discipline, because, as you know, this component sometimes beats class. So, yes, first of all, we need to play defensively. You have to be very reliable from behind.
I'm sure that the head coach and the players have already analysed the first match against Barcelona and pointed out their mistakes. If they draw the right conclusions, unite and tune in to the game, give their best on the football field, the result will be positive.
As for motivation, I think Shakhtar's players should have no problems with this component. Moreover, they had time to recover after the game against Dynamo and should be in a good psychological state after the victory over a principled opponent. But you can't do anything without luck in matches against opponents of Barcelona's calibre.
- Shakhtar's recent results are pretty cool - two dry wins. Are they doing well now?
- It's too early to sing Marino Pushic's praises. The Bosnian has not spent enough time in charge of Shakhtar. The team made it to the semi-finals of the Ukrainian Cup after defeating Viktoria, but with all due respect, the team from Sumy is not a team of Shakhtar's level. Yes, we also defeated Dynamo, but the capital's team is playing poorly now...
- Have you noticed any changes in Shakhtar's game since the arrival of Marino Pushic?
- The players have become better at controlling the ball and playing bolder. The quality of short and medium passes has improved when switching from defence to attack. There is more so-called vertical football.
But Shakhtar's game hasn't changed dramatically since Marino Pushic arrived. Let him work with the team for a month or two, hold a training camp (there is very little time left before the winter break), and then we will talk more substantively.
Shakhtar did have problems with their defence before Pushic arrived. But again, it's difficult to say whether the game has improved in this component, because both Viktoria and Dynamo did not create any real problems for the Donetsk team's defenders. Over the last two games, I can count on one hand the really dangerous moments that took place near Dmytro Riznyk's goal. So in the game against Barcelona, we will see whether Shakhtar's defence has really improved.
- What is your prediction for the Shakhtar vs Barcelona match?
- Of course, I'll be rooting for Shakhtar in this game, but I'm sure Barcelona will win. I'll bet that the score will be 2-1 in favour of Chavi's team.
Viktor Glukhenkyi
