Serhiy Yashchenko: "Shakhtar players were afraid of Porto. The team was not psychologically ready for this match"

Former Shakhtar Donetsk footballer Serhiy Yashchenko shared his impressions of yesterday's match between his former team and Portuguese Porto (3:5) in the final, 6th round of the Champions League group stage.

- Psychologically, Shakhtar were not ready for this meeting, - said Yashchenko. - It was noticeable that the Pitmen were afraid of their opponents. "Shakhtar tried to slow down the pace from the start, but the lack of the right attitude, unlike Porto, reduced attentiveness and led to tangible errors. "Porto", playing at home, was determined to win, without any thoughts of a draw.

It is possible that if Shakhtar were satisfied with a draw, and it would have been possible to play at 0-0, they managed to hold on to that result. But when you have to go forward, and even with such an opponent as Porto, there is always a risk of conceding a lot and losing with a big score. "Porto" after each scored goal received additional inspiration and strength.

- What do you think of Rakitskiy's performance, who probably few people expected to be in the starting line-up?

- In my opinion, his invitation to the current Shakhtar is a mistake. He is not the same Rakitskiy he used to be. But if it was only his presence that was needed - I don't know.... It is very noticeable that he already has poor coordination and speed. Of course, all veterans, and Rakitskiy is no exception, have good passing and vision of the pitch, but in top-level matches you need quality reaction and fight.

- "Shakhtar practice football with passing in their own penalty area, through the goalkeeper. But it is noticeable that it is too risky. What do you think of this style?

- This is a new trend in football, when the goalkeeper becomes another field player, in fact - a defender. In this style, it is through the goalkeepers that they try to launch an unexpected counterattack for the opponent. However, Porto pressed very well in this match. "The Pitmen probably needed to draw conclusions sooner and reduce their ball control. Shakhtar sometimes came out from under this pressing well, but it was rare. For this style, the Pitmen lack individual skill. "Porto also made mistakes in defence, and conceded three times under Shakhtar's pressure, but it happened when the hosts relaxed.

- If the Pitmen had a more skilful and mobile defence, could Porto have been beaten?

- Perhaps, however, the fact is different - take a look at the league table and how many goals Shakhtar concede. Besides, defence is not only the actions of defenders...

- Can Riznyk be charged for the conceded goals?

- Absolutely not. On the contrary, in many moments he saved Shakhtar from almost 100 per cent goals. Shakhtar's defence, unfortunately, gave the opponents space and an opportunity to shoot from comfortable positions.

- Whose performance in the Pitmen's squad did you like, and who failed in this match?

- The worst was Matviyenko, who completely dropped out of the game - from the first to the last minute. And as for those who you liked... Sikan played at his level, Zubkov was not bad. However, it is still not their best game.

- Assess Shakhtar's performance in this Champions League draw...

- Given the fact that the team had a lot of young players, I would give the Pitmen a four on a five-point system. Still, they played well against Barcelona and Antwerp, they managed to get nine points, and until the last minute they kept a chance to qualify for the play-offs.

- What can Shakhtar expect in the Europa League?

- There will definitely be no weak opponents there. The Europa League play-offs will feature teams that are almost as good as the Champions League participants. Of course, Shakhtar need to strengthen both defence and attack. Up front, they need a more creative forward. As for the defence, I have already mentioned Rakitskiy, but Stepanenko needs to assess himself objectively. Age is already affecting his game negatively. Therefore, Taras needs to either improve and be like, for example, Pepe in Porto, or give way to youth. Stepanenko will have to decide something in winter.

In general, much will depend on the coach's analysis of the situation at Shakhtar, on a qualitative and detailed analysis of mistakes, on the correct conclusion regarding the reinforcement. We will see everything in the spring.

Oleg Semenchenko