In a conversation with NV, Shakhtar captain Taras Stepanenko shared his impressions of the current season of the Ukrainian championship, recalled the difficult period last year and admitted why coaches of teams are often fired in Ukraine.
Taras Stepanenko- UPL is very unusual this season, a lot of teams are fighting for the title. In your opinion, the level of Ukrainian football is growing compared to last year?
- I think it is growing. Good teams have entered the UPL from the First League, with good funding. Clubs can afford to take good Ukrainian players and even invite guys from abroad. This adds to the competitiveness of our championship. I believe that it will help the players themselves to reach a new level even in such conditions. God willing, it will be like this in the future.
- Which team was the hardest for you to play against in 2023?
- There were enough difficult matches, because they are related more to the fact that Shakhtar play in the Champions League, and also many players are called up to the national teams. It is very exhausting, takes a lot of energy and does not give time for full recovery - it is travelling. That is why the matches in UPL after European cups or national teams are the hardest. If you look at it, it was during this period that we lost points. I can`t single out one team that was hard to play with. But I can say that when we, for example, beat Barcelona, we gave a lot of emotions and a lot of energy. Then we overcome a long way, we come to Ukraine and play in the championship, then sometimes we may not have enough mental strength to give our best. It has always been, not only now, when we have to change the plane for a bus and go across the border, but it was when we were still playing in Donetsk. Then we were also losing points. Because one team prepares for a week for the game with Shakhtar, and we have to prepare for one game, and then in a short time for another. And it takes a lot of time.
- Did you manage to get the desired result at the expense of the fans in times of peace? Did the fans in the stands push you to play to the end and to do your best?
- Of course, when the stadiums are full, you are playing at home and people are cheering for you, it gives you strength. But it is also important that the coach has the opportunity to make rotation. Guys who play less - in such moments have more ambitions for certain matches. They have more strength to come out to play in such games. Shakhtar always had a long bench and there were players who could substitute and help. This is very important. And it is very good that now Shakhtar are getting stronger, new players with good skills are coming in, it is a very good move.
- Can you recall the brightest moment for you last year?
- We can remember the match against Barcelona. It is a historic match not only for Shakhtar, but also for the whole country. "Barcelona is Barcelona. It's very cool that we managed to win and score zero. That is why I will highlight this match in 2023.
- Your prediction, who will be able to play most consistently until the end of the season and which teams will really fight for the championship at the end of the championship?
- I do not like to make any predictions, because my business is to play football and show results. But I will say that all the teams that are now at the top of the table - they have ambitions and desire to win. There will be a very strong fight for the championship. We see that Polesie is getting stronger, and Kryvbas is very hungry for victories. They are rapidly running forward.
"Dynamo Kyiv is a brand of Ukrainian football and they always have ambitions for the championship. And, of course, Shakhtar. We always have the task to take the first place. The more teams will fight for the championship, for the prize money and for European Cup places - the better it will be for the UPL.
We see that now we are losing a lot of points in the UEFA coefficient table, and it greatly affects the level of Ukrainian football. Because of this, we will not be able to play directly in the Champions League or Europa League group, and this is very important. This is both money for Ukrainian clubs and status. We need to improve in this regard. The stronger the Ukrainian championship is, the more chances that we will also get points in Europe. Yes, this year there are more teams fighting for the title in Ukraine, but we still need to work hard to make other teams reach this level.
- Is the championship with few foreigners more useful for Ukrainian football in general?
- I remember when there were peaceful times, many people said that Shakhtar and Dynamo had a lot of foreigners. We should give a chance to our guys to progress, it will be better for the Ukrainian national team. Now the situation has changed. There are few legionnaires, so our guys play in the UPL teams.
We can say that it is good for young Ukrainian footballers. Guys are growing. They went to Europe and show a great level there. This shows that we have good players. And we can play on equal terms with the top leagues in Europe. That's very cool. But I lean more towards the fact that there should be some balance.
Legionnaires who come here should be really stronger than those who grew up in the academies of Ukrainian clubs. But if the Ukrainian guys show a good level, we are talking about Sudakov or Mudryk - then there is no need to take a foreigner. But if there is such a foreigner who wants to come to our championship and show a good level, for example, left-back Dibango from Kryvbas, then it is necessary. Because they really show a high level of football. They help the team to be on high positions in the standings. This is competition. Then a Ukrainian player has to work to beat this foreigner from the start. That is why there needs to be a balance. If there is, there will be a strong league.
- Shakhtar have changed three coaches in a year, how to quickly adapt to such changes?
- Well, coaching is like that. There is even a saying: a good coach never dismantles a suitcase. It's a joke, of course. In fact, much depends on how long the coach will work in the team. A football player should be ready for the fact that the coach can work with you for five years or six months. Something may not be to the coach's liking from the management or there may not be results.
I respect all the coaches I've worked with. I've learned something from each one and I'm learning now. I try to help the team. We have one goal and we try to achieve it. And it is up to the management to decide the fate of the coach. I think, when a specialist is hired - the plans and objectives for the season are discussed with the management. If everything is fulfilled - the coach works further. If not - they find another one. That's why we work like this. But our team has good relations with each coach, because all the coaches who were here, closely kept in touch with the players in the team.
Taras Shmigil
