Former Ukraine national team player Oleg Shelayev assessed the performance of Donetsk\'s Shakhtar in the match against Arsenal (0:1) in the 3rd round of the main stage of the Champions League.
— In all the years of Ukraine\'s independence, our teams have played 33 matches in England and have not won a single time away. What does this statistics indicate?
— These figures speak to the strength of English teams. English football clubs are always tactically proficient, and their rosters are filled with masters from around the world.
— Did you also play in the Foggy Albion?
— Yes. I played against Middlesbrough with Dnipro and faced Newcastle with Metalist. I was greatly impressed by the fans of the English teams. They greet any successful action by their footballers with roaring, regardless of whether it’s a precise pass or a tackle. The quality of the pitches in England is at the highest level. Moreover, the pitch is very fast, and you need to adapt quickly to that. The grass is cut short, and any ball control can carry a risk; you need to maintain concentration in every moment. The players who played in English clubs also stood out to me—powerful and strong; winning a duel against them is quite a challenge.
— What do you think of the current Arsenal?
— In recent years, Arsenal is a clear contender for the gold medals in the Premier League. The club has a glorious history and great potential. I believe Arsenal didn’t play at full strength against Shakhtar. They have a very tough schedule—the league, the FA Cup, and the Champions League. It seems to me that the English were looking to score an early goal and play defensively. They were searching for a chance in counter-attacks. That’s essentially what happened. It was evident they were playing in energy-saving mode. Let’s not forget that next Sunday they will host the leader of this season, Liverpool. And this will be the most important match for Arsenal in October.
— Let’s move on to the match in the capital of England. How did you find Shakhtar’s performance in the first half?
— Overall, the Donetsk team performed quite well. They met Arsenal’s two defensive midfielders—Partey and Rice—in the center of the field. It was clear that there was danger near Riznyk's goal— the individual skills of the attacking players for the hosts were at the highest level. Our guys tried to break out into counter-attacks, but it wasn’t working out.
— Why did the Shakhtar player pass the ball back to the goalkeeper every time he got possession of the ball instead of starting an attack?
— Sikan is not faster than Gabriel or Saliba. So, there wouldn’t be much benefit from long balls forward. I think out of 10 passes, only one would have been successful. The hosts were seeking Jesus ahead, and he was working at high speed. With the ball, our players, by passing back to Riznyk, wanted to get a breather; even a few seconds were important.
— Is it disappointing for Shakhtar’s goalkeeper to concede a goal in his own net?
— Of course. Overall, he played well. In that episode, in the 29th minute, Konoplya was following Martinelli. The Brazilian feinted him and went into the center of the penalty area. Here, Yukhym needed support from a defensive midfielder; I think Kryskiv could have covered that area in front of the goal. Moreover, after the shot, there was a slight deflection, and the ball hit the post and bounced into Riznyk's back. It’s a game moment; it happens.
— What does the head coach talk about during the halftime when his team is losing by a minimal score?
— About the fact that with 0:1 there is a chance to come back. Perhaps, someone was surprised, but the hosts allowed the "miners" to take possession of the ball. Sometimes our footballers tried to combine well, but the Arsenal players very cleverly closed zones and pressed effectively.
— In only the third match of this Champions League, players of Shakhtar hit the target with a shot from open play. This was done by Pedrinho in the 92nd minute of the match. Was this the best chance to equalize for the Ukrainian team?
— Yes. The midfielder of the "orange and black" team struck powerfully at Raya's goal from outside the penalty area, and only the skill of the Spanish goalkeeper allowed the hosts not to concede. But I think a draw wouldn’t have been a disaster for Arsenal. In the new format of the Champions League, each club will play eight matches, and I have no doubt that Arsenal will collect their points.
— The expensive legionnaire, forward Lassina Traore, comes on only in the 84th minute of the match, even though the team needs to come back. Why keep such a forward in the team for four years?
— In every team, there are selection mistakes. The club’s leadership must decide whether to carry this suitcase further or not. We don’t know what Traore’s salary is, although he came from the prestigious Ajax, so it’s probably not small. From the game, we see that Traore is not particularly useful to Shakhtar.
— If we compare the quality of Donetsk Shakhtar’s play in three Champions League matches, was the match in London the best for the Ukrainian champion?
— Every game is a separate story. It would be easier for me to judge based on the strength of the opponent if the Donetsk team had played two matches against Atalanta and Arsenal, for example. And in one individual game, anything can happen. The playing style of Atalanta and Arsenal is very different. I noticed that Shakhtar’s players played the match in London with a great desire to show their best qualities.
