Famous Ukrainian coach Yuriy VIRT shared his thoughts on the match of the first round of the main stage of the Conference League between Scottish «Aberdeen» and Donetsk «Shakhtar» (2:3).
Yuriy VIRT— You know, I’m sure that during the preparation for the match in Aberdeen, the «miners» thoroughly studied how to counteract an opponent armed with long aerial passes, which is focused on battles in the air. However, for some reason, the Donetsk team decided to adjust to the hosts' style of play, which led to a loss of initiative and a goal conceded early in the match.
— What helped the Donetsk team achieve a turning point?
— At the end of the first half, the visitors began to use low passes, which put their opponent in a difficult position, targeting the search for free spaces between the lines, and showed resilience in the transitional phase. A precise shot by Nazaryna in the 38th minute added to their confidence, equalizing the score. Importantly, the «miners» continued to play in that same style immediately after the break, quickly bringing the score to 3:1 in their favor.
— But the ease with which the «miners» scored almost played a cruel joke on them.
— You are right. Thinking that the job was done, the visitors became less active in defense and recovery, and the hosts immediately felt this, increasing their tempo and again, without much hesitation, began to use aerial passes. With the score at 2:3, the «townspeople» tried to save themselves, but it worked out.
— Still, how do you explain such fluctuations in the game of «Shakhtar»?
— There are many newcomers in the team, and they are quite young, and as we know, they lack stability. But this is something that can be developed over time. The main thing is that «Shakhtar», unlike «Dynamo» (in the match of the first round of the main stage of the Conference League against English «Crystal Palace», 0:2, — ed.) managed to find their game, demonstrated their strengths, and deservedly celebrated victory. Coach Arda Turan will definitely point out the mistakes made to his players during the post-match analysis and advise on how to avoid them in the upcoming matches, where the opponents will be more qualified.
Andrey Pysarenko
