“We will fight until the last second”

Shakhtar manager Luis Castro spoke about the 2-0 win over Olimpik.

– You practically didn’t trust Kovalenko with a place at the start, but today he was one of the best. It’s not even the ball scored, but the movement and saturation of the finishing zone. Why did Victor play so little in the last games?

– We have always trusted Viktor Kovalenko. He had a lot of fights last season. He is a very valuable footballer who gives very good dynamics in the center. Now we have experienced a certain moment of transition from last season to the new one. We didn’t have an offseason or training camp. There have already been several matches in the same week. We use other players as an offensive midfielder. Tyson played in the top ten and today we took him to the flank. At this point Kovalenko came out. We know that this is a footballer who gives us balance in the center. He may not be as decisive in the final third as Tyson, but these are players with completely different qualities that complement each other. I am very satisfied with his performance both in the game and in training. Kovalenko had many fights last season and will continue in the same way. I understand: when a player scores a goal, when he shows himself well, people start to evaluate him. And today I can also give a good assessment.

It all seems like Tyson clearly lacks motivation for Premier League matches. How will you solve this problem?

– It is not a problem. Tyson is very disciplined, very motivated, very attentive and very strict. He always tries to achieve a good result for Shakhtar. And all this is felt during the week by the way you work, how you interact with partners. I have full confidence in Tyson, as in all the players on our team.

– The group stage of the Champions League will start soon. What aspects still need to be strengthened?

– We must always add and in all aspects. There is no perfect team. Everyone is trying to move towards the ideal. This is our profession. It is important that the team is always attentive in defense and has enough creativity that characterizes us in attack. We have the same coach and the same players as last season, nothing has changed. If we spent last season, having achieved the best qualification in history (12th place), reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League, breaking a record of 23 points from second place in the Ukrainian Championship, then this shows all our qualities. At the very least, we want to show ourselves the same as last season, at the most, even better.

– You made your first substitution only in minute 76 with the score 2: 0. Was there any desire to make a substitution during the break? Did you have any questions about this template after the first half?

– I really believe in the team and in everything we do. Whoever sees us in the game does not observe our daily work. I understand that it is very difficult for journalists or coaches to analyze the game without seeing the training process. And whoever meets us in our daily work knows what we are doing and what kind of stability the team shows during the week of preparation for the game. In no case should the coaches complain about something, because we have not won the previous two fights. Today’s showed that you have to believe in the team and that there is stability. It is too early to do replacements, it means showing some kind of insecurity in the equipment and adding some kind of instability to it. We showed ourselves very well in the first half, unfortunately we were unable to specify several occasions. We also did a good job in the second half. They knew very well that sooner or later a goal would be scored. I understand that there are certain patterns in football: if you win, put defenders, lose, put forwards, if there is no desired result, you make substitutions. However, not everything is always so linear during the game. We need to do a deeper analysis. And we who work with soccer players every day must understand what exactly needs to be done. I knew that after two draws it would be a very delicate match and we must be very careful with line-up changes. I understood that if I make substitutions, I can add confidence to the team and deprive it. This was my experience throughout the game. I wanted to give the guys as much stability as possible. He had a good team on the field. This team has been the base in many Champions League games, except for two players. I knew that in the course of the game we would find our way to goals, and that’s what happened. I really believe in my players. I have already said it: there are no championships that are allowed in the first rounds, as some think. No, it is a long way. You can be sure, you can count on Shakhtar: we will fight until the last second, we will work very hard.

– Are you satisfied with the forward couple Moraes – Fernando? Do you need amplification, in your opinion?

– We, together with the club’s administration, made the decision to continue with the players we have. At the moment we have three players in the position of the ninth number: Fernando, Moraes and Dentinho. These players work very hard and we believe in them.

– What about Solomon and Stepanenko?

– Stepanenko is injured and Solomon is celebrating a religious holiday today in which he cannot work.