“A very difficult group! Everything here is very unpredictable “

Shakhtar Head Coach Luis Castro gave a press conference after the match of the 5th round of the Champions League against Real Madrid (2: 0):

– Moraes was injured, but still entered the field. Was it your decision to let him run or was the player asking him to keep playing?

– Moraes received a strong blow to the leg. We kept him on the field for a while, we thought maybe he could bounce back, play a little more or even the game to the end. Unfortunately, this was not possible. We had two options: Dentinho or Fernando. Dentinho has also had an injury recently, and we knew perfectly well that, obviously, he would not be able to get all the playing time. As everyone saw, Dentinho also left the field and Fernando came out.

– In the first half, Shakhtar hardly ran on counterattacks, but sat down in defense, and in the second half they ran to score two goals. Was that your plan?

– I think the team defended well both in the first and in the second half. We cover our flanks with a very high quality, where Real Madrid made the highest number of attacks, thanks to the dynamics of the triangles. On the right – Dodo, Marlos and Tete, and on the left – Kovalenko, Tyson and Matvienko. In defense, we did well. Our biggest problem was the beginning of the attack, the rally from the goal; There we made several positioning errors, but during the break we were able to correct them. What happened? During the play of the goal, we pushed the attacker a little deeper, in the center of the field he, Marlos, Kovalenko and Stepanenko created a diamond. At the same time, they pushed the wingers higher and retreated to the wings. Thus, it was possible to open more areas of the opponent and play the ball better. This led to successful attacks and goals scored.

– I would like to provoke you a small bet: what unusual are you willing to do if Shakhtar leaves the Champions League group?

– In life, you should always be sincere and tell only the truth. When we play bad, we play bad; when we play well, we play well. Let’s take a look at the Champions League. My opinion: this is the most difficult group in the current picture. I don’t think anyone in this room would have ever thought that we would have seven points in the round before the end of the group stage. Hardly anyone could imagine such a thing. We play with Inter, Real Madrid, Borussia, it’s a very, very difficult group. The last round is approaching, which will decide everything. We can either fly out of the European competition entirely or continue our way into the Champions League or Europa League. Everything here is very unpredictable. The group is very complex and challenging. And immediately after the draw, and all the time after, I felt that we would play, perhaps, with the best European teams.

For example, Real Madrid: it has more trophies, it has more fans, it has won the Champions League more often, this name is visible. It’s too early to talk about anything. We haven’t accomplished anything yet, but we haven’t missed our chances either. In the last round everything will be decided. What happened to Borussia is inexplicable. How, having beaten Real Madrid twice, can we lose to the German team in total 0:10 in two games? But it happened and you must accept it. The most important thing is to fight to the end, realizing that there is a very, very difficult fight ahead. Nothing has been decided yet. When you decide, then it will be possible to talk about something.

– Luis, in addition to this being Real and no additional attitude is required for it, did the criticism that the team faced encourage the players? Does the disbelief of the fans make them work two hundred percent, run and win?

– No. What really unites the team I’m on is the daily dedication and hard work. Weaknesses – yes, there are, strengths – too. But failures will never create additional liability. I don’t need anyone’s motivation. I don’t need anybody’s pressure. And I don’t need anyone’s praise to force me to work every day. This is how I have lived my whole life and will continue to do so. I will never need any external pressure. I always listen to criticism, reflect on it and make the decision to accept it or not. In addition to the compliments, you have to feel if they sincerely praise you or not. Work and my players are what always unite us. I know that when I win I will be good, when I lose I will be bad. And that all this can change in two days: today you win and tomorrow you lose. Therefore, you must be persistent in your work.

At the moment, I understand that we have not won anything yet. The last game can decide everything: either we will continue our way in the Champions League or the Europa League, or we will be completely eliminated from the European cups. Everything in football is unpredictable and can change suddenly. But the team can’t be physically ready, and after two days, no. This just doesn’t happen. There are four very important factors: I always base my work on them. After the game with Dnipro-1, we did not train, but we recovered. We recover in a couple of days and today we get to the game. I know perfectly well that everything is very difficult, but we will try to continue in the same spirit.

– Throughout the season, Real Madrid have difficulties with organized teams that defend well. Did this affect your game plan?

– Against teams that play with a medium or lower block, they have certain difficulties. For this reason, we tried to leave the first third of the Real field without pressure, so that later we could press and go higher, so that our wingers and the striker could take advantage of the free space left by the centrals.

– Today was a real test for Vitao. How satisfied are you with his game and the bond with Cooper?

– It would not be very correct for me to talk about one player and not talk about others. All my guys were great on the field. For me, centrals are always a pair and a connection. And now they were good throughout the game, they had a great union. They proved to be very valuable in defense. They are two young but very skilled footballers. I’m already tired of repeating that a player has no age, only qualities. There were players with excellent qualities on the field and they played well, like everyone else.

– In the second round, you played an excellent match against Inter, even though it ended with a score of 0: 0. Have you already thought about the next decisive game?

– No. Now we have such a tight schedule that I decided to think about a game and under no circumstances go ahead. For example, sometimes we run out of certain players, and it can be very difficult. Today we are left without Moraes, then without Dentinho. Planning for the long term? You never know how and what will happen. Starting tomorrow I’ll start thinking about Minai. Now it is important to go back to the championship in Ukraine and focus on the next match. After the match with Minaj, I will move on to the match with Inter, only then will we tune in to him.

– During the installation, did you ask to play with Real Madrid as a team or did you choose some players? What do you think, if Cristiano Ronaldo were at Real Madrid, would change your attitude?

– When we prepare for any match with any opponent, we analyze each player individually. Our footballers, even before the installation, a few days before the match, have access to a video with the actions of both the opponent in general and certain interpreters. Then we go on to see the dynamics of the command: attack, defense, transitions. And only then, of course, is there a motivational component, but it already happens almost before the game itself. We are thus preparing ourselves for absolutely every match in the championship, the Ukrainian Cup or the Champions League. This professionalism is always with us. We do not divide the matches into more important and less important, but we approach each opponent with great professionalism and respect.