Matveev: Shakhtar’s young players should speed up the game, the defeat could have been bigger

Known in the past striker of Donetsk Shakhtar Oleg Matveev in an interview with Sport Arena, he shared his opinion about the match of the third round of the Champions League group stage Real – Shakhtar, in which the Pitmen lost in Madrid – 1:2.

— The result of the match between Real Madrid and Shakhtar, perhaps, did not surprise anyone. And what did you see on the field of Santiago Bernabeu?

— On the whole, if we don’t forget who Shakhtar played against, the Donetsk team looked decent in a row. We all see and know that Real Madrid plays itself and allows the opponent to play. Real Madrid are very strong in attack – they create chances at the goal of others easily, the class of their players is very high.

But what I didn’t like was that all the defenders and Stepanenko who joined them all the time play back and forth, and near their penalty area. The first 30 minutes of the match took place exclusively at the gates of Trubin. Speedy Mudryk was able to show his speed only twice – at the 36th and 53rd minutes of the match. And if the first blow did not become difficult for Lunin, then in the second episode Mikhail hesitated with the blow. It was necessary to hit on goal, the position was excellent. Real Madrid defenders acted risky, raising the defense high. It was in these zones that it was necessary to throw the ball at Mudrik.

– But these are questions with Sudakov and Bondarenko?

– When receiving the ball in the center of the field, our young players must speed up the game. Don’t play back and forth. In this I see the progress of the team. It is clear that it is impossible to play with Real Madrid as the first number, but you can play better with them.

Why did our players make so many mistakes?

Yes, there are many losses. Let’s speak objectively, Shakhtar lost 1:2, but the score could have been 1:6. Behind, too, they brought moments at their gates. By the way, this is a disease of the current Dynamo in European competitions. In my opinion, there is no need to play squares and keep the ball in your own penalty area. You need to learn how to attack – the only way you can find your chance.

– In the current Shakhtar, among the experienced guys, only Matvienko and Stepanenko have gone through the crucible of big matches. Are the others just learning?

“Of course, everything takes time. The same Sudakov and Bondarenko are the future of Shakhtar. Let’s be honest: Real Madrid players play at a different level. The players of Shakhtar are trying hard, it is clear that the team is progressing. But, you need experience of such matches. Let’s remember that until recently Shakhtar’s Brazilians boldly played attacking, outplaying their opponents. Bondarenko played in Mariupol a year ago, can you imagine what a leap he made in his development.

– Many did not understand the absence of Sikan in the starting lineup. Is Jovicic right?

— I would think well before the game. I believe that Sikan is no weaker than Zubkov, and I would put him in the main team. It’s good to have competition. But Alexander Zubkov is clinging to his chances and he scored a beautiful goal at the Santiago Bernabeu.

– Judging by the statistics, Real Madrid created a huge number of scoring chances – XG Madrid had 3.84 against 0.82 for Pitmen…

– And without this data, everything was visible. An amazing match, in the second half Mudryk and Konoplya could make the score 2:2. However, if the Real Madrid players scored all their chances, the score could be 6:1 or 7:2. Fans of Shakhtar must say thank you to Anatoliy Trubin, who showed his class.

– Who, in your opinion, is the favorite in the fight for a ticket to the playoff round of the Champions League?

— Shakhtar’s group is very interesting. Who is her favorite – everyone understands. But further, everything is much more interesting. Leipzig showed their class both in Madrid and at home, beating Celtic. This is no longer the team led by Domenico Tedesco, which lost to Shakhtar in the first round. I don’t know how the match between Shakhtar and Real in Warsaw will end, but in Glasgow the Pitmen can’t lose. Now Donetsk Shakhtar has 4 points and good prospects. But I remember that before the first round everyone predicted that the Ukrainian team would take the last place in their group. In the meantime, Shakhtar in the fight and in the current situation is already great. An interesting fight awaits us and everything will be decided only in the last round.