Jovicevic: I have never felt this intensity. We have a chance to go out on 1/8

The head coach of Donetsk Shakhtar shared his expectations from the Champions League match against Germany’s Leipzig.

The current Shakhtar is different from the one that started the summer training camps. This was said at the pre-match press conference by the head coach of the Donetsk team, Igor Jovicevich. At the same time, the mentor spoke about the incredible pressure on the team related to the chance to reach the playoffs of the Champions League.

“People also change throughout life. If a person has ambitions for development, this also works on the football field. I believe that people need to achieve high goals – this is more important than just football players, the main thing is the people. “When there are difficult matches, when the team faces challenges, everything is decided only by the personnel. At this level, you have to have talent, and all my players have that. Talent is multiplied by personalities, and this translates into the success of the lofty goals we set today. No one three and a half months ago, he did not even give two percent for the fact that before the 6th round we already have the Europa League in our pocket and we will fight for the 1/8 finals of the Champions League. We are building a team, and has a reserve for a good project “It is inspiring and gives the spirit that in every game and with any opponent we can win. I have said several times that the first match against Leipzig was a turning point for us team. It was the first match in the European Cup, and we didn’t know how well, the opponent didn’t know either. In each game we added with confidence, maneuvers, resources, systems, the style of play was always maintained . We will try to show our spirit in tomorrow’s match to make the impossible possible. Now, if anyone can do it, it’s us. I don’t want one person’s progress, for me the buon g team has evolved. You – journalists and fans – can determine by emotions who is developing more and who is less. Someone reflects his ability in goals, someone – in the game with the ball, someone – in assists. Defenders have the task of stopping the opponent’s attack, midfielders have to set the pace and rhythm of the game, and someone makes the difference in attack so that through goals it can be shown that the team can achieve a result. If you play for a team, he will always help you shoot. Today Mudrik, tomorrow – Sudakov, then – Zubkov, but we are a team where everyone fights together.

Personally, I take it as a challenge. Before every face-to-face match, I look at the qualities of the opponent’s coach, look at his style of play and try to understand what he wants to offer. Today we are talking about a very good coach. Marco Rose is a top coach, he has been showing his quality at a high level for a long time. Shakhtar fans will also not forget the two-year rivalry with Borussia Monchengladbach and its result. His teams were playing very aggressively and intensively, but now the game scheme has changed a bit. His game system causes problems, but I think we will manage tomorrow and show a good game. Sometimes even perfection is not enough, but playing for the 1/8 finals of the Champions League, each of us must be at such a level that it becomes unforgettable. I repeat: no one thought we would even reach the Europa League, but now we have it in our pocket. You want the dream to come true, but if it’s from the heart, it’s not a dream, because you want it to be a reality.

There has never been such a match in our career when we had a chance to reach the 1/8 finals of the Champions League. Personally, I have never felt such intensity, and everyone is the same, except for some players. This ambition, and sometimes the uncertainty of the moment, drives you forward. We have done a lot and are not satisfied with what we have. There are 95 minutes left in a very good team that has scored 16 points in 18 in the last matches, showing good and intense football, beating Real Madrid and opponents in the Bundesliga. Nkunku, Werner, Forsberg – they are all playing at a very good level, so tomorrow we will have a huge challenge. Favorites don’t always win in football, but it’s a fact that we have a lot of injuries. Shved and Zubkov are important players in our team and our game model. But I think their loss is deserved and at the highest level will be replaced by others. I believe in the team and in a positive result.

The one who acts on the first number is not always the winner. A team wins if it matches all four football segments and dominates the entire 95 minutes. You can’t win in 15 minutes – you have to stick to the plan and believe in winning until the end. If we want to reach the 1/8 finals of the Champions League, tomorrow we just need a victory, and Leipzig will settle for a draw. Sometimes such an alignment for an opponent is psychological pressure, because not everyone can play for a draw. One goal can make a difference for us and can put everything on the line and change the game with energy and everything. This is what football is about, I repeat: it is not necessary for Shakhtar to play the first number to win the match. The first match against Leipzig proves it, because of the counterattacks with 39 percent of the possession we scored four goals, but it could have been more. It’s the same with Real Madrid: we have 41 percent of the possession, and everyone looks like we have 60 percent. The game is going on, we are getting rid of Real Madrid’s pressure from the defense. I want to see a team that reads the game. If it is necessary to endure, the defense must act strictly. Leipzig forces you to defend hard, because if you go under pressure, you will reach the lines. Look who our opponent is. Nkunku and Werner cost 100 million each and it would be fatal for us to give them space. We had to be on the ball, which led to the fact that we were thinking about reaching the 1/8 finals of the Champions League. We must not deviate from our style, but we must be smart and read the moments when you have to hold the ball. Only if you read the game can you win.

We need such individuals to be successful. All challenges motivate us to be better and take the field. This is the first experience, and we try to be strong in spirit, to use our talents. First of all, we play for Ukraine and for it. In every game we show that we can play. In the past, no one believed in us, and therefore I want to make everything impossible possible.

In the last round, Alexandria and I were in the same condition, so the air raid had the same effect on us, and we will not make excuses. We must draw conclusions to win the next games. Maybe the anxiety worked for us, because we got back into the fight and leveled the game. Before the elimination, we had enough chances, but then the team has to show character. Alexandria is a great team and we have to admit it. Personally, for myself, I can say that no one wants to experience anxiety, because you never know what will happen next. There is uncertainty, and you think that now something might fall, but in your head you are also thinking about tactics and how to defeat the enemy. All Ukrainian teams are now heroes, as are Ukrainian soldiers. We are playing on the territory of Ukraine and fighting. The people who fight for our freedom are the fans of our teams. All the representatives of the country in the European competition support each other, and I will feel the support of the whole country in tomorrow’s match, the same in the Dnipro-1 match. I wish all teams win more and get points in a common piggy bank. It’s a shame that Dynamo didn’t produce results, but when Dynamo plays, we should all cheer for them.

Moving, of course, is tiring, because you don’t have time for anything else. Representatives of other teams have time for leisure, but you have a constant task, and this psychological factor is quite depressing. Tomorrow’s match will be decisive, but then we still have five games to play. Tomorrow we will try to fight and show our best. In connection with the transition there is no balance between the physical and the mental. The situation is for us, but no matter what, we will fight,” Shakhtar’s official website said of Jovicevic.

Remember that today, November 2, Shakhtar Donetsk will play the sixth match of the Champions League group stage against German Leipzig. The match will take place on Wednesday in Warsaw. Starts at 19:45 Kyiv time.

It was previously known who will referee the Champions League match between Shakhtar and Leipzig.