Polunin: Third place in the Champions League group is the maximum for Shakhtar

Shakhtar lost 0-4 to Leipzig in the final match of the UEFA Champions League group stage in Warsaw. As a result, the Orange-and-Blacks finished third in the group and will play in the Europa League play-off round in the spring. Former midfielder of the national team of Ukraine Andriy Polunin believes that the third place in the group is the maximum for the current Shakhtar.

— Minerat in the 6th round of the Champions League group stage, only a victory was needed to reach the 1/8 finals. However, in reality, everything happened differently – a major defeat at home. What is the reason for the failure?

– Here I propose to go back to July, when the new team had just gathered. Almost all foreign players left, the head coach of the team, Roberto De Zerbi, also left. Shakhtar is objectively one of the youngest teams in the current Champions League. Younger, only Salzburg, I guess.

Before the start of the group stage, everyone gave Shakhtar the last place in the group stage. And here, at the beginning of November, the Pitmen had a real chance to reach the playoffs of the Champions League. However, the opponent, represented by the German Leipzig, was very strong. The opponent is one of the richest teams in the Bundesliga, a dynamically developing club. In September, Leipzig was led by Marco Rose. After that, Leipzig did not lose in any official match. They corrected things both in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League, beating Real Madrid in the case.

As for the game between Shakhtar and Leipzig, the absence of Maryan Shved and Oleksandr Zubkov became a huge problem for the Ukrainian team. Yes, and Yefim Konoplya only healed his injury. It was evident from the mood that our players wanted to please their fans, but they could not get out of the opponent’s pressure. The first and third goal by the Leipzig players were scored after the mistakes of our guys. Nkunku, Werner and Forsberg are skillful players and they quickly decided everything in their favor. The fourth goal, performed by Olmo, is a home preparation. Here, Petryak did not expect such a free-kick, and no one backed him up.

– Is the class of footballers from Shakhtar and Leipzig incomparable?

Of course, you have to be objective. The German team brings together the best players from all over Europe. Many of them are leaders in their national teams. Plus, they have one of the strongest German specialists.

— After which Leipzig goal indid everything become clear?

– Andre Silva scored the ball in the 50th minute of the meeting, and everything became clear. It was impossible for the Pitmen to score three goals. Guests played calmly, did not escalate the situation on the football field. Perhaps only this Leipzig goal was a little curious – our defenders could not just take the ball out of the penalty area. After that, it was morally difficult for our players. In addition, the Pitmen’s coaches began to make substitutions, and things got even worse.

— How do you explain the fact that the Donetsk team delivered their only shot on target at Blasvikha’s goal only in the 83rd minute of the game?

— In the positional struggle, Shakhtar’s players are not yet as strong as the opponent. In the first match in Germany, our guys acted on the counterattacks. The German team did not give free space, and Mudrik faced a struggle against two or three opponents.

— Pabout the result it was the worst match for Gornyakov in the group stage. And in terms of the quality of the game, this meeting in Warsaw also became the worst match?

Yes, I agree with this statement. In terms of the quality of the game, this is the worst match for the wards of Igor Jovicevich. It was not easy in the games with Real Madrid and Celtic, but there a lot was successful in attack: chances were created, flank passes were used well. All this was not here.

– Who, on inIn your opinion, is the Pitmen’s main forward – Traore or Sikan?

– It all depends on the tactics for the match. Jovicic adapts to the opponent. Many clubs in Europe have powerful defenders and Lassina Traore is better suited to play. He can impose a fight on the central defenders of the opponent.

– Is the final third place in the group an objective indicator for Shakhtar?

We know what situation our country is in. We are at war. 4 months ago we did not know what would happen to Ukrainian football. No one imagined what would happen to Shakhtar. The leadership of the Donetsk club made a bet on the young guys who were on the bench, some players were returned from Mariupol. I must say thanks to Igor Jovicevich – he was able to unite the guys. So the third place in the group with Real Madrid and Lepzig is the maximum result, especially for a young team. Here it is important to note the fact that many players have revealed themselves this autumn: Trubin, Konoplya, Bondar, Sudakov, Bondarenko, Mudrik and Sikan have taken a big step in their development. Everyone saw their progress. And Mudrik generally doubled in price. All this is nice.

And look who of the European giants moved from the Champions League to the Europa League. Barcelona, ​​Juventus, Seville, Ajax, Bayer, Sporting and Salzburg. Good company, isn’t it? And Atlético Madrid and Marseille have generally finished their performance in the current European competition. So everything is relative.