Shelaev: Shakhtar showed vulnerabilities in Rennes

In a nominally home game in the first match of the Europa League playoff round, Shakhtar defeated Rennes in Warsaw. According to the ex-midfielder of the Ukrainian national team Oleg Shelaev, the Pitmen have created a good groundwork for reaching the 1/8 finals of the tournament, but the French club should not be written off.

— surprised you withShakhtar’s tarting line-up?

– No. Only Dmitry Kryskiv came out in the starting lineup instead of Mikhail Mudrik. The young midfielder knows the Pitmen’s game structure very well. So there were no big surprises here.

— BDid the Pitmen’s quick goal predetermine a lot in this meeting?

– Certainly. Kryskiv’s goal is an indicator of the Orange-and-Blacks’ team play. And after the account was opened, the Ukrainian footballers stuck to their plan for this fight.

— What did you notice in Shakhtar’s game?

– In the first half, our players acted very well. We scored two goals, although we could have conceded, remember Bondarenko’s pruning – Trubin saved. Going for a break with the score 2-0 is a pleasure. After the break, the Pitmen played more on counterattacks. Although the ball control of our guys was at a good level. In general, we saw an interesting match at this stage in the Europa League.

— What is the reason for the ball conceded by Shakhtar?

— In the intensity of the game. The French team skillfully applied pressure. Yes, the guests left us a place to carry out counterattacks, but they could not be brought to an accurate blow.

– Before the starting whistle, how did you see the confrontation between Shakhtar and Rennes?

– I thought that the meeting would end in a draw – 1:1. Still, it was the first official match for Shakhtar, while Rennes is in full swing. Plus, the loss of the leader – Mikhail Mudryk – did not make the Ukrainian team stronger.

How do you like Rennes?

– Balanced team. The only thing that surprised me was that he had two young players in defense – born in 2004 and 2005. The Rennes coaching staff is not afraid to trust the youth. We also need to learn this.

— Who was the leader of Shakhtar in this meeting?

– I can’t single out anyone, all the guys played at a good level, no one fell out of the game. And, if someone to celebrate, then I especially liked Zubkov, Matvienko and Mikhailichenko.

– It seemed that Petryak did not get into the game, coming on as a substitute. It was he who organized the dangerous counterattack of the guests at the end of the meeting…

Everything happens in football. Yes, he did not enter the game. There are no mistakes in football. This is just the first game after a nearly three-month hiatus.

– How do you like the game of Lassina Traore. They expect a lot from him and, first of all, scored goals.

— Here I agree, I want to see more skill in his performance. Lassina loves power football. He cannot create a scoring chance himself, his partners must help him. Of course, he knows how to hold the ball, as they say, to catch on. But so far, there is no zest in his game. Substitute Daniil Sikan played better than Traore. He could have scored a goal in this meeting.

– In your opinion, who is the favorite in this pair?

– I think that these are approximately two equal teams. The Pitmen have a week to prepare for the second leg. Rennes will host Clermont in the French league on Sunday. Based on the match against Shakhtar, I can’t say that the French club is already in a very good shape. Therefore, the chances of passing to the 1/8 finals are equal, in my opinion.

Donetsk won in the first match. Rennes have already lost 3 official matches in a row, and we saw his weak points. We all have a great fight in France next week. Of course, we want Shakhtar to go to the next round, he can do it.